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You may be surprised that the best green beans that you’ll ever eat actually come from a can! This recipe has been perfected by my mom. I do a weekly profile of restaurants on my Loving Living Green Facebook page, and even though I have eaten at thousands of restaurants across the country, no green bean is better than hers. So, I want to share my mom’s perfected green bean “recipe” or cooking method with you today. I promise, if you eat these, you will never go back to traditionally preparing green beans from a can.
My favorite canned green bean to use is Allen’s Green Beans, although any type will do. The beans can have an Italian or French cut; it doesn’t matter for this recipe. Just make sure that the green beans are not seasoned, which it will say on the can. I honestly prefer these beans much better than if they were cut fresh.
The secret to my mom’s green beans is to cook ONLY the ingredients listed. You do not want to add more water or oil unless something has gone awry and your beans are about to burn.
It is recommended NOT to add additional liquid to the beans because when you add water, you lose flavor. You can add no ingredient to a pot full of boiling water that can flavor green beans well. Work only with the liquid that you have. The oil that my mom adds ultimately changes the taste, and it is absolutely for the better!
Sherri’s (mom) Best Green Beans
5 regular cans of green beans (approximately 72.5 ounces total).
1/2 cup of water
2 tablespoons of vegetable or canola oil
About 3 to 3.5 hours before serving, place the green beans with their juice from the can, water, and oil in a pot (I use enameled cast iron similar to this one, but any pot will do). Stir the oil and water to coat the beans well.
Next, turn the stovetop to medium-high heat, and let the beans come to a roiling boil for 25-30 minutes. I set my timer for this, and place a lid on top so that the water does not evaporate as fast.
After the 25-30 minutes have passed, stir the green beans and reduce the heat by about 10-15% on your dial. Continue this process in 25-30 minute intervals until the dial is on the lowest setting and there is virtually no liquid left in the pot. Don’t forget to set your timer for each time installment. Ensure that the beans have enough liquid not to burn, but on the low setting, that is virtually no liquid. At the end of the process, if you still have water in your pot, turn the heat up. I recommend that if you do this, monitor the beans closely so that they don’t burn.
Prepare to serve the beans hot, but they are also great reheated.
I hope that you love these green beans as much as I do! They are marvelous. With such a simple change in your cooking method, you can make these canned beans taste better than gourmet!
Bon Appetit, ya’ll!
Are you interested in other excellent and easily prepared foods? Try our canned bean (pintos, limas, northern) recipe and how to make gourmet brownies from a box!
Looking for additional easy meals? Read our article on The Art of Cooking: 19 Meals that Our Grandparents Taught Us to Eat!