How to make canned green beans taste better
Reality is that most people don’t have a garden. And if you want to get even more real, it’s probably safe to say you haven’t so much as stuck your pinky finger in any dirt to grow anything, ever. But you like yourself some good green beans and would love that home-grown, slow cooked taste on your dinner table. You can actually get it from a canned green bean. Here’s every tip you need to make canned green beans taste better–or dare I say–good enough you won’t even need a garden.
The secret to make a canned green bean taste better isn’t the least bit difficult, I promise.
And while my grandmother and even my mom still use the bacon or ham-hock approach to their beans, I’ve gone a different route over the last year or so and I have to say, they make some pretty fabulous green beans–leaving them tender and full of slow-cooked flavor when they didn’t take very long at all.
You can use my great bean approach with any style you like.
The trick here is simple: you need canned beans, some beef bouillon and two cooking times. Now don’t die…let me explain.
A note on salt and bouillon
You start by dumping your canned beans into a pot (don’t drain them).
Then I use my favorite beef bouillon called Better Than Bouillon or you can use a cube of it if you’d prefer.
You can find either of these in the soup section of your grocery store.
Certain brands of bouillon are very salty. Powdered ones are terrible. Please keep this in mind and start with half as much if you are afraid of over salting.
I’ve never had any issues with Better Than Bouillon being too salty but I cannot speculate on the others–some can ruin a dish easily so try to get what we know works.
Then you turn your beans on high heat and bring them to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium-high and then cook about 90% of the water off.
When there’s a 1/2 left in the bottom of the pan, turn your beans off and walk away.
If you can, leave them sitting on the stove top for several hours. It’s fine to leave them there all day while you’re gone to work or you can put them in the fridge if that freaks you out and do the second step when you get in.
The final step is to bring them back to a low simmer and cook off the rest of the liquid and serve–that takes about 10 minutes or so.
A long rest between cooking gives the bouillon time to really get in to the beans and they take on a soft, slow-cooked flavor.
No one will ever know you don’t have a half-acre of them in the back yard.
I’ll attempt to make this in to a logical recipe you can follow.
How to make canned green beans taste better
Ingredients
- 2 14.5 ounce cans green beans of your choice canned in water
- 1 teaspoon beef bouillon base 1 cube beef bouilon would also work but watch the salt!
Instructions
- In a medium sauce pan, empty in the cans of green beans with their water. Add the beef bouillon.
- Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-high and cook until the water reduces by 3/4. Turn off heat and set beans aside on the stovetop or in the fridge for one to two hours or overnight is fine.
- When ready to eat, bring the beans back to a simmer on the stove top and cook to remove the remaining water. Serve warm.
Only problem with better than bouillon is it has msg in it in the yeast extract. Do you have any other bouillon that would work that is msg free?
True, it does Rachael and it has gluten in it as well. You can use any beef bouillon you like there as long as it’s not crazy salty. I’ve found that one of the cubes works fine–just not those “tubs” of loose powder that you scoop in. I’ve literally ruined whole dishes with that stuff. You could always add just half of a cube, taste it once it dissolves and add more if you wanted to as well. I just like the Better than Bouillon because the flavor is so good but that MSG is probably why. 🙁 –Rachel
I wonder if you could use chicken bouillon instead of beef? My guests are allergic cow meat. Thanks!
Yes Candy, I think chicken bouillon would be just fine. 🙂 –Rachel
I made this tonight with 2 #10 cans of green beans for 30 people and about 4 tsp of better than bouillon (5 but a lot stayed in the tsp between scoops). Not much left over. Many many compliments. Thanks for the recipe.
Hey Andrea, that’s great to hear! Isn’t that a simple recipe? And so, so good. That Better than Bouillon–you can’t beat it! I love the chicken version for all kinds of things and the beef goes in every soup or Sunday roast I can get it in. So glad you all enjoyed them and that you got all the compliments. Love that for you!! –Rachel
Does this work in the crockpot the same way? Maybe cook on high for a few hours then turn off and let sit and back on high? Any insight?
