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southern green beans in a white serving bowl on a white wood table.
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5 from 1 vote

Southern Green Beans

Authentic southern-style green beans made with smoked turkey, onion, garlic, and plenty of spices cooked until very tender. These green beans are a must-have for Thanksgiving and are so easy to make you can enjoy them anytime!
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time2 hrs 45 mins
Total Time3 hrs
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 204kcal
Author: Ashley Boyd

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Add the turkey necks to a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed stock pot. Pour the chicken broth in along with enough water to just cover the turkey necks. Bring the turkey necks to a boil then lower the heat to medium, cover, and simmer the turkey necks for 2 hours.
  • Meanwhile, rinse the green beans well, snap the ends off, and snap the larger beans in half.
  • After 2 hours, add the green beans, onion, garlic, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne, salt, and pepper to the pot with the turkey necks and give everything a good stir with a wooden spoon. Cover the pot and simmer the green beans for 40 to 50 minutes, or until very tender.
  • Remove the turkey necks from the pot, allow them to cool enough to handle, carefully remove the meat from the bones, add the meat back to the pot, and discard the bones. Watch out for tiny bones when removing the meat.
  • Taste the beans for seasoning and add more salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Notes

  • Smoked turkey wings, turkey legs, or ham hocks can be substituted for turkey necks.
  • Southern green beans can also be made with bacon. Brown the bacon in the pot until very crispy, then add the rest of the ingredients and cook the greens beans until tender.
  • Leftover green beans can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.
 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 204kcal | Carbohydrates: 14.5g | Protein: 24.3g | Fat: 5.8g | Saturated Fat: 1.9g | Cholesterol: 93mg | Sodium: 464mg | Potassium: 487mg | Fiber: 5.9g | Sugar: 3.2g | Calcium: 95mg | Iron: 4mg