Slow Cooker Green Beans – super tender, loaded with flavor Southern-style green bean recipe with bacon, crispy onions and lots of seasonings.
SLOW COOKER GREEN BEANS WITH BACON (SOUTHERN STYLE)
I’m always up for eating some home cooked southern vegetables. Especially when they contain bacon and are super simple to make.
Chances are you’ve visited a barbecue joint or Southern kitchen where soft, slow cooked green beans were offered as a side. This slow cooker recipe makes that style of flavorful southern-style green beans, packed in a sauce you’ll want to sop up with your cornbread.
When I lived in the South, long before instant pots and air fryers, slow cooking was the norm. My friend Barb, a feisty woman who’d been making huge family-style meals for over 40 years once told me “good cooking just takes time”. While there are still days we’ll want to put in that extra effort (holidays, special occasions), now the same good southern flavors can be created with a lot less effort.
Green Beans contain lots of natural moisture so they can slow cook without any added liquid. What moisture that seeps out during cooking combines with the fried onions and spices, making a tasty sauce to coat the finished beans.
Ingredients to Make Slow Cooker Green Beans
- Green Beans – fresh or frozen whole green beans are recommended for this recipe.
- Bacon – use pre-cooked bacon or real bacon crumbles to save time and cleanup.
- Onion Powder – a commonly used seasoning of dehydrated ground onion, that adds a subtle nutty flavor.
- Garlic Powder – seasoning made from ground, dehydrated garlic. I prefer garlic powder for this recipe because it blends easily into the sauce.
- Paprika – an essential for Southern cooking!
- French Fried Onions – the delicious crispy onions that are packed in a bag or can. They’ll break down during cooking to thicken the sauce.
More Green Bean Recipe Ideas
Slow Cooker Green Beans with Bacon
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon cooked crisp, crumbled
- 2 pounds fresh green beans trimmed
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup french fried onions
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook bacon until crisp. Remove to paper towel-lined plate. Chop into pea-size pieces and set aside.
- Into the bottom of slow cooker insert add the green beans, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, pepper, french fried onions and bacon pieces. Stir to combine.
- Set slow cooker to Low for 5 -6 hours or High for 2 – 3 hours and cook until green beans are soft and tender.
- Remove to a serving plate and garnish with additional bacon and fried onions. Serve hot.
Equipment Used
Nutrition Facts
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