Arkansas Green Beans

5 from 5 votes

Sweet and savory Arkansas green beans bake with bacon, brown sugar, and soy sauce for an easy Southern side dish everyone loves.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American, Southern

Keyword Arkansas green beans, Arkansas green beans recipe, Arkansas green beans with bacon, green bean recipe, green beans with bacon, Southern green beans

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Total Time 45

Servings people

Calories 210kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

Equipment

2-quart baking dish

Ingredients

2 (16 ounce) packages frozen cut green beans
6 strips of bacon, chopped
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons salted butter, melted
1 tablespoon less-sodium soy sauce
¾ teaspoon garlic powder
Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 2-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
Steam or boil the green beans until they're tender (I cook mine in a covered dish in the microwave with a couple of tablespoons of water for about 10 minutes, stirring halfway through). Strain off the excess liquid.
Spread the green beans in the prepared baking dish. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Give them a good stir.
Cook the bacon in a skillet just until done, but not too crispy (it will continue cooking in the oven).
Sprinkle the bacon on top of the green beans.
In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, melted butter, soy sauce, and garlic powder.
Pour the sauce over the green beans.
Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes. The green beans should be very tender at this point and the bacon will be nice and crispy on top.

Video

Notes

Make Ahead: Assemble the dish up to 24 hours in advance and refrigerate until ready to bake.
Frozen cut green beans work best for convenience, but canned beans (drained) or fresh beans that have been steamed until tender also work well.
Cook the bacon only until done. It will continue to crisp in the oven.
The green beans should be soft and tender after steaming; this helps them absorb the glaze during baking.
If the glaze seems too sweet, reduce the brown sugar slightly or add a splash more soy sauce.

Nutrition