Hey Deanne, I’d say so. You don’t want to cook your beans to mush so be careful with how long they are on, but you COULD cook them on the stove at first, turn them off, let them cool down then transfer them to the slow cooker for that last round to just heat and stay warm–then you’d be able to have them hands off while you’re cooking other things. Does that help any? –Rachel
I am trying your green beans for a bunch of people about 30 for Christmas dinner, I don’t know how many cans I will need and how many bouillons. Please help thank you.
Hmmm…well Doris, it first depends on how big these 30 are going to eat, and how much other food there will be. The fewer side dishes there are, the more servings you’ll want to have of what’s available. That said, if each person ate 1/2 cup of beans, you should get about 3 servings from each can. So roughly 10 cans of beans (assuming everyone who is coming eats beans) and as for the bouillon, you have to be careful because some brands so TERRIBLY salty. I use Better than Bouillon and if you are using that, maybe three teaspoons of the paste into the pot would be fine. If you are using another brand, I’d recommend starting with one cube (if you use those), let it dissolve, and then taste the water in the pot. If it still tastes mostly like canned green bean water, add a second until you have a flavor that’s more beefy and less bean-y. 😉 There are so many variables, I can’t give you hard numbers. You’ll just have to taste as you go. Merry Christmas! –Rachel
I can’t believe it tasted so good,i did put in 2 bullion cubes perfecto!
It’s a simple thing with a big impact, isn’t it Rebecca?
My family doesn’t mind canned green beans but I wanted something a little different this time and came across your recipe. One of my sons nibbled on one while I was getting the rest of dinner ready and said they were the best green beans I’ve ever made. Looks like plain canned green beans are a thing of the past in our house. Thank you.
That’s great Shannon! I can’t keep my hands out of them myself when I do it this way. I’m so glad they worked out well for you. 🙂 –Rachel
I am so glad you wrote up a way to make canned beans yummy…it “can” be done! (I can’t believe I said that). I grew up doing this sort of thing as there were always canned green beans and I am a green bean fanatic. When I was very young, I “ran away from home” and all I took with me was a can of green beans…. I even tied it to a stick with a bandanna. I had to go back home because I had no can opener… at least, that is what told my mom.
Anyway… I use a seasoning made by Goya… ham flavor in a little box. They are great.
Recently, I have been hooked on Trader Joes frozen green beans… heat some oil, sautee some garlic and diced onion and diced red pepper… bacon grease if you have it…. toss the beans in and add some chicken broth and brown sugar (just a bit), cover and simmer… omg good. It’s based on a Pioneer Woman recipe and sooo yummy.
Sorry to go on and on…. I just got up from a nap!
Terrie you sound full of energy! A can of green beans in a bandana? At least you had what was important to you. Hahahaha!!! I hope you’ll keep eating them and I’m glad you agree that this recipe is tasty! I think so too. Have a great day! –Rachel
Great recipe, making them again this weekend for a family gathering. I normally don’t eat green beans from a can!
I don’t either Judy! Or if I do, it’s some that I canned myself. They are always better. But a lot of people just don’t have that luxury, ya know? And I HAD to find a way to make those store bought ones better–I think this recipe does it and I’m so glad you enjoyed them! Come see me again soon! –Rachel
Tried these yesterday. They were so good and we usually hate canned green beans. Followed recipe as written. I did add one forth of a yellow onion diced and a smashed garlic clove to the water.
So yummy! Thank you!
Aren’t they great Ashley?! They are such a boost over regular canned ones with no flavor. I’m so glad you were able to make my “sort of a recipe” work out for your family. Hahahaha! Way to go green bean master! 🙂 –Rachel
What a great idea! Pinned. Thanks for giving me a quick & easy take on green beans!
Thank you Mary! I hope you are well! And thanks for being such a faithful reader of my posts. I appreciate you so much. –Rachel