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Go from “what’s for dinner?” to “time to eat!” in less than 20 minutes with Crockpot Express Sausage, Potatoes and Green Beans!
This has got to be one of the world’s easiest recipes. The beauty of Crockpot Express Sausage, Potatoes and Green Beans is its simplicity. (Not its name, which has proven to be a mouthful.)
The flavors from the sausage and broth permeate the beans and potatoes, giving this meal of three separate items a very cohesive “on purpose” feel. Even if you literally just tossed stuff in a pot and let it cook for a couple minutes.
I’m definitely adding this to my list of favorite Crockpot Express Recipes!
What kind of sausage should I use?
My grocery store carries a few different options for sausage. They range in size from 12-14 ounces. I typically choose what’s largest and what’s on sale. If you’re trying to cut some fat and calories, use turkey sausage. The flavor is good and it’s a great way to make this a really healthy meal.
The strongest flavor comes from beef sausage. It’s quite filling and my husband prefers that one. The other option is a blend of beef, turkey and pork. It’s generally cheaper than beef but still has great flavor. Choose whatever works for you!
What kind of potatoes should I use?
This is not a sponsored post, but I have to put in a plug for the Little Potato Company here. I just LOVE their creamer potatoes! They sell multiple varieties. I prefer the 1.5 bag called “Terrific Trio” with red, yellow and blue creamer potatoes.
They are the perfect size to just cut in half or fourths if a big one sneaks in there. Every time, the texture is creamy and delicious. They hold up so well to pressure cooking, and they are done in minutes!
Another option is Yukon gold or other baby potatoes. The smaller the better for this kind of meal. Russets are really not the taste or texture you want in this recipe. If that’s all you have and you must use them, be sure to cut them up into 1″ pieces and peel them first.
What kind of green beans should I use for Crockpot Express Sausage, Potatoes and Green Beans?
Fresh green beans are the best option here. Just give them a quick trim (cut off the ends) and then cut them in half if you prefer the pieces to be a bit smaller. The flavor is better and they steam perfectly in the Crockpot Express.
If fresh green beans don’t work for you, you can use frozen instead. The cook time won’t need to be adjusted, but the pot will take longer to preheat because it will be cold inside. This can have an affect on how well the rest of the food cooks (for example, you’re potatoes may be a bit soft because they “cooked” longer while the pot was preheating.
As for canned green beans-don’t do it. They’ll be mush and will fall apart while cooking, leaving a weird bean soup texture all over your sausage and potatoes. 🙂
Long story short, it will work, but for best results, stick with fresh.
Crockpot Express Sausage, Potatoes and Green Beans
Ingredients
- 2 (12-14 oz) kielbasa sausages beef, turkey, pork or a mixture
- 1 1/2 pounds creamer potatoes or baby potatoes I buy the bagged trio blend of gold, red and purple (the Little Potato Company)
- 1 1/2 pounds fresh green beans trimmed and cut
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
Instructions
- Slice the kielbasa, quarter or halve the potatoes and trim/cut the green beans.
- Add broth to the pot and dump in the sausage, potatoes and beans. Season with whatever (I used salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder) and stir.
- Close and lock the lid, turning the steam release valve to closed. Set to Steam (high pressure) for 3 minutes. When the cooking time is up, do a quick release. Open the lid, add some butter and let melt on top.
- Spoon and serve with dinner rolls or fresh bread for a quick and easy meal!
Notes
- Frozen green beans can be used, but it will take longer for the pot to preheat and the texture will be a bit soft. For best results and flavor, use fresh. Do not used canned green beans.
- Creamer potatoes maintain a great texture and cook quickly. Yukon Golds are another option, but be sure to cut them small enough. Pieces should be smaller than 2"
- Nutrition info for this recipe can vary, depending on the kind of sausage and potato used. This one was figured using a sausage blend (beef, pork and turkey) and creamer potatoes.
Nutrition
While the pot is heating, whip up a quick batch of these delicious Copycat Cheddar Bay Biscuits to go along with it. Dinner is served!
