Description
This Crock Pot Green Beans recipe is a delicious and easy slow cooker dish featuring fresh green beans cooked with crispy bacon, onions, garlic, and savory seasonings. Perfect as a hearty side, this recipe offers tender green beans infused with smoky bacon flavor and a touch of sweetness from brown sugar, ideal for comforting family meals or holiday gatherings.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat
- 8 slices bacon, chopped
Vegetables
- ½ cup diced yellow onion
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
Liquids and Fats
- 1 ½ cups vegetable broth
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Seasonings
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar (optional)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook the Bacon: Heat a skillet over medium heat and cook the chopped bacon until it becomes crispy. Once done, remove the bacon from the pan using a slotted spoon and set it aside, leaving the rendered bacon grease in the skillet.
- Sauté Onion and Garlic: Add the diced yellow onion and minced garlic to the bacon grease in the skillet. Cook for about 3 minutes until they become fragrant and slightly softened, then transfer this mixture into the crockpot.
- Add Remaining Ingredients: Into the crockpot, add the trimmed and cut green beans, vegetable broth, butter, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar (if using), salt, and pepper. Stir gently to combine all ingredients evenly.
- Slow Cook: Cover and cook the mixture on high in the crockpot for 2 ½ hours, allowing the green beans to become tender and absorb the flavors.
- Add Bacon and Continue Cooking: After 2 ½ hours, stir in the crispy bacon bits and continue cooking for an additional 30 minutes on high to meld the flavors together.
- Serve: Once done, give everything a final stir and serve hot as a flavorful side dish.
Notes
- Storing: Store leftover green beans in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Reheating: Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop over medium heat, or warm in the crockpot on high for 30 minutes until heated through.
- Freezing: Cool completely and freeze in freezer-safe containers or bags for up to 3 months.
- Trimming the Green Beans: Trim any stems and tough ends of fresh green beans before cooking, or use pre-trimmed fresh green beans for convenience.
- Canned Green Beans: You can substitute with 4 cans of drained green beans. Omit the broth and cook for 1.5 hours instead of 3 hours since canned beans are already cooked.
- Alternative Meats: This recipe also works well with ham or sliced link sausage instead of bacon.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (approx. 1 cup)
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 350mg
- Fat: 13g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 9g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 6g
- Cholesterol: 20mg
