Description
Hearty southern crockpot green beans deliver a classic side dish with smoky bacon and tender vegetables. Southern cooks appreciate this simple, flavorful preparation that brings comfort to family meals.
Ingredients
Scale
- 900 g (2 lbs) green beans, fresh, trimmed
- 6 slices bacon, thick-cut, chopped
- 3 cups chicken broth (or water)
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (optional for brightness)
- 1 tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp salt (adjust to taste)
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional for a kick)
Instructions
- Bacon Preparation: Crisp bacon in a skillet over medium heat until golden, creating rich, smoky flavor fragments that will elevate the green bean dish.
- Aromatics Infusion: Using the reserved bacon drippings, sauté finely chopped onions and minced garlic until translucent, releasing their delicate essence and building a flavor foundation.
- Layering Components: Arrange fresh green beans in the crockpot, strategically scattering the crispy bacon pieces across the surface to ensure even flavor distribution.
- Seasoning Integration: Drizzle the caramelized onion and garlic mixture over the green beans, complementing with salt and pepper to enhance the dish’s depth and harmonize the ingredients.
- Slow-Cooking Transformation: Cover the crockpot and set to low, allowing the green beans to slowly tenderize and absorb the smoky, savory nuances over several hours, creating a quintessential Southern-style side dish that melds complex flavor profiles.
Notes
- Bacon Brilliance: Render bacon slowly to maximize flavor and prevent burning, ensuring crispy texture without bitter undertones.
- Onion Optimization: Sauté onions until translucent to release natural sugars and create a deeper, more complex flavor profile for the green beans.
- Fat Management: Reserve just a tablespoon of bacon fat for sautéing to maintain rich taste without overwhelming greasiness.
- Cooking Time Control: Slow cook on low setting for 4-6 hours to achieve tender green beans that absorb maximum smoky essence without becoming mushy.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 6-8 hours (on low) / 3-4 hours (on high)
- Category: Dinner, Side Dish
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: Southern American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 7
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 14 g
- Fiber: 6 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 15 mg