Pioneer Woman recommends her recipe as a Thanksgiving side dish. It can be prepared in advance and holds for hours in a slow-cooker or electric skillet. Recipes to serve 10 and to serve a crowd of 20 (more at a buffet) are below. Leftovers are good, too.
This dish would also be good served in individual bowls for a light supper (or breakfast or brunch) with a nice roll or some toast. Reminds me of Grandma's farm breakfast of stewed tomatoes and grilled cheese sandwiches. Or serve over a little brown rice, over drained and heated canned corn or with some good tortillas.
Recipe for 10 servings (as a side dish)
I prefer slightly-sweet stewed tomatoes for this dish, especially if you're a little short on time to cook the beans after adding the tomatoes. This dish tastes best if simmered for at least 45 minutes.Ingredients
5 slices bacon (or 1/3 to 1/2 pound)
1 medium onion, diced
4 cans (14.5 oz. ) whole or cut green beans (or 1 1/2 to 2 Pounds fresh or frozen)
2 cans (14.5 oz.) stewed, whole or diced tomatoes (or one 28 oz. can)
Cayenne pepper to taste (Up to 1/8 teaspoon, or 1/4 teaspoon of regular red pepper)
Preparation
Slice the bacon into pieces one inch wide or less and start cooking them in a deep skillet or Dutch oven. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until bacon startes to turn brown, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, dice the onion. When the bacon is beginning to brown, drain off most of the fat and then add the onions. Cook, stirring now and then, until bacon and onions are both turning a nice color, but do not cook until bacon is crisp.
Add the two cans of tomatoes with their juice. Stir, loosening browned bits from the bottom of the pan and breaking up the tomatoes a little if you wish. Drain the green beans and add them to the pan. Stir gently. If you add the cayenne pepper to the pan with the bacon and the onions now, the heat may increase as the dish cooks. You can also add the pepper just before serving, when it will be easier to adjust the flavor to your preference.
If you wish to take this dish to a potluck, you can heat it through at this point, then transfer it to a 3 to 4 quart slow cooker to finish cooking. Or if you are starting several hours in advance, combine the onions, bacon and tomatoes with the drained, unheated beans in the slow cooker and stir gently). Start cooking on "high" heat then turn to the low or warm setting when you think the dish has cooked long enough.
If not transferring to a slow cooker, cover the pan and reduce heat to low. Cook for at least 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Recipe for a Crowd
Your chance to use a restaurant-size can of green beans. This double recipe serves about 20, more at a buffet or potluck, where you might want to serve this dish with a slotted spoon. Save the soupy part in the bottom of the pot or skillet to eat later with crackers, toast or a grilled cheese sandwich.Ingredients
10 slices bacon (I sometimes use a 12-ounce package)
1 very large onion or two medium onions, diced
1 food service-size can (6 lb. 5 oz. ) whole or cut green beans OR two 50-ounce cans, PLUS one 14.5 oz. can.
2 large cans (28 oz.) whole, stewed or diced tomatoes (or four 14.5 oz. cans)
Cayenne pepper to taste (up to 1/4 teaspoon or up to 1/2 teaspoon regular red pepper)
Prepare as above, in a large electric skillet, Dutch oven or kettle with a heavy bottom. For a potluck or buffet, a 6 to 8 quart capacity slow-cooker or large, deep electric skillet is easy to transport.
Some Other Ideas
For a meatless dish, consider the following:
1. Increase the amount of chile. Brown the onions slowly in a little oil.
2, Substitute 1/4 teaspoon (or more) of whole celery seed for the cayenne and add two medium diced potatoes and some fresh-ground black pepper with the tomatoes after browning the onions slowly in a little oil. The Crab Cooker's wonderful red clam chowder - a Newport Beach tradition - contains a LOT of celery seed. Well, green beans and clams are not exactly interchangeable, but there is some similarity in the flavor of the finished products.
Family Green Bean Gardening Traditions and Preferences
David called this dish "Okie beans" at a branch party, but I think of "Okie beans" as big, fresh green beans - "beany" ones like the ones his mother prefers - cooked for a long time with onion and some ham or bacon. She likes varieties like Kentucky Wonder and Pinto (picked as green beans, with seeds developed), but both have strings. Contender is her choice for a stringless, "beany" bean, but it will get fibrous in cool fall weather. It's for spring planting. The Blue Lake-type beans you find in cans are the kind David's Mom calls, "just green, not beans", along with filet beans and other delicate types. The kind my Mom likes. Fortex is her favorite. Great choice. David's mom and my mom both like Romano-type beans, too. But my mom picks them when they're still young, before the seeds develop.
Even though this recipe, as written, is made with beans that taste more "green" than "beany", Pioneer Woman does live in Oklahoma. So David isn't too far off in calling this dish "Okie beans", even when it's made with skinny, city-slicker beans. I expect that David's mom could make this dish wonderful with fresh Kentucky Wonders or her home-canned "beany" beans, too. Wouldn't work as well with Mom's ultra-tender baby beans.
You could also use flat Italian green beans, using one or more cans of Italian-style stewed tomatoes in place of regular stewed tomatoes. Don't over-do the Italian seasoning. You might want to use black pepper rather than cayenne for an Italian variation.
Allergy information: Tomato sauce and some canned tomatoes may contain corn products. Check the label. Some bacon contains corn products. Some people get headaches from cured meats.
Stocking up: You can keep the beans, tomatoes and cayenne pepper for this recipe on hand all the time. In a pinch, you can leave out the bacon. Use dried, minced onion if you don't have fresh onions (don't try to saute them), and a touch of vegetable oil.
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