READY IN 25 mins

Sweet Italian Green Beans

Read Reviews (45)

"Crisp bacon, Italian tomatoes, brown sugar, green beans... everyone loves this unusual mixture of ingredients. It usually doesn't last long." — JENNALAINE

Directions

Cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove from the pan to drain on paper towels. Reserve the grease in the skillet and add the onions; cook and stir over medium heat until softened. Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds more. Remove from the heat.
In a saucepan, combine the green beans, tomatoes, basil, oregano and brown sugar. Crumble in the bacon and add the onion and garlic from the skillet. Warm over medium heat until heated through, 5 to 10 minutes.

Kitchen-Friendly View

PREP 10 mins
COOK 15 mins
READY IN 25 mins

Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review

May 13, 2009

I almost didn't try this - I'm not a huge canned green bean fan. But I read through pages and pages of side dishes, and this is the only recipe that called out to me. I was very pleasantly surprised! The flavor is much more complex that one would expect from the rather simple ingredient list. But a warning - I read through recipe reviews on here and see people deviating from the recipe to try to "lighten" it up. So - please don't try to omit the bacon and its grease! Baco's and canola oil just isn't going to cut it. (To be fair I should add, I deviated from the recipe and simmered this for about an extra 10 minutes - the meatloaf I had in the oven wasn't done yet and I didn't want the beans to get cold...)

—Grant L

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Feb 23, 2012

Great but please substitute fresh cut beans for can, cut sugar in half or eliminate....no reason to make it so sweet; (They won't use brown sugar in Italy).

—John Barbera

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56 Ratings

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Apr 21, 2009

with some variations: i used steamed frozen beans, fresh tomato, 1 teaspoon each of oregano and basil, one table spoon of brown sugar, one garlic clove, Add pinch crushed red pepper THIS WAS AWESOME! I HATE GREEN BEANS< but loved this! Also left out the bacon, but it wasn't missed! MY vegetarian mother loved it! Thanks!

—ADRIENNE27

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Dec 04, 2008

I made these green beans for my wedding and cannot tell you how many people have asked for the recipe or wondered where I got the green beans from!! They are easy to make (out of a can) and wonderful tasting!!

—stepfanny

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Feb 15, 2011

This recipe was great. I made it as written the first time, and the second time I made changes. I sauted 1 diced medium onion in just a little bit of the bacon grease after the bacon was removed. Instead of the diced tomatoes, I used 1/2 a can of tomato puree. I thought it had a more consistant tomato flavor than with chunks of tomato. It turned out great! I will be using this recipe frequently.

—K.C.

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Aug 23, 2010

These green beans were really, really delicious! I used fresh green beans and tomatoes, and added a little white balsamic vinegar to the mix. Went really well with our italian inspired meatloaf. Thanks for sharing this recipe, Jennalaine.

—Saveur

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Aug 24, 2009

Although I haven't made this yet, I've had it, and it's great! My neighbor used to make it for all our potluck get togethers and everyone LOVED it. I always meant to get the recipe from her, but never did, then I moved away suddenly and I've been looking for something simillar ever since. I'm so happy I found this! It's great comfort food and works nicely in a crock pot with fresh beans (add salt!) which is what she did when they were available.

—KaraBara

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Aug 24, 2009

This receipe is like one that has been past down through the generations in my family only instead of green beans we use Zucchini. MMM delicious. The house smells so good when you are cooking it.

—motoheadsgrl

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Nutrition

Calories
159 kcal
8%

Carbohydrates
16.3 g
5%

Cholesterol
13 mg
4%

Fat
8.5 g
13%

Fiber
2.9 g
12%

Protein
4 g
8%

Sodium
495 mg
20%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Sweet Italian Green Beans

Serving Size: 1/6 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 6
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 159
Calories from Fat: 77

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 8.5g 13 %
** Saturated Fat 2.8g 14 %
Cholesterol 13mg 4 %
Sodium 495mg 20 %
Potassium 266mg 7 %
Total Carbohydrates 16.3g 5 %
Dietary Fiber 2.9g 12 %
Protein 4g 8 %
** Sugars 11.4g
Vitamin A 20 %
Vitamin C 18 %
Calcium 9 %
Iron 27 %
** Thiamin 9 %
** Niacin 11 %
** Vitamin B6 5 %
** Magnesium 6 %
** Folate 19 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.