Sweet and Sour Green Beans
Don’t let the name fool you, there’s really nothing Asian-inspired about these green beans. They’re just down-home good! My friend Mike told me that these green beans changed his Dad’s life, meaning that Dad hadn’t known green beans could be this good til he tried these! I’ve made these for years, and they’ve been served at countless church dinners, Mission’s conference meals, a rehearsal dinner for a wedding and at just about every holiday meal that’s been eaten at the Lewis home. One of the best things about this dish is that it’s made the day before serving, so it’s one less thing you have to do on the day of a big holiday meal. It’s also been one of my most requested recipes, so I’m posting it here for all to enjoy!
Ingredients:
2 large cans (or 4 regular cans) green beans, drained
2 onions, sliced
8 slices bacon, fried and crumbled (keep the bacon grease)
6 Tablespoons sugar
6 Tablespoons vinegar
Directions:
Fry the bacon in a skillet until crisp (or bake in the oven for less mess). I bake at 425 degrees on a cookie sheet for about 15 minutes. Turn midway through.
Once bacon is crisp, remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Reserve 4-6 Tablespoons of bacon grease and place in skillet. Add the two sliced onions to the skillet and cook until the onions begin to wilt and brown somewhat.
Spray a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and layer half of the drained green beans into the dish.
Top with half the cooked onions and half the drained, crumbled bacon.
Finish filling dish by adding the rest of the green beans, onions, and bacon.
In the skillet, place the reserved bacon grease (4-6 Tablespoons) 6 Tablespoons of sugar and 6 Tablespoons of vinegar.
Heat and stir until the mixture is bubbly and the sugar has dissolved.
Pour this mixture over the green beans, onions and bacon in the baking dish.
Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. The next day, remove from fridge and bake in a 350 degree over, covered, for 45 minutes. It’s ready to serve. Enjoy!
