These tender slow cooker green beans with onion and crispy bacon are easy to make, taste amazing, and pair beautifully with any entree.
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These southern style green beans are cooked in chicken stock with onion and crispy bacon. They sound really simple, and only takes a few minutes to prepare, but the flavor is absolutely fantastic!
I love to serve these as a green bean side dish for Thanksgiving, a Sunday roast dinner, or any other meal.
Since you can make them in your Crockpot, they are a great alternative when you're cooking many dishes at once.
Why you'll love it
- Really easy green bean recipe
- The dish can be prepared ahead of time
- Customize the recipe to suit your preferences
- Gluten free, nut free and dairy free recipe
- Vegetarian option available
- The slow cooker is a really convenient method
🥘 More SLOW COOKER RECIPES from Hint of Healthy
Ingredients
Green beans: Use fresh green beans to achieve the best results. You can also use frozen green beans. Canned beans tend to be really soft, and is not recommended in this recipe.
Onion: Use a white, yellow or brown onion. You can also use a red onion or shallots if you prefer.
Bacon: Crispy pan-fried bacon add great flavor and texture to the green beans. You can use pre cooked bacon or lardons if you prefer.
Chicken broth: Use your favorite chicken stock, or water and a bouillon cube. You can also use vegetable stock if you prefer.
Seasoning: Salt and pepper add extra flavor to the green beans. The amount of salt required can vary depending on the salt content of the vegetable stock.
Instructions
You can find full instructions + ingredient measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of this page
One: Dice the bacon into bite sized pieces. Cook in a skillet over medium heat until the bacon is crispy. Remove the bacon pieces from the pan. Add half to a slow cooker, and set the other half to the side for later. You can also add the bacon drippings to the crock pot if you want.
Two: Add washed green beans, diced onion, seasoning and chicken broth to the slow cooker. Stir to combine the ingredients, and cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours, or on LOW for 6-8 hours.
Three: Then, add the remaining bacon to the green beans, and stir to incorporate the pieces evenly. Drain off the excess liquid, remove the dish from the slow cooker and serve.
Top tips
- If you need to leave the green beans in the slow cooker for longer, you can allow them to rest on the WARM setting for several hours before serving.
- You can adjust the amount of seasoning to suit your preference.
- Make sure to clean the green beans, and remove the steams before cooking.
- To prevent the green beans from sticking to the slow cooker, you can stir them once halfway through cooking. This is usually not necessary.
- Keep the lid on the slow cooker throughout the entire cooking process.
Serving suggestions
Slow cooker green beans with bacon is a great side dish that you can pair with any entree for lunch or dinner. They are as good for special occasions and holidays as they are for everyday meals.
Here are some of my favorite entrees to serve them with:
- Air Fryer Roast Beef
- Moroccan Roasted Turkey Drumstick
- Pan Fried Hake
- Instant Pot Chicken Drumsticks
- Bacon Wrapped Chicken Thighs
- Air Fryer Ribs
Variations
Vegetarian: Make a vegan version of the recipe by substituting the chicken broth with vegetable stock. Additionally, you will have to omit the bacon, or substitute with a vegan bacon substitute. You can find vegetarian bacon in most major supermarkets.
Other seasoning: You can replace the seasoning, or add extra seasoning if you wish. Try adding garlic powder, red pepper flakes, cumin or dried herbs as a flavorful variation.
Equipment
To make these green beans, you will need a 3 quart or 6 quart slow cooker. Additionally, you will need a frying pan or skillet to cook the bacon.
You will need a sharp knife and a cutting board to clean the green beans and to slice the bacon.
Storage
This dish can be made ahead. Add all ingredients to your slow cooker, and place it in a refrigerator overnight. Then, you can simply plug it in and cook the dish the next day. This is a great way to save time when you're cooking up a big feast like Thanksgiving.
Store any leftover slow cooked green beans in a refrigerator for up to 4 days, or freeze them for up to 6 months. You can defrost the dish in a refrigerator overnight.
Reheat the leftovers in a microwave, slow cooker or on the stove for a few minutes, and serve the side dish warm.
🥘 More SLOW COOKER RECIPES from Hint of Healthy
Frequently asked questions
You can cook homegrown green beans the same way you cook raw green beans. They can be slow cooked, roasted, steamed, blanched or stir fried.
Yes! You can add frozen green beans directly to your slow cooker. Frozen green beans might take a little longer to cook than fresh beans.
You might also like these recipes
- Air Fryer Green Beans
- Oven Roasted Green Beans
- Instant Pot Green Beans
- Roasted Carrots and Green Beans
- Chinese Garlic Green Beans
If you make this recipe, make sure to post a photo to Instagram with #hintofhealthy!
Recipe
Slow Cooker Green Beans
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound green beans
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 8 bacon strips
- 1 onion
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Dice the bacon into bite sized pieces. Cook in a skillet over medium heat until the bacon is crispy. Remove the bacon pieces from the pan. Add half to a slow cooker, and set the other half to the side for later.8 bacon strips
- Add washed green beans, finely diced onion, seasoning and vegetable stock to the slow cooker. Stir to combine the ingredients, and cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours, or on LOW for 6-8 hours.1 pound green beans, 1 cup chicken broth, 1 onion, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Then, add the remaining bacon to the green beans, and stir to incorporate the pieces evenly. Drain off the excess liquid, remove the dish from the slow cooker and serve.
Video
Notes
- Store any leftover slow cooked green beans in a refrigerator for up to 4 days, or freeze them for up to 6 months.
- Omit the bacon, and use vegetable stock instead of the chicken broth to make a vegetarian version of the recipe.
- Stir the green beans occasionally to prevent them from sticking to the crockpot.
Nutrition
Food safety tips
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
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