Canned Green Beans Get An Instant Boost With This One Addition

Canned vegetables are a wonderful time saver when you need a quick side dish or a veggie add-in for a recipe. Before you set that pan of warmed canned green beans on your dinner table, though, there's a quick and easy mix-in that can greatly elevate the legumes: barbecue sauce.

Barbecue sauce gives green beans a smoky-sweet, baked bean flair and a wonderful tang you didn't know the veg needed. Simply mix in your favorite premade product while your beans are heating on the stove (check out Food Republic's ranking of store-bought barbecue sauces from best to worst for some recommendations). You can also drain the beans and heat them directly in the sauce for a thicker, saucier result.

If you prefer homemade sauce over store-bought, you can make your own barbecue sauce with just three easy ingredients — tomato paste, honey, and apple cider vinegar — and mix that into the beans along with your choice of spices. Onion powder, garlic, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, smoked paprika, and even a little pineapple juice are great flavor elements to include. 

Whichever route you take, homemade barbecue sauce or a good bottled product, you'll end up with an elevated side dish that's perfect to accompany virtually any main entree. These beans are also a perfect bring-along dish for barbecues and potlucks.

To take this green bean hack even further, consider throwing in extra ingredients like onions and chopped bacon. If it's good in baked beans, it definitely belongs in your barbecue sauce-upgraded green bean dish.

Various other additions can also quickly make canned green beans shine and pair perfectly with specific main dishes. Sauteing some garlic in butter or olive oil, adding drained beans, and topping them with parmesan cheese makes a simple and scrumptious side dish to accompany Italian food. Whether it's spaghetti night or you're cooking up a meaty layered lasagna, this deliciously brings a vegetable to the table.

If your dinner consists of a classic Southern main dish, like fried chicken or a hearty Southern-style meatloaf, Southern-style green beans are the perfect accompaniment. Simply add some sugar, bacon grease, minced onion, and black pepper to your canned beans and cook them low and slow. For four cans of beans, a ½ teaspoon of sugar with a tablespoon of bacon grease will do the job. You can also add in chopped ham or garnish with crispy bacon.

Draining your warmed beans and tossing them in a vinaigrette or salad dressing is another quick way to add flavor. You can similarly season them with a dry salad dressing mix, like a ranch dressing blend.

Even if you only have enough time to open the can and heat, some easy additions can still enhance the flavor of your green beans with almost no added time. A quick splash of lemon juice at the end of heating, whether fresh or bottled, will add brightness and acidity to make your beans taste fresher. A dash of balsamic vinegar near the end of cooking can lend a tasty umami boost. Simple pantry ingredients like salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder will further boost the flavor in just a shake (literally).