Thanksgiving is a big deal for our family. It’s one of the few holidays where we bring the whole family to my mom’s house. The week before Thanksgiving is a flurry of shopping, cleaning, and cleaning again. Although our family has been with us through thick and thin, this is the South, and God forbid they see a speck of dust in our China cabinet.
The day before Thanksgiving transforms our house into a war zone. The casualties? Cans of sweetened condensed milk, boiled until they become caramel for pies. A turkey, brining in our fridge. Potatoes roasting and boiling for casseroles. And no holiday is complete without my mom’s famous green beans. These sweet and sour green beans are a must for every occasion, and they bring up one of the harshest family divides: what kind of beans are the best.
Now, if you think that a green bean is a green bean, I need to tell you that you’re misinformed. There’s the rattlesnake beans, Kentucky Wonder, Blue Lake, runner beans, and more. Some of these are the kinds you buy in a grocery store. They’re easy to cook, and available nearly year round. Then there’s the heirloom beans that our family grew in the garden. They had to be picked off the corn stalks that they grew around. The fibrous string had to be removed. Then they had to be cooked, usually in a pressure cooker… and not one of those fancy electric ones they sell now. I’m talking an old school thing that looked like it could explode at any minute.
Sweet and Sour Green Beans
For this recipe, we usually use Kentucky Wonder beans. They’re broader, and they don’t require you to dig out your grandmother’s pressure cooker. Plus, they’re easy to find in cans. These green beans can be made the day before and reheated on Thanksgiving, or they can be made in a slow cooker and kept warm all day. The secret to this recipe is cooking the onion in a little bit of bacon grease. It adds a lot of flavor without a lot of extra work. Sometimes I make these beans with toasted slivered almonds for an extra crunch.
Bonus: this recipe is naturally gluten free and dairy free!
Printable Recipe
- • 2 cans (15 ounces each) green beans (or use one 29 ounces can), drained
- • 6 slices bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled
- • 1 medium onion, chopped
- • 2 tablespoon granulated sugar
- • 4 tablespoons vinegar (can use cider or regular)
- • salt and pepper to taste
- • 1/2 cup water
- (optional ingredient: 1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted)
- Drain the green beans, place in a medium bowl and set aside. Cook the bacon until crispy, remove from pan and crumble into small pieces. Add the chopped onion (and toasted almonds, if using) to two tablespoons of the bacon grease left in the pan. Saute until tender. Add the green beans, water, sugar, and vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for ten to fifteen minutes. You’ll only need to heat until the liquid is reduced. Remove from heat. Stir in the bacon and serve warm.
Do you have family favorites you serve every year at Thanksgiving? What are some of your favorites?
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I’ve never heard if this before. It actually sounds brilliant and delicious! Would love to try it!
I’ve never heard of sweet and sour green beans before. I like green beans. I’m not really a fan of vinegar or sour but the bacon might be enough for me to overlook that LOL.
I always make green bean casserole but never tried it this way. Sounds interesting and delicious.
Wow sweet and sour green beans is new. I would love to see how this taste.
I can see how those could fast become a family favorite for the holiday. They sound delicious to me!
I appreciate that this is dairy free and gluten free! It perfectly fits the diet that I’m trying to follow at the moment. Thanks for the lovely recipe!
This looks really comforting! Would love to try it asap!
I’ve never heard of this dish before! It sounds delicious! Perfect addition to Thanksgiving dinner!
This sounds like a great dish! I will have to try it out !
This is really packed with flavor! Love that tip about using the bacon grease to cook the onion. This is definitely a dish that’s worth trying!
Sounds like a nice fall dish. I haven’t tried making green beans like this before.
I’ve never thought to make a dish like this before. It sounds delicious! A great side dish option.
These green beans sound awesome. I think they’d be a wonderful side to some of our chicken or steak dishes.
Looks like a really delicious side dish. The bacon in the recipe just won me over! I have to try this tomorrow! Thanks for sharing.
Green beans are one of my favorite vegetables. I have never had sweet and sour green beans before. How delicious!
This sounds incredible! I have to bring a vegetable to our Thanksgiving, and this would be perfect. I am totally going to try and make these.
I’ve never had Sweet & Sour Green Beans before. It looks delicious. Definitely something to make with green beans instead of Green Bean Casserole for Thanksgiving.
My other half has a huge thing about sweet and sour and so I bet this would be right up his street, perhaps I’ll have to make it as a surprise.
I love sweet & sour chicken so I am really curious to try this recipe. I love green beans too so this recipe should be a winner in my book!
These sound really interesting. Our family eats a lot of green beans and I am getting bored with them. This recipe may help.
This is my first time to learn about the sweet and sour beans and it made me curious about the taste. I guess I will make this on my own and see for myself how it tasted like. I hope I will successfully make it. Thanks! – Anosa Malanga
Every family has their favorite and must have dishes prepared for Thanksgiving. Sounds like your family love the sweet and sour green bean dish.
What a unique, yummy side! I’ve never heard of or had sweet and sour green beans, but they sound AH-mazing. I can’t wait to try them!
I love that you’ve added bacon in yours. I love all recipes that include bacon. I bet this will be delish when I make it.
I have never try sweet and sour green beans before and this looks and sounds delish! I do miss the regular green beans casserole for Thanksgiving tho. It’s been ages since last time I had them.
These sound tasty! I don’t think I’ve ever had anything like these before, but I’ve always been a fan of green beans.
This sounds really good! I love things with a sour kick. Just found out I am no longer allergic to string beans. Yay!
Your Sweet & Sour Green Beans look so good – much better than just plain green beans. I have all the ingredients on hand so I need to make this soon.
I love regular green beans, so I am super excited to try this, too. It sounds amazing.
This sounds really tasty. I have never had a green bean casserole before, but I want to try yours 🙂