Foodie Friday: BBQ Green Beans

As a child, my mom made BBQ green means for almost every holiday meal. BBQ green beans were made for potluck dinners and family gatherings, and the recipe was shared in the Marion Center Band Cookbook from the 1980s. Some forty years later, this recipe remains a staple of our family meals. I make this dish for Thanksgiving, Easter, and summer gatherings. Forty-odd years later, it continues to be popular and well-received.

I made this recipe for our Thanksgiving table this year when I invited my friend Tricia and her husband to join us. Tricia messaged me earlier in the week asking for my green bean recipe with bacon. Allen told Tricia he wanted this dish for their Easter meal because "it is delicious." After sharing the recipe with Tricia, I decided today would be a good day to share it with you, dear reader.

I will admit, as with most of my comfort food-driven recipes, low fat and low sugar are not part of my repertoire. As my friend Tricia humorously pointed out, green beans are an afterthought in this recipe when you consider the bacon and brown sugar. However, bacon and brown sugar make this recipe special, which is why it is only made a few times a year. BBQ green beans will grace our Easter table, along with cabbage and noodles, pierogis, and ham with pineapple sauce, as well as pickled eggs and deviled eggs.

BBQ Green Beans

Ingredients:

2 15 oz. cans of cut green beans, drained

1 cup ketchup

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 TBLS. yellow mustard

1 TBLS. Worcestershire sauce

1 lb. bacon, fried crisp and diced

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

In a small mixing bowl, combine the ketchup, brown sugar, yellow mustard, and Worcestershire sauce; mix well and set aside

Prepare a baking dish with olive oil or non-stick cooking spray; add drained green beans

Fry the bacon until crispy, crumble the bacon, and add it to the green beans

Add the sauce to the bacon and green beans; mix well

Cover and bake at 350 degrees for thirty minutes or until hot and bubbly

Serve immediately

On this sunny Good Friday, stay safe, be smart, enjoy the holiday if you observe it, eat delicious food, and keep washing your hands.