A variety of vegetables is one of the most important elements of any proper Southern meal. One very popular vegetable is Southern Green Beans; these aren’t, however, the plain green beans that many are used to eating. Southern green beans are slowly simmered with additions such as bacon, ham, salt pork, and/or onions until they are very soft and have absorbed the flavor of the other ingredients. The finished product will not be a bright green as in beans that have been cooked until crisp-tender. In fact, they will resemble beans from a can—kind of a gray-green color. The similarities stop there, however, as these long-simmered Southern-style green beans will be very flavorful and delicious.
One word of warning: Don’t be tempted to use canned green beans as is the practice in some sub-standard restaurants. While the canned variety possess the familiar gray-green color of properly cooked (at least according to Southerners) fresh or frozen beans, they don’t absorb the flavors of the bacon and onion. The result will be miserably overcooked, rubbery, soggy, over-salted green beans with a bit of bacon and onion. Yuk!
Timesaving Tips for Slow Cooker Southern Green Beans
The following recipe can be put together in about five minutes, since the ingredients are those that are probably in the freezer and on the pantry shelves.
- Pre-cooked and crumbled bacon, which is available at most grocery and warehouse stores on the salad dressing aisle, saves the time and work of cooking and crumbling bacon.
- Dehydrated onion flakes eliminate the time and bother of chopping fresh onions, and of course, the tears; the flavor is not changed a bit.
- Although fresh green beans may be used in the recipe, the frozen variety work just as well and there’s no need to spend time snipping the ends off of each green bean.
While the cooking time is several hours for these beans, there is no need to be around while the beans are cooking. If planning to be away longer than the beans need to cook, simply plug the slow-cooker into a timer (available at most discount stores) and set it to turn on and off at the proper times; the beans will be ready precisely when you want to eat them.
Serve these delicious beans with a Southern entree such as Smoked Ribs, Smothered Pork Chops, or Shortcut Fried Chicken.
Slow Cooker Southern Style Green Beans
6 Servings
- 1/4 cup cooked and crumbled bacon
- 3 tablespoons dehydrated onion flakes, or substitute 1 small chopped onion
- 1 pound frozen whole green beans
- 1/2 cup hottest tap water
- 1/2 teaspoon granular chicken bouillon, or 1 bouillon cube
- Place the bacon and onion in the crock of a slow cooker.
- Add the green beans, but don't stir.
- Mix the water and the bouillon; pour over the beans.
- Cook on low 4-6 hours or high 2-3 hours.
- Stir before serving.
Karen Hancock - Karen Hancock has been cooking, eating, reading about, dreaming about, and writing about Food, her favorite subject, for over 40 years. ...
