Southern Green Beans is a delicious side dish with smoked turkey, fresh green beans, and cajun seasoning. This melt-in-your-mouth dish will be your new favorite way to take your Sunday dinner or special occasion to the next level.
You’ll find the full recipe with ingredient amounts and instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Be sure to check out the blog post itself for extra tips and tricks!
I'm no stranger to making flavorful green beans. I love smothered green beans as well as making green beans in a pressure cooker. But my all-time favorite has to be southern-style green beans.
The best thing about this southern green bean recipe is the flavorful broth created by slow-cooking smoked turkey necks before simmering the green beans. They soak up all that wonderful cooking liquid and become incredibly tender and rich.
My time living in the South has taught me that vegetables, when tender and slow-cooked, produce a melt-in-your-mouth experience that's comforting and deeply satisfying. These green beans check all the Southern good cooking boxes.
♡ Tanya
A Quick Look at the Ingredients
Ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions are on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
These are the ingredients needed to make this green bean recipe from scratch.
- Butter - Butter and green beans go together real bad. If you prefer, bacon grease is a suitable substitute here. You could also use olive oil if that's what you have.
- Onion and garlic - I call these my generals, because they are added to almost every Southern recipe to add tons of flavor.
- Smoked turkey necks - Any smoked meat would work here. Feel free to use smoked ham hocks, turkey legs, turkey wings, and other similar options.
- Chicken broth - this is the liquid I choose to use to amp up the flavor. I suggest using a low-sodium chicken broth so you can control the amount of salt.
- Cajun seasoning - Another flavor booster I like to add to my slow-cooked vegetables. Seasoned salt also works here. Use about half the amount if using a seasoned salt.
- Black pepper - I like my beans to have a little spice.
- Green beans - The star of the show. I opt for fresh green beans in this recipe.
Recommended Tool
This Dutch oven is perfect for soups and stews. With a heavy bottom for even heat distribution and a tight-fitting lid to lock in moisture, it’s ideal for small-batch cooking, braising, and simmering cozy meals.
How to make southern green beans
Here are brief instructions on how to make this flavorful green bean recipe.
Stovetop:
Step 1: Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until they are softened. Add the garlic and sauté for an additional minute.
Step 2: Add the turkey necks, chicken broth, water, cajun seasoning, and black pepper, and bring the pot to a simmer. Once the broth begins to simmer, reduce the heat to medium-low and cover.
Cook on medium-low heat until turkey necks start to become tender, about 1-2 hours (depending on the size of your turkey necks). Larger turkey necks will take longer to cook.
Step 3: Add the green beans to the pot and cover it. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables become tender, about 35-45 minutes.
Step 4: Remove the turkey neck from the pot, shred the meat from the bone, and then add it back to the pot. Discard the bone.
Step 5: Serve the green beans with a slotted spoon and enjoy 🙂
Pressure cooker instructions:
Step 1: Press “sauté” on the pressure cooker. Once the display reads “hot,” add the butter and saute the onions for 4 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for an additional minute. Press “cancel” on the pressure cooker.
Step 2: Add the turkey necks, chicken broth, water, Cajun seasoning, and black pepper. Cover, press “pressure cook,” and set it on high pressure for 35 minutes. Once it’s done cooking, allow the pot to release pressure for 5 minutes naturally, then carefully release the remaining pressure.
Step 3: Add the green beans, cover, and press “pressure cook.” Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. When it’s finished, allow it to release the pressure for five minutes naturally, then carefully release the remaining pressure.
Step 4: Remove the lid and scoop the beans into a large serving bowl with a slotted spoon.
Tanya's Top Tips
- Depending on the size of the turkey necks, they may need to cook for a little longer.
- The beans should be perfectly soft and have a melt-in-your-mouth texture, and they shouldn’t be crunchy or mushy.
Variations
Old-fashioned southern green beans can be adapted to fit your tastes and preferences. Here are some tips you can use to make this one of your favorite side dishes.
- Add red potatoes to make southern green beans with potatoes.
- Pour in a tablespoon of vinegar for a tangy flavor.
- Use garlic powder and onion powder instead of fresh garlic and onions if needed. I recommend about one teaspoon of both.
- Make it spicy by adding red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper.
- Substitute the smoked turkey with other smoked meats like bacon or a ham hock.
How to choose the best green beans
For the best flavor and texture, use fresh green beans. Look for ones that are bright green, firm, and free of brown spots or soft spots. Fresh beans take a little longer to cook, but their texture holds up beautifully and soaks in all the flavor from the broth.
In a pinch, you can use canned or frozen green beans. Since they’re already soft, reduce the cooking time so they don’t get mushy. Just add them toward the end to let them absorb the rich, smoky broth from the turkey necks.
How to store
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave until warmed through. For longer storage, freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months.
For holiday meal prep, you can make things easier by cooking the smoked turkey necks a day or two in advance and trimming the green beans ahead of time. Store them separately in the fridge. On the day of your big meal, simmer everything together for fresh, just-cooked flavor.
How to serve
This easy green bean recipe pairs perfectly with your favorite Southern dishes, such as collard greens, pork chops, air-fried chicken, a perfect air-fried steak, or southern candied sweet potatoes.
FAQs
You can easily cook these southern-style green beans without meat to make them vegetarian or vegan. To make them vegetarian, leave out the smoked turkey. To make them vegan, replace the chicken stock with vegetable stock as well. You can add smoky elements, like smoked paprika or liquid smoke, to get that smoky flavor without smoked meat.
Yes, you can cook this southern green beans recipe in a crockpot. The key is to get the beans to that perfect, soft texture without overcooking them.
I hope you love these green beans as much as we do. If you have tried this or any other recipe on my blog, please rate it and let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
Southern Green Beans Recipe
Ingredients
Equipment
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until softened, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for an additional minute.
- Add turkey necks, chicken broth, water, cajun seasoning, and black pepper.
- Bring to a simmer. Once the broth begins to simmer, reduce heat to medium-low and cover. Cook on medium-low heat until turkey necks start to become tender, about 1-2 hours (depending on the size of your turkey necks).
- Add green beans to the pot and cover. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the green beans become tender, about 35-45 minutes.
- Remove from heat.
- Remove the turkey neck and remove meat from the bone. Add meat back into the pot and discard the bone.
- Serve the green beans with a slotted spoon. Enjoy.
- Press “sauté” on the pressure cooker. Once the display reads “hot,” add butter. Add onions and sauté for 4 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for an additional minute. Press “cancel” on the pressure cooker.
- Add turkey necks, chicken broth, water, cajun seasoning, and black pepper. Cover. Press “pressure cook” and pressure cook on high pressure for 35 minutes. Once pressure has been done, natural release for 5 minutes, then carefully release the remaining pressure.
- Add green beans. Cover and press “pressure cook” and pressure cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. Once the timer is up, allow to natural release for 5 minutes. Then quickly release any remaining pressure.
- Serve and enjoy.
Nutrition
Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!This post was originally published July 13, 2022.
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