Description
Delicious and easy Crock Pot Green Beans recipe featuring fresh green beans cooked slowly with crispy bacon, onions, garlic, and flavorful seasonings. Perfect as a comforting side dish with minimal prep time and hearty flavors developed through slow cooking.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat and Aromatics
- 8 slices bacon, chopped
- ½ cup diced yellow onion
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
Vegetables and Liquids
- 1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 ½ cups vegetable broth
- ¼ cup butter
Seasonings
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar, optional
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook the bacon: In a skillet over medium heat, cook the chopped bacon until it becomes crispy and browned. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set it aside, leaving the bacon grease in the pan.
- Sauté onion and garlic: Add the diced yellow onion and minced garlic to the skillet with the bacon grease. Cook for about 3 minutes until the onion is translucent and fragrant. Transfer this mixture to the crockpot.
- Add remaining ingredients: Into the crockpot, add the trimmed and cut green beans, vegetable broth, butter, brown sugar (if using), Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine everything evenly.
- Slow cook the green beans: Cover the crockpot and cook on high heat for 2 ½ hours, allowing the green beans to become tender and absorb the flavors.
- Add bacon and finish cooking: After the initial cooking time, stir in the cooked crispy bacon pieces. Continue cooking on high for an additional 30 minutes to meld flavors and heat the bacon through.
- Serve: Once done, give the green beans a final stir and serve hot as a savory side dish to your favorite meals.
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. You can also reheat in the crockpot on high for 30 minutes.
- Freezing: Cool completely, then freeze in freezer-safe containers or bags for up to three months.
- Trimming the Green Beans: Remove tough ends and stems. For convenience, pre-trimmed fresh green beans can be used.
- Canned Green Beans: Substitute four cans of drained green beans, omit broth, and cook for 1.5 hours as they are pre-cooked.
- Substitutions: Try ham or sliced link sausage instead of bacon for a different flavor.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 190
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 550 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 9 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
