If you are looking for a really simple side dish, that will be the perfect addition to any roast dinner, then give these Slow Cooker Green Beans a try. Green beans cooked with shallots, garlic and bacon in the slow cooker are a side dish that the whole family will love and great for when you are limited for cooking space.
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We love using our slow cooker to cook side dishes, as it saves room in the oven and on the stove.
Whilst green beans aren't usually complicated or time consuming to make, this slow cooker version means they take on the flavour of the shallots, garlic and bacon for a side dish with a difference.
Think green beans are boring? Think again! You can easily double the batch as long as your slow cooker is big enough for everything.
If you want your green beans in a hurry, try our Air Fryer Green Beans.
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Ingredients and Substitutions
A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Green beans - Always use fresh green beans, not canned, as they will go too mushy. You can save yourself some time by buying them already trimmed. You can use frozen green beans, but they will take an hour or so longer.
- Stock - We used chicken stock (chicken broth) for extra flavour. Use low salt stock if you are making this for younger children. You can also use vegetable stock or make your own chicken stock.
- Bacon - This adds so much flavor to the green beans in the slow cooker. Use smoked slices of bacon for extra flavour. If you want to make this a vegetarian side, then you can leave it out.
- Shallots - You can use a finely diced white onion instead, but we like the sweetness that comes with use shallots.
- Garlic - Fresh is always best, but you can use the ready crushed lazy garlic if you prefer.
- Mushrooms - This might seem a bit of a random one, but we find that it really packs out the dish and gives it some extra texture. You can leave it out if you prefer.
More ingredient substitutions and variations can be found in the recipe card.
How to Cook Green Beans in the Slow Cooker
- Step 1: Chop up the bacon and add it to a frying pan with oil. Gently cook over a medium heat for 4-5 minutes until the bacon starts to crisp.
- Step 2: Add the shallots, mushrooms and garlic to the frying pan and cook for 2 minutes more.
- Step 3: Add the green beans to the slow cooker.
- Step 4: Add the bacon mix on top and pour the stock in. Cook on high for 3 hours. You still want a little tenderness to the beans, and they shouldn't be mushy.
Dannii's Top Tips
- How long you cook the bacon for really is a preference thing. Some people like their bacon really crispy, in which case cook it for a couple of minutes longer.
- The bacon softens a little when cooking, so you can save some of the crispy bacon to sprinkle on top before serving.
- Try to make sure all the green beans are pointing the same direction in the slow cooker, rather than overlapping diagonally. This will help them cook evenly.
- You can make this a more filling side dish by adding diced potatoes and cooking them all together. They might need cooking a little longer, but the beans will be fine with longer in the slow cooker.
- Always use fresh green beans, not canned.
- You can make this a vegan side dish by leaving out the bacon and using vegetable stock (vegetable broth).
- Add some extra flavour to the finished dish with a sprinkle of red pepper flakes or some butter and black pepper.
Frequently Asked Questions
Slow cooking green beans does tend to make them lose some of their colour, so they won't be as vibrant. If you were boiling them, you would put them in an ice bath right after, however this wouldn't work with this recipe as they would loose all the flavour they were cooked in.
You can keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up up to 3 days. You can reheat it on the stove in a little butter.
More Slow Cooker Side Dish Recipes
If you've tried this crock pot green bean recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Slow Cooker Green Beans
Ingredients
- 500 g (4.5 cups) Green beans - trimmed
- 3 rasher Bacon
- 1 teaspoon Olive oil
- 2 Garlic clove - crushed
- 80 g (0.75 cups) Button mushrooms - sliced
- 3 Shallots - diced
- 350 ml (1.5 cups) Chicken stock
Instructions
- Chop up 3 rasher Bacon and add it to a frying pan with 1 teaspoon Olive oil. Gently cook for 4-5 minutes until the bacon starts to crisp.
- Add 3 Shallots, 80 g Button mushrooms and 2 Garlic clove to the frying pan and cook for 2 minutes more.
- Add 500 g Green beans to the slow cooker.
- Add the bacon mix on top.
- Pour in 350 ml Chicken stock and cook on high for 3 hours.
Recipe Tips
- How long you cook the bacon for really is a preference thing. Some people like their bacon really crispy, in which case cook it for a couple of minutes longer.
- The bacon softens a little when cooking, so you can save some of the crispy bacon to sprinkle on top before serving.
- Try to make sure all the green beans are pointing the same direction in the slow cooker, rather than overlapping diagonally. This will help them cook evenly.
- You can make this a more filling side dish by adding diced potatoes and cooking them all together. They might need cooking a little longer, but the beans will be fine with longer in the slow cooker.
- Always use fresh green beans, not canned.
- You can make this a vegan side dish by leaving out the bacon and using vegetable stock.
- Add some extra flavour to the finished dish with a sprinkle of red chilli flakes.
Nutritional Information
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The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.
Jessica Formicola says
Anything I can make in the slow cooker, I'm taking advantage of! These green beans look great and I can't wait to try them!
Angela says
Bacon and mushrooms are great flavors to accompany green beans. I never thought to cook them in the crock pot. A great space saver.
Sarah James says
I love the idea of cooking beans in the slow cooker so they take on the flavour of the shallots, garlic and bacon, delicious. Looking forward to trying your recipe at Christmas, thanks for sharing.
Erika says
These green beans are so delicious and love the bacon! Perfect in the slow cooker.
Diana Reis says
The bacon makes them extra yummy! Love that I can use the slow cooker. I'm always excited about any set and forget dish.
Jen says
The addition of bacon is always a winning idea and a sure fire way for my family to happily eat their veggies at dinner. Well done!
Ana F says
The combination of green beans with shallots and bacon is perfect! They turned out delicious and everyone loved it. Thanks for the recipe!
Katie Crenshaw says
So much comfort and flavor in this dish!! It is so tasty and makes a great side dish for any meal!
Gina says
Love the savory flavors that the bacon, mushrooms and shallots bring to this dish! Such a delicious side we all love!
Nart at Cooking with Nart says
Such an easy yet delicious dish to cook. I usually just used garlic and stir-fry mine but this time I tried your recipe with the shallots too and wow they really add something to the dish!
sarah johnson says
So simple yet so full of flavour! Wonder recipe Dannii. ☺️
Andrea Metlika says
These are definitely not your average green beans. These look amazing! A perfect side dish.
Anjali says
This is the best green beans side dish I've had in a while! We added it to our Thanksgiving menu a couple weeks ago and it was a hit!
Toni says
This is such a fantastic and easy side dish. Anything I can put in the slow cooker is a favorite. I think we'll be enjoying this often this winter!