Slow Cooker Green Beans with Ham and Potatoes

Green beans with ham and potatoes in slow cooker is a cheap and easy side dish great with dinner. Mixed vegetables with bacon or leftover ham gives this dish lots of added YUM. Need a holiday side dish or a way to use up leftovers, this is a great one!

Crock Pot Green Beans and Potatoes

There are a few different ways to cook these together. Of course you could boil, but the texture isn’t as good as making air fryer roasted potatoes with diced ham in there at the same time.

Then cooking air fryer frozen green beans and tossing the two together. That is one way you can get this done.We will be talking in this post about how to get this done the slow cooking way. Why??

Really because there are two times I make this; for Easter, Thanksgiving or Christmas as a side or the day after those days with leftover meat. I hate wasting food so adding what’s in the fridge, diced into the mix not only adds protein but salt and flavor too.

Another option would be to add smoked ham hocks or ham bone into the middle of the mix. Since it is cooked slow all day it gives those babies a chance to really get tender and the meat to be pulled off the bones easily before serving. I love using these with green or dry beans to add a bit of smoky flavor, a super cheap way to do it.

Green Beans Bacon and Potatoes

We love mixing different things in with taters to bring them to the next level. Just like our Crockpot funeral potatoes they can then be served for brunch or dinner really. You can use russets or red but even easier is to just grab a bag of petite potatoes that are mixed in color and varieties.

• 1 lb potatoes used mini, cut in half
• Ham and green beans with the ends removed, cut in half
• Minced garlic
• Chicken broth
• 1/2 onion diced
• Pinch salt and black pepper
• Precooked bacon bits could be added too

If you are adding any sort of meat you will need to cook it first. That is why I use leftovers all the time, it is already done in that case. As for ham hocks they are already smoked so you are good with them too. I haven’t done this with leftover turkey but I don’t see why that wouldn’t work either.

How to Choose Fresh Green Beans

Whether you are sauteeing fresh green beans on stove or using our slow cook method, keep these in mind. When selecting at the store, you want to ensure that you choose the best ones. Here are some tips:

1. Look for beans that are bright green in color. Avoid those that are dull, yellow, or have brown spots on the outsides.
2. Check the texture because they should be firm, crisp, and snap easily when bent in half. If they bend all the way they are no good.
3. Inspect the shape to make sure they are nice and straight, a uniform size that are free of bumps and bruises.
4. Feel the surface and make sure each one is nice and smooth and free of any wrinkles.
5. Smell them to see if the scent is fresh with a grassy scent.
6. Check the ends, they should be relatively dry with no signs of mold or sliminess.

How to Choose Potatoes

Look for potatoes that are firm, with smooth skin and free of blemishes. Avoid those that are wrinkled, sprouted, or have green spots on the outside of them. Check the eyes too, meaning the spots on the outside. They should be shallow and few in number. Avoid those with deep eyes or excessive sprouting.

1. Consider the size so that each one has a uniform size so that they will all cook more evenly. Also, consider the size of the potato based on your recipe needs.
2. Feel the weight, they should feel heavy for its size, meaning it has a higher moisture content.
3. Smell each one and make sure each has a neutral scent, with no musty or moldy odors

As for the color think of the overall flavor of your dish. Like for our Fried Potatoes with Onions I like Yukon gold or red if I want them to stay a bit firmer when done.

Sausage Green Beans and Potatoes

This is a great side dish to make alongside our Crockpot ribs Coca Cola recipe, or really anything that needs to be cooked that night. If I am not making this as a main dish I will leave the proteins out entirely and just season well.

Potatoes and Green Beans Crockpot

We have a printable recipe card at the bottom of this post with nutritional information as well. That will vary depending on the starch variety you choose and serving size but it is a good idea in general.

• Cut potatoes in half or quarters depending on size.
• Slice green beans in half and remove the pointy ends.
• Place both in crockpot, sprinkle with some salt and pepper.
• Add garlic with diced onion and broth.
• Sprinkle top with precooked and chopped bacon
  • makes a great leftover ham recipe, diced into little bits
  • or cook a bit of Ham Steak in Oven and throw that in
• Cover crockpot and cook on high for 3-4 hours
  • or low for 5-6 hours until contents are as tender as you’d like, I always recommend using LOW

Stovetop directions using a large stock pot would be to add broth, then whole baby potatoes, beans on top and diced meat with seasonings on the very top. Close with a lid over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until ingredients are tender to your liking. Now jump to recipe and let us know what you think!