Fresh green beans, blanched, tossed with bacon and onion, then baked in a brown sugar sauce.
Unbundled Green Beans
No doubt at some point you have seen or made bacon wrapped green bean or asparagus bundles. Marinated with either a brown sugar sauce or a seasoned olive oil vinaigrette, then wrapped in bacon and broiled, baked or grilled, they are indeed delicious, but pretty time intensive to make. This recipe gives you the flavor, in a casserole form, without so much work.A form of this recipe has gotten a lot of attention across the web as "crack green beans." For the record, I hate referencing foods as crack in any way, but when something grows a following with that name, it means simply that it's so good that it's practically addictive. It is what it is I guess.
As always, you'll find the full recipe text with exact measurements, instructions and a pdf printable document further down the page. Just swipe or scroll past the step by step pictures.
Here's how to make them!
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Fill a large bowl with cold water and ice; set aside. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add 1 teaspoon of salt and the beans. Bring back up to a boil, add beans and boil for one minute. Drain and immediately transfer the beans to the ice water bath to stop the cooking process and to retain the pretty green color. Leave in the water bath until fully cooled; drain, pat dry and transfer to a 2-1/2 to 3 quart baking dish (I'm using an 11 x 7 inch dish pictured). Add 1/2 tablespoon of the butter to a large skillet and cook onion just until softened. Transfer to casserole dish with green beans.
I love using my oven style air fryer {affil link} to cook several slices of bacon, but I usually use my regular oven when I need to do an entire package because the air fryer requires adjusting the shelves, throughout and that can be messy with bacon drippings! You can certainly also simply pan fry the bacon.
To bake, spread bacon on a foil lined rimmed baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, or until cooked through, but not quite crisp. Remove from pan and roughly chop, reserving drippings and setting aside two tablespoons of the chopped bacon for garnish. Pour drippings over the green beans. Reduce oven to 350 degrees F.
While bacon is cooking, add 1/2 tablespoon of butter to a large skillet and cook onion until softened. Transfer onion and butter to casserole dish with green beans. Melt remaining butter in skillet and add brown sugar, soy sauce, Cajun seasoning, chili powder, garlic salt and pepper. Add to green beans, toss, taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes, or until bubbly and fully heated through. Toss again and garnish with reserved chopped bacon before serving.
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Recipe: Unbundled Green Beans with Brown Sugar Sauce
©From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Yield: About 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
For the Sauce:
- 2 pounds fresh whole green beans, ends trimmed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 (12 ounce) package thick cut bacon
- 1/2 cup chopped sweet or yellow onion
Instructions
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 teaspoon Creole or Cajun seasoning
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Fill a large bowl with cold water and ice; set aside. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add 1 teaspoon of salt and the beans. Bring back up to a boil, add beans and boil for one minute. Drain and immediately transfer the beans to the ice water bath to stop the cooking process and to retain the pretty green color. Leave in the water bath until fully cooled; drain, pat dry and transfer to a 2-1/2 to 3 quart baking dish. Add 1/2 tablespoon of the butter to a large skillet and cook onion just until softened. Transfer to casserole dish with green beans.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spread bacon on a foil lined rimmed baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, or until cooked through, but not quite crisp. Remove from pan and roughly chop, reserving drippings and setting aside two tablespoons of the chopped bacon for garnish. Pour drippings over the green beans. Reduce oven to 350 degrees F.
While bacon is cooking, add 1/2 tablespoon of butter to a large skillet and cook onion until softened. Transfer onion and butter to casserole dish with green beans. Melt remaining butter in skillet and add brown sugar, soy sauce, Cajun seasoning, chili powder, garlic salt and pepper. Add to green beans, toss, taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes, or until bubbly and fully heated through. Toss again and garnish with reserved chopped bacon before serving.
Cook's Notes: Substitute 5 (14.5 ounce) cans of whole green beans, drained or 2 bags (16 to 20 ounce) frozen green beans, thawed. Fresh beans may be prepared in advance and refrigerated until needed. Allow to come to room temperature about 30 minutes before baking.
To Substitute Vinaigrette: Combine 6 tablespoons butter, 4 tablespoons vinegar, 2 tablespoons tarragon vinegar, 2 teaspoons salt, 2 teaspoons paprika, and 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley. Whisk in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Place beans into baking dish, pour sauce all over top and let rest for 15 minutes.
For the Slow Cooker: Skip blanching step. Use saute function to cook bacon and onion, stir in beans and brown sugar sauce, cover and cook on high until tender, about 3 hours, or low 5 to 6 hours. Transfer to serving dish and top with reserved bacon.
Instant Pot: I have also steamed the green beans in the Instant Pot. Place 1 cup of water and add the trimmed beans to a basket. Seal and set for 1 minute, quick release and plunge in ice water to stop the cooking process, then drain. Meanwhile prepare bacon, onion and sauce, transfer beans to baking dish and finish as above.
Source: http://deepsouthdish.com
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