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    Home » Side Dishes

    Creole Green Beans

    Published: May 8, 2019 · Modified: Aug 7, 2021 · By: Sweet Daddy D · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads

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    There are lots of delicious ways to prepare green “string” beans...but here’s the one you've been waiting for. Awesome Creole Green Beans.  Fresh green beans smothered with bacon, onions and tomatoes in a rich stock and just a hint of Louisiana cane syrup sweetness. No-angst and packed with flavor, these will have ‘em coming back for more. This great side dish goes with any occasion and elevates any meal. All I can say is...everyone will love them!

    smothered creole green beans served on a plate with green border
    Creole Green Bean

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    This post is not sponsored, but you will find affiliate links on this page. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. The price you pay as a consumer does not change, but I may make a small commission based on your purchase.

    Here’s What You Need

    I like fresh green beans for this but frozen works very well. I think using whole green beans is the way to go, but if you have cut or even French cut those will work as well. These beans will be smothered with yellow onions, garlic and peeled tomatoes in chicken stock. The real flavor enhancers are the bacon and bacon grease in which you’ll saute the onions, as well as the creole seasoning and cane syrup, a rich syrup made from juices extracted from raw sugar cane stalks and boiled down into a thick syrup. It’s a Louisiana staple, similar to molasses in general appearance and consistency but molasses is a byproduct of sugar refining while cane syrup is pure cane juice boiled down. Cane syrup is pretty strong, so we won’t use too much, just wanting a sweet hint in the background.

    prepared ingredients for creole green beans
    Here's What You Need
    coupon for Le Bon Papa Creole Seasoning

    Here are some things that will help you with this recipe:

    Here’s What You Do

    First…you have a beer. You want to prepare yourself and prepare all the ingredients so that all you have to do is assemble the dish. Mise en Place for the cook and Mise en Place for the meal!  Pop the cap off of an ice-cold bottle of beer and read the recipe through and make sure you have everything you need.

    Mise En Place

    If you are using fresh green beans, leave them whole but pull off any stems that are still on. Slice the bacon into 1’ slices, do a rough chop on the onion because large pieces work well when you smother the beans. The garlic can also be kind of rough-I just smash the clove with my knife blade then peel it and give it a quick rough chop. If you use canned tomatoes, drain them before using. For fresh tomatoes, make sure they are very ripe and peeled. Cut a shallow cross-hatch over the stem end, then parboil them for a few minutes, then into an ice bath...they will peel very easily after that. Measure out the stock, cane syrup and creole seasoning. Place a heavy bottom dutch oven with a heavy lid on the stove and take a sip of your beer.

    Fry the bacon over medium-high heat

    Toss the bacon into a cold Dutch oven placed over medium-high heat. The chopped bacon should fry pretty quickly; you want to leave the bacon in the pot thorough out.

    Start out by rendering the bacon grease
    Saute the onions in the bacon grease

    Throw in the onions and stir them pretty much constantly for about 10 to 12 minutes until they're getting clear and starting to brown on the edges. At this stage, some of the sugars are being extracted from the onions and this will add a lot of flavor to the beans.

    yellow onions sauteing in bacon grease in dutch oven
    Saute the onions in the bacon grease
    Add garlic

    Stir in the garlic and you’ll notice it will be quite aromatic in about 2 minutes. That's all it takes.

    added garlic to the sauteing onions in the dutch oven
    The garlic will smell really good!

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    Next, add the green beans

    Add the green beans to the pot and stir to mix the green beans, bacon grease, onions and garlic altogether. Make sure the heat is still fairly high so that the green beans can just start to char, but don’t let them burn. This will also bring out some sugar from the beans and make them very flavorful. This should take about 10 minutes.

    green beans added to the bacon and onions in dutch oven
    Mix in the green beans
    Add the Creole seasoning and salt and pepper

    Stir this for a minute or two until everything gets mixed up.

    Add the tomatoes, stock and cane syrup

    Mash the tomatoes a bit with your hand and mix them into the beans. Then add the stock, a quick stir followed by the cane syrup. Give it all a good stir and bring it to a boil.

    tomatoes added to the green beans in a dutch oven
    Add the tomatoes and then the stock
    Cover the pot, simmer for 1 hour

    Once it starts to boil, lower the heat to a simmer, cover the pot and let it simmer for an hour. Stir it occasionally so that it does not stick.

