Green Beans, Three Ways!

Everyone has their favorite vegetable. My favorite is green beans! I'll eat green beans every day but my family likes more variety. Evie does not like green beans. She likes broccoli best and Henry likes peas. Carl likes silver queen corn but is happy to eat anything that I prepare for him.

Here are my three favorite recipes for green beans. Fresh green beans are best but they are a lot of work. I generally use frozen whole green beans in all three of these recipes.

Roasted Green Beans:

Toss frozen or fresh green beans with olive oil and garlic in a bowl. Bake at 425 for about 40 minutes. Broil for a few minutes at the end if you like them crispy!

Lemon Green Beans:

Steam about a pound of green beans. Drain any remaining water. Add two tablespoons of butter and a heavy sprinkle of fresh thyme. Keep on stove until melted then remove from heat. Squeeze the juice of a fresh lemon on top. DELICIOUS!

You can find other amazing recipes like this one at Faithful Provisions.

Sweet and Sour Green Beans:

6 bacon slices, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 16oz packages of frozen, whole green beans
2 Tablespoons of cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons of sugar
salt and pepper to taste

1) Cook bacon and onion in a Dutch oven, stirring often.  Transfer mixture to a plate, reserving drippings in the pan.

2) Cook beans in hot drippings, stirring often for 8 to 10 minutes.  Stir in vinegar, sugar and bacon mixture.  Cook, continuing to stir often, for about 3 minutes or until heated. Season with salt and pepper.

Note: You can triple this recipe and freeze leftovers in quart size freezer bags. This is our favorite!

Pictures were added to my Week in Review post from yesterday.