A one-pot meal or a sassy side dish, Cajun smothered green beans with sausage is pure rich, velvety deliciousness. Cooked with a heaping of bean pod-hugging butter and seasoning, my take on this south Louisiana staple is my most requested recipe. Naturally keto, low carb, and gluten free, this easy dish also adapts into your Paleo lifestyle oh sooo easily. Yep and yay!!
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Cajun Smothered Green Beans is Here, There, Everywhere South Louisiana
Like gumbo or jambalaya, I honestly can't imagine life without smothered green beans. Like most of those living on this side of the Mason Dixon line, we south Louisianans take our green beans pretty seriously.
They're served alongside beef roasts and slow-cooked chickens during Sunday dinners. There's usually at least two versions of smothered green beans at any given south Louisiana potluck. And, you find them at weddings, corporate events, and showers and gatherings of all sorts and sizes. Smothered green beans are everywhere, and every cook's recipe for them is just as unique as their own signature sweet tea. Yep.
Some cooks put potatoes in them. Potatoes are perfectly acceptable in smothered green beans, and quite tasty to boot. So is salt pork, bacon, ham, sausage, and any other type of meat that you have on hand.
I sometimes add potatoes to this recipe, but truth be told, all I really care about is the beans. I can have potatoes any time, and when I crave green beans, I just want them with the Cajun 'trinity', and chicken sausage if I have it on hand.
This Cajun Smothered Green Beans and Sausage is an Old, Old Recipe of Mine
In the early 2000s, I was really into eating, but not that much into cooking. I ate out a lot, or I went to my mom's house for the usual Cajun gumbo and jambalaya to get my fix.
Back then, I only had five or so offerings on my recipe creation menu. This included my beef Bolognese sauce, a mean microwaved baked potato, and my green beans. And while I could whip up a potato or a red gravy without fail, I had a really hard time saving fresh or canned green beans for smothering. I would literally snap the ends of the fresh green beans off, and eat them fresh and raw without any seasoning whatsoever. Or, I would open a can of green beans, drain it, and eat the whole can while standing up.
Now, I use frozen green beans so I won't (can't) eat them. And so they'll always be on hand to make whenever I want them.
Yep, I'm a green bean lover, and this Cajun smothered green beans with sausage is another labor of Louisiana love that's literally taken me decades to perfect. Certainly in my top 5 favorite things to eat. And, if you're like the people that I serve it to, you'll love it just as much as we do, and make it quite often.
You might even convert a non-green bean eating person or two, like I have, into a green bean eating machine. There's just something about the heavy seasoning, the generous amount of butter, and the slow cooking of this Cajun smothered green beans with sausage that touches the food soul of everyone who eats it.
How to Make Cajun Smothered Green Beans With Sausage
Of course, you start with the Cajun 'trinity' of onion, green bell pepper, and celery in a 12" cast iron skillet. Once that's going, you add the sausage or meat or your choice. I always, always use Manda smoked green onion chicken sausage.
Once the 'trinity' cooks down, and the sausage browns a bit, add the frozen green beans. You can also use fresh beans, if desired. Top with butter (or olive oil, lard, bacon fat, or duck fat for strict Paleo), broth or water, and seasonings.
After about 15 minutes, it should look like this:
And then in another 45 to 60 minutes, it'll look like this yum deliciousness below!! Its sooo worth the wait, I promise!! Very happy to share my beloved Cajun smothered green beans with sausage recipe with y'all. Please let me know how it turns out for you. And, now you can also turn this into a delectable Gluten Free Cajun Smothered Green Bean Casserole, too. Share it with those you love and laugh with, and see y'all on the yum side...
Cajun Smothered Green Beans With Sausage
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- 3 stalks celery chopped
- 1 pound sausage
- 1 cup chicken broth or water
- 1 stick salted butter
- 24 ounces frozen green beans
- 5 minced garlic cloves
- 3 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- liberal shakings of salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Heat the oil over medium heat in a 12-inch cast iron skillet.
- Pour the Cajun trinity of chopped onion, bell pepper, and celery into the skillet, and cook down for 10 minutes. Add the sausage, and cook until slightly browned, about 5 minutes.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the skillet. Combine ingredients thoroughly.
- Cover, and cook over medium low heat for 1 to 1 ½ hours, stirring often, or until the green beans darken in color, and most of the liquid cooks out.
Notes
The information shown is an estimate provided by a third-party, online computer-generated nutrition calculator, not a registered dietitian or certified nutritionist. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods and individual portion sizes, along with other factors.
See our full nutrition disclaimer here.
MPaula says
I don't eat birds or animals and I don't need to eat gluten free but your recipes look great. I'm a fan.
Lyn Corinne Liner says
Aww, thanks sooo much!! ? That's super sweet of you to say...?
Lori says
This recipe looks amazing! I do not like frozen green beans. They taste weird to me, but I see why you use them in this recipe. Cooking them this long, do they still have that frozen taste or do they come across as fresh snapped? I'm just wondering about using fresh beans.
Lyn Corinne Liner says
Hey Lori,
Thanks so much! This recipe really is amazing, and I understand your concern about using frozen green beans.
Here's the truth: This is my oldest self-developed recipe, and I've literally made it over 100 times. Every single time I make it for a new group of people, someone always says 'These beans must be super fresh to taste this good."
So, they do come across as fresh snapped. I use the Great Value frozen beans from Walmart, and they have never, ever failed me.
I've used fresh beans that I've snapped myself twice for this recipe. The first time I used fresh beans, they turned out fine. But, the second time they were too stringy, almost separating, and I was greatly disappointed.
So, I have to stand by the frozen beans at this point. I promise this recipe will work for you if you follow the instructions exactly.
Please let me know if you need any more help. 🙂
Susan Kramer says
How many carbs
Lyn Corinne Liner says
Approximately 25g when broken into four servings, but those are big servings and the recipe does yield about 6 smaller side-dish servings.
Chris says
This is a fantastic recipe and I’ve made it probably a dozen times. The only thing I change up is how much cayenne I add depending on the diets of those who will be eating. I do have one question, however, and that is that the recipe calls for 3 stalks of celery. Unfortunately I get a bit vapor locked on that one. Some think stalk is a bunch, some thing a rib. I usually just use 3 ribs as 3 stalks would appear to be overkill. Can you tell me if you use 3 ribs or 3 bunches?
Lyn Corinne Liner says
Hi Chris,
Well, thank you so much.😊 It took me years to perfect this recipe so it makes me super happy that you've made it so many times.🥰
It's definitely 3 ribs, not bunches. Sorry about that, I'm in the process of updating the post so it will definitely be corrected.
What do you serve with the smothered green beans? I've served it with just about every protein I can think of, but I think I like it with chicken the best. How about you?