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Swamp potatoes, also known as smothered green beans with potatoes and sausage, originated from the South and have slowly made its way onto the internet. However you tweak and name these slow cooker swamp potatoes, there is one thing that’s certain: they’re utterly delicious and comforting!
I recently saw on social media these slow cooker swamp potatoes. I thought the name was rather interesting so I opened the comments section and oh boy; there are A LOT of opinions on what this ‘should’ be named. People seem to think it is a personal attack when a recipe is named a certain way or how a recipe is made. I can understand that because sometimes when someone makes something that I grew up with and it’s not made the exact same way, I’m like “wait, but that’s not how it should be made!”
Recipes are adaptable and there is nothing that says a recipe has to be made a certain way. Apparently swamp potatoes are actually smothered green beans with potatoes and sausage added in. Whichever way you look at it, this slow cooker side dish has protein, vegetables, and flavor! The best part? You dump it all into a slow cooker and let it do the work!
Why Is it Called ‘Smothered’ or ‘Swamp’?
When I first read ‘swamp potatoes’ and ‘smothered green beans’ I literally thought several things. Swamp meaning dark and thick (which I guess the sauce sort of is) and then ‘smothered’ I thought it was going to be completely covered in something.
I guess either of those could be true but when it comes to Southern cooking, ‘smothering’ is a technique which means to cook down food until it’s tender and flavorful. Kind of like this Southern classic, smothered chicken!
Recipe Tips and Variations
- Use fresh green beans so they don’t turn to mush when you cook them in the slow cooker. They will hold up much better than using canned or frozen green beans.
- Swap andouille sausage for another type of cooked sausage if you prefer or cannot find andouille. You can even swap it for beef or chicken if you don’t eat pork.
- Butter potatoes are perfect for this recipe because they cook down really well and are buttery (hence their name) and aren’t super waxy.
Serving Suggestions
Slow cooker swamp potatoes go great with a hearty protein like Beer Braised Pot Roast or Instant Pot Pork Chops and Dirty Rice. Of course if you would like a more vegetable-forward meal, serving smothered green beans with Roasted Parmesan Carrots would be a great addition!
Storage and Reheating Instructions
Allow leftovers to cool then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To reheat, you may reheat in a pot on the stove until warmed through or microwave in a microwave-safe bowl until warmed through.
Slow Cooker Swamp Potatoes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds yukon gold or butter potatoes, quartered or kept whole (use baby potatoes)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 pound fresh green beans, chopped in half
- 1 pound smoked beef sausage, like the hillshire farms kind, sliced
- 1 ½ teaspoons Cajun seasoning, to taste
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ cup unsalted butter, sliced into pads
Instructions
- Add potatoes, onions, green beans, and sausage into the insert of your slow cooker.2 pounds yukon gold or butter potatoes, 1 medium onion, 1 pound fresh green beans, 1 pound smoked beef sausage
- Sprinkle the seasonings on top and toss to coat.1 ½ teaspoons Cajun seasoning, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Add pads of butter all over the top.½ cup unsalted butter
- Cover the slow cooker with the lid and set on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours.
- When ready to serve, stir gently to incorporate/toss and serve with corn on the cob and/or another main dish!
Nutrition
Photographs by Meg McKeehan Photography
