Description
This Crock Pot Green Beans recipe features tender green beans slow-cooked with crispy bacon, sautéed onions, and garlic in a savory blend of vegetable broth, butter, Worcestershire sauce, and a touch of brown sugar. Perfect as a comforting side dish, it combines rich flavors with an easy, hands-off cooking method ideal for busy days.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat
- 8 slices bacon, chopped
Vegetables and Aromatics
- ½ cup diced yellow onion
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
Liquids and Seasonings
- 1 ½ cups vegetable broth
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar, optional
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook Bacon: In a skillet over medium heat, cook the chopped bacon until crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan using a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving the bacon grease in the skillet.
- Sauté Onion and Garlic: Add the diced yellow onion and minced garlic to the skillet with the bacon grease. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring frequently until the onions are soft and translucent. Transfer this mixture to the crockpot.
- Add Remaining Ingredients: Into the crockpot, add the trimmed green beans, vegetable broth, butter, brown sugar (if using), Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine all ingredients evenly.
- Slow Cook: Cover the crockpot and cook on high heat for 2 ½ hours, allowing the flavors to meld and the green beans to become tender.
- Incorporate Bacon and Finish Cooking: After 2 ½ hours, stir the cooked bacon into the crockpot. Continue cooking uncovered on high for an additional 30 minutes to blend flavors and heat the bacon through.
- Serve: Once cooked, serve the green beans warm as a delicious side dish to complement any meal.
Notes
- Storing: Store these slow cooker 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. Alternatively, warm in the crockpot on high for 30 minutes until hot.
- Freezing: Cool completely and freeze in freezer bags or freezer-safe containers for up to three months.
- Trimming Green Beans: Remove stems and tough ends before cooking, or use pre-trimmed fresh green beans for convenience.
- Canned Green Beans: Use four cans of drained green beans if preferred, omitting the broth and reducing cooking time to 1.5 hours since they are already cooked.
- Variations: Try substituting ham or sliced link sausage for bacon for a different flavor profile.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe (approx. 1 cup)
- Calories: 210
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 580mg
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 10g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 7g
- Cholesterol: 30mg