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brent says
Had my CPE for 2 weeks now–my wife loves it does not heat the house. First I want to thank you for all the well-written and well-explained recipes–I enjoy reading you. You have an extensive (thank you) recipe site here for cpe noobs like me.
The recipe was really good, I had fresh green beans, some smoked sausage, and red taters and broth.
I doubted you that butter would be enough seasoning. I chopped a little garlic and onion and a couple shakes of black pepper. That intensified it greatly. I ate it all, but I will be more modest next time.
I’ve done my CPE research…there is little to no discussion about the intensity of seasonings and the role they play. I’m learning as I go. Thanks for a really tasty, inventive meal.
Nicole Burkholder says
Thank you for your kind words! Seasonings are so subjective, so you’ll get all sorts of answers if you ask about it. 🙂 In general, I go a bit more heavy handed with seasonings when I’m pressure cooking. The moist environment tends to wash things away. This exception would be for things like soups, because the flavor is all together there in the pot, and I’ve found that it’s sometimes more flavorful than when cooked on the stove. So you kind of have to experiment and learn as you go. Just remember to write it down so you remember for the next time around! 🙂
Anne Marie Colgan says
Delicious and quick. This is now a favourite in my home. It can be challenging trying to match the ingredients available easily in the US to those that I can get in Scotland, however the substitute potato variety and worked well and the meal was a great success. Thank you
Nicole Burkholder says
This is one of those “very easy to adjust as needed” recipes 🙂 Glad you liked it!
SJ Hughes says
How would you convert the cooking time to a regular crockpot? Thanks so much!
Nicole Burkholder says
Eliminate the liquid and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until the potatoes are cooked.
John Stauffer says
Made this last night for dinner. It was amazing! A hit with everyone. Even easier than I thought. Next time though I will add more fresh green beans. I added 1lb, but I like more. I seasoned with Season all, and thats it. I used turkey kielbasa and low sodium chicken broth. Amazing! Thank you!
Nicole Burkholder says
Don’t you love how easy it is! It’s one of my fastest meals 🙂
[email protected] says
Thanks!I made this tonight and everything came out perfect and tender!
Sally Clement says
I got out your instruction book this morning and what I think I did wrong was hit steam/high then start instead of putting in the 3 minutes. I don’t remember seeing 10 min. on the screen but maybe it was there So after reading your instructions this morning I should have sealed it, closed valve (which I did). Hit steam, adjust to 3 minutes and then push start. Is that right? My poor cpe has been languishing in the closet because I am still uncomfortable with it although the few things I have tried do come out good.
By the way the sausage/potato/green beans was delicious.
Nicole Burkholder says
Yes, what you wrote out is exactly right. Press the button, adjust the time, then press start 🙂 You can do it! It takes a while to get comfortable with new things.
Sally Clement says
Nicole. i made this for dinner. It turned out great, But I had a lot of problems. Everything went into the post as directed. Closed and locked OK. Then I pushed steam and high. But I could not put in minutes. Was I supposed to wait until it came to steam high and then put in time. I could only put in up to 1 minute. I ended up releasing the steam and starting over with the same results, But by the time I fiddled around it probably cooked enough so it was OK. So after I push steam high am I supposed to wait to put in time? Or am I just stupid, Told my hubby I was done with the CPE.
Nicole Burkholder says
When you press Steam (or any present button) it will automatically have a default time set already. Steam defaults to 10 minutes. You then just need to press the up or down arrows to adjust the time to whatever you want. THEN you press Start/Stop and it will begin the warm up/pressurizing phase. Once pressure is reached, it will start the timer counting down. (So if you set it to cook for 3 minutes, you’d see a 3 on the screen, then 2, then 1 and then you’ll hear a beep-beep-beep that indicates the cooking time is done. After that, it switches to Keep Warm automatically. You can then do a quick release to let out the steam and unlock the lid, or you can do a natural pressure release, which just means don’t touch it. It will level off the pressure inside and you may hear a “click” as the locking pin/bobber drops back down meaning the lid can open again.
I hope that makes sense and helps you a bit with how these machines work!