Slow cooker green beans and potatoes are not only easy it's classic southern comfort food. Tender potatoes and green beans never tasted so good. This is the simple recipe my mom made and I just adjusted it for the slow cooker. It's a filling, flavorful, and inexpensive side dish or makes a light meal.
For an old-fashioned southern comfort food meal pair the green beans with homemade cornbread drizzled with a little honey.
Jump to:
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Frozen Green Beans - Using frozen beans are picked at peak times and you almost always can be assured a flavorful bean. The peak season for fresh green beans are is may through September.
- New Potatoes - New potatoes cook up nicely in a slow cooker but you can substitute a Baby Red, Yukon gold or even a russet. I don;t peel the potatoes and cut into a two bite sizes
- Chicken Broth The broth is the cooking liquid that will end up as a beautiful pot liquor. You can also use water but a low sodium chicken broth is preferable. To keep the recipe vegetarian you can use water or vegetable broth.
- Butter - The butter adds a little richness to the beans, but you can leave it off if you want to reduce the fat content.
- Onion - Slice the onion in half then slice thin half circles.
- Garlic - Use as much or as little according your personal taste, I like a medium amount of garlic in my green beans so 2 cloves is just enough. To save time you can use the tube garlic.
- Red Pepper Flakes - Use the pepper flakes to add a hint of spiciness to the beans.
See the recipe card for ingredient quantities.
Recipe Directions
- Add the chicken broth, potatoes. and onion to the bottom of a 2-quart slow cooker
- Add the green bean and top with the garlic, red pepper flakes, and butter.
- Cover and cook on the high setting for3-4 hours or until the potatoes fully cooked. Use a metal cake tester to check the potatoes.
Tools Used
A 2-quart slow cooker is great for making small-batch side dishes. Here is an amazon link to the model I use often in my kitchen. 2-Quart Crock-Pot. (←affiliate link)
Visit A Weekend Cooks Small Kitchen Store for great recommendations on the best products to use when cooking in your small kitchen and whipping up small-batch treats.
How to store leftovers
Store any leftovers in a covered bowl and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Reheat on the stovetop over low heat or microwave.
FAQ's
Yes, but drain and rinse and then adjust the time down by half.
📖 Recipe
Southern Green Beans & Potatoes
This makes 4 sides or for a peasant meal serve with homemade cornbread.
Ingredients
- 1½ cups frozen green beans
- 2 white potatoes, skin on, cut in sixth
- ⅓ cup chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ onion, slice thin
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Add the chicken broth, potatoes. and onion to the bottom of a 2-quart slow cooker
- Add the green bean and top with the garlic, red peppers, and butter.
- Cover and cook on the high setting for 4 hours or until green beans are tender and the potatoes fully cooked. Check the potatoes after about 3 hours to avoid overcooking and mush potatoes.
Notes
- add ham hock or bacon.
- fresh beans can also be used but will need to cook longer.
- if doubling the recipe you will need to size up to a 3 or 4-quart slow cooker.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 127Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 109mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 4gSugar: 3gProtein: 3g
The nutritional information provided here are estimates and are not calculated by a registered dietitian.
Thanks for coming! Let me know what you think or share a tip.