    Uncover and low boil for about 15 minutes

    After simmering for an hour, the beans will be tender and the tomatoes and stock will have made a nice sauce. We want to thicken it a bit, so uncover, increase the heat to a low boil and let it go about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring often.

    creole green beans smothering in cast iron dutch oven
    Simmer, simmer, simmer

    There you have it. Taste them for salt and pepper and add some if needed. These are a great side dish that goes with just about anything. Next time someone wants you to bring a side dish to the party, these will blow them away.

    creole green beans with tomatoes and bacon
    Delicious-sweet and savory Creole Green Beans

    Hints and Tips

    • I like fresh green beans for this, but frozen works really well also. I recommend keeping them whole!
    • Fresh green beans can be refrigerated for a few days without a loss in quality. Snip the stem end off just before using.
    • For this recipe, there is no need to soak the green beans prior to cooking. The long, slow simmer will make these fresh green beans very tender.
    • The most important ingredient? Time...make sure to simmer everything slowly while the flavors come together.  That will bring out the sweet and smokey flavor!
    • Many commercial creole seasoning blends contain salt, as does commercial chicken stock. Make sure to give the green beans a taste before adding more salt.

    You'll also love these other side dishes from Sweet Daddy D:

    Cajun Smothered Green Beans
    Green Beans smothered slowly with bacon and onions, ham and South Louisiana seasonings. Amazing depth of South Louisiana flavor.
    green beans smothered with potatoes, ham and bacon in a white bowl
    Cajun Twice Baked Potatoes
    This cheesy, creamy Cajun staple is the ultimate side to go along with steak, fish, seafood platter...just about anything! Once you try Cajun Twice Baked Potatoes, its the only way you'll want to eat a baked potato...don't say I didn't warn you!
    cajun twice baked potato with parsley garnish on a white dish
    Roasted Carrots with Cane Syrup
    Roasting brings out the natural sweetness of the carrots. Add some butter and cane syrup and sprinkle in a little thyme and you have a wonderfully special side dish that's perfect for any entree.
    Roasted carrots with cane syrup and thyme
    Sweet n' Savory Green Beans
    Sauteed green beans with butter, garlic and honey. Put a little char on them and add some hot pepper flakes! A flavor that can't be beaten.
    Sauteed Green Beans with Chile Peppers and Honey

    Here are some things that will help you with this recipe:

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    Yeah You Right!

    creole green beans smothering in cast iron dutch oven

    Creole Green Beans

    Awesome Creole Green Beans...fresh green beans smothered with bacon, onions, tomatoes and seasoning in a rich stock and just a hint of Louisiana cane syrup sweetness.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: Creole
    Keyword: green beans
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour
    Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
    Servings: 8 Servings
    Calories: 123kcal
    Author: Sweet Daddy D

    Here's What You Need

    • 1 ½ pounds fresh green beans
    • 4 slices smoked bacon
    • 15 ounces peeled tomatoes drained
    • 1 large yellow onion rough chop
    • 4 cloves garlic smashed and rough chop
    • ¼ cup cane syrup or molasses
    • 1 cup Chicken Stock
    • 2 tablespoons Creole seasoning
    • Kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste

    Here's What You Do

    • Slice bacon into 1" pieces; rough chop the onions, smash, peel and rough chop the garlic. Measure out the stock, seasoning and cane syrup.
    • Fry bacon over medium high heat until crispy and the fat has rendered.
    • Add the onions and saute until starting to brown, about 10 minutes.
    • Add the garlic and stir well until aromatic, about 2 minutes.
    • Still over a medium high heat, add the green beans.
    • Sauté, stirring frequently until the green beans are starting to have a slight char.
    • Add the creole seasoning and salt and pepper, mix well.
    • Mix in the tomatoes and mix well with the green beans.
    • Add the chicken stock and the cane syrup and stir well to combine all the ingredients.
    • Bring to a boil then lower heat to a simmer and cover.
    • Simmer on low, covered for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
    • After an hour, remove the cover, increase the heat to medium high and high simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until the sauce is slightly thickened.

    Recipe Notes

    This post is not sponsored, but you will find affiliate links on this page. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. The price you pay as a consumer does not change, but I may make a small commission based on your purchase.
    If you don't have Louisiana Cane Syrup you can substitute molasses. But try the real deal...get it here from Amazon!
     
     
     
     
    I like fresh green beans for this, but frozen works really well also. I recommend keeping them whole!
    Many commercial creole seasoning blends contain salt, as does commercial chicken stock. Make sure to give the green beans a taste before adding more salt.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 123kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 327mg | Potassium: 254mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 11g
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