Go Back

Smothered Green Beans

Smothered green beans are baked until tender and coated in a glossy, sticky brown sugar butter sauce. Chopped bacon and onion are cooked first and baked into the dish so every bite gets the drippings.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Southern American
Calories: 330
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Canned cut green beans
  • 4 can (14.5 oz) cut green beans drained
Bacon and onion
  • 8 slices bacon chopped
  • 0.5 small onion diced
Brown sugar butter sauce
  • 0.5 cup brown sugar packed
  • 0.25 cup butter melted
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 0.25 tsp black pepper

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Preheat and prep
  1. Preheat oven to 350F, then set out a 9x13-inch baking dish so it’s ready to fill.
Cook bacon and onion
  1. Cook the chopped bacon and diced onion in a skillet for 8 minutes until the bacon is mostly crisp, and do not drain the drippings.
Assemble the bake
  1. Place the drained green beans in a 9x13-inch baking dish, then top with the bacon, onion, and the drippings from the skillet.
Make the sauce and bake
  1. Whisk the brown sugar, melted butter, soy sauce, garlic powder, and black pepper until smooth, then pour over the beans.
Bake covered until glossy
  1. Cover with foil and bake at 350F for 35-40 minutes, stirring once during baking, until the sauce is glossy.
Serve
  1. Stir and serve warm so the sticky sauce coats the green beans evenly.

Notes

Pro tip: Stir once halfway through to help the brown sugar butter sauce thicken and coat the beans uniformly. Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container up to 4 days; reheat in the oven at 350F until warmed through. Freezing isn’t recommended for best texture. For a lower-sodium option, use low-sodium soy sauce and taste before adding extra pepper.