You can easily make this recipe with canned green beans instead of fresh. Just reduce the cook time to 5-7 minutes. Once the green beans are added, heat them through and combine the flavors. The recipe is really good even with canned green beans. You cannot mess up this recipe. It is the best side dish recipe. I almost always have canned green beans in the pantry. We also usually have bacon in the fridge to jazz up boring canned green beans. That's all you need for an amazing side dish recipe.