Country Green Beans, Potatoes and Ham in the Instant Pot
Country-style green beans in the pressure cooker with potatoes and smoky ham. Slow cooked flavor in under an hour in the Instant Pot. These tender green beans, potatoes and ham in a wickedly delicious broth are to die for good and perfect for Sunday supper.
Boy, did August get away from me and the blog, but I'm back! No excuses, just busy and enjoying those dog days of summer. I started working the season at a local farm, just behind my neighborhood. They are known for their tomatoes, but they also have a peach orchard, blackberries and right now, the apple orchard is open and busy.
The stand is stocked with our fruits and vegetables as well as other locally grown produce. I have been inspired by the farm fresh produce and all the customers who share their favorite cooking tips and canning recipes. This recipe for Country Green Beans, Potatoes and Ham in the Instant Pot was inspired from working the farm stand this summer.
I started overhearing customers talking about making a pot of green beans and potatoes and asked how they were making it. All the answers included green beans, potatoes and ham, in the crockpot or simmered for a long time on the stovetop.
I heard the owner of the farm I work at makes a mean rendition of country-style green beans. Tom explained to me how he makes them, in very precise detail. I took his advice and then proceeded to make country-style green beans in my pressure cooker.
It took several tries to get these green beans just right, each time I played around a little with the seasonings and timing. Each batch was delicious and was gobbled up, especially by Meathead. I'm still learning how to pressure cook ~ researching and adjusting ~ biggest learning curve for me is the whole timing thing. But I'm getting the hang of it.
I used fresh, seasonal green beans and red potatoes from the farm, and chicken stock and seasonings. And the most important part? The ham!! I use ham shanks to flavor the broth (or pot liquor) and green beans. They have a nice smoky flavor and there is just enough meat to cut off the bone when done cooking.
That said, you could also use a ham hock (smokier and more fatty, less meat) or a meaty ham bone or piece of ham. A lot of southern-style green bean recipes use bacon, which I'm sure is delicious, but I really like ham in this dish, both for flavor and the meaty pieces.
I have been making these country-style green beans almost weekly for the past month, usually for Sunday supper. No complaints from Meathead, in fact he's starting to expect a big bowl of country green beans every weekend, with cornbread to soak up all the 'pot likker'. It's pretty easy to make him happy with this one, it's a keeper ~ Kelly🍴🐦
Oh, speaking of being inspired by working the farm stand, you might like this Blackberry Peach Cobbler or Blackberry Crisp I made from the fruit I picked, or my Fire Roasted Salsa I made from the best tomatoes in the Midwest!
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Country Green Beans, Potatoes and Ham in the Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1½ cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
- ½ teaspoon seasoned salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 small, meaty ham shank pieces
- ½ onion, chopped
- 1¼ - 1½ lbs fresh green beans, trimmed and snapped in half
- 8 small red or yellow new potatoes, peeled, cut in halves or quarters (or 3 medium/large potatoes, peeled, cut into small chunks)
- 1 tablespoon butter, divided
Instructions
- Place chicken stock in pressure cooker and add seasonings, stir to combine. Place ham shanks in seasoned broth, seal pressure cooker and cook at high pressure for 20 minutes. Let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes and then manually release any remaining pressure.
- Carefully open pressure cooker. Add the chopped onion and then scatter half the potatoes over mixture, followed by half the green beans. Place half the pat of butter on top. Add remaining potatoes, followed by remaining green beans and pat of butter on top. Seal and cook under high pressure for 5 minutes.
- Release pressure manually and carefully open pressure cooker. Spoon green beans and potatoes into serving bowl while removing ham shank pieces/bones to cutting board. Cut/shred meat off the ham bones and add to green beans and potatoes. Spoon or pour cooking broth over green beans and potatoes and serve. Enjoy.
Recipe Notes
- I like to use ham shanks in this recipe. Use 3 small, meaty pieces. You could also use a ham hock or piece of ham.
- I like adding just a smidge of liquid smoke for added flavor but you can certainly omit it.
- And lastly, you can play around with the amounts of green beans and potatoes, just don't overfill the pressure cooker.
We love this recipe!! It is delicious!!! You should see our recipe page. Lots of food stains and notes. Have adapted it to cook the small round potatoes and the green beans separately. Cooking potatoes 3 minutes and then green beans 1 minute. Thank you! Will look for more of your InstaPot recipies.
Was looking for a recipe to use some leftover ham and found this. Made it last night and even invited friends (who are used to being served "this is the first time I've made this recipe!"). Well it was just great. I will be making it again and again. Served with cornbread and we had a big hit on our hands. Thanks!
I grew up in the 50s and 60s in Central PA & this was one of my favs but mom made this with a picnic ham. No longer can find that cut of meat so my butcher recommended a ham hock instead. My mother made a soup out of it so I used 8 cups chicken broth, more potatoes (purchased baby purple, baby red and baby yellow potatoes from my local farmers market for variety), increased onion to a whole & used 2lb green beans from my farmers market. Came out tasting just like my mom used to make! So simple and fast in the instant pot, you can cut up the veggies while the ham hock is cooking. Sure beats cooking it all day on the stove. lol… will be on one of my rotations.
This is my absolute go-to for ham, potatoes, and green beans. Even better than when I was younger.
I'm making this as we speak! Snapped beans from garden & hock from freezer. Made them in my Dutch oven stove top. Our garden red potatoes aren't ready yet so using store bought russet chunks. Chicken bouillon base. Delicious.
I'm an old guy living alone in Arizona. Learning how to cook for myself. Since I had a smoked ham shank in the fridge I thought I'd try my hand at this recipe. I don't have a working stove so I use a microwave, a slow cooker, a toaster oven and my newest favorite, an instant pot! I followed the recipe for the most part with some chicken stock I had made earlier and the ham shank and whatever seasoning I had on hand. After cooking the shank in the seasoned liquid I added chopped onion, potatoes, carrots, fresh cut green beans and celery and put the ham chunks in on top and prepared the awesome ham, bean and potato soup that is absolutely delicious. Thanks for the tasty recipe that reminds me of what the folks used to make when I was a kid in the midwest.
I grew up in Central PA Dutch Country and this recipe is spot on to what I remember eating the Saturday after Thanksgiving for as long as I can remember, but a heck of a lot fast! Thank you so much for posting. It was perfect!
This was delicious. It was a big hit!
Just perfect as is and oh, so delicious!!
Fantastic recipe. Followed recipe exactly
and the beans came out perfect.
So glad you liked it. I love this recipe this time of year!
This were great! I used two smoked ham hocks and a 2 lb bag of fresh green beans from Costco. I make my own bone broth, so the flavor was spot on. Added some corn bread and it was a meal. The family devoured them. Thank you for the recipe!
We are making this again in a Ninja Foodie and can't wait for it to br ready.
My wife text this recipe to me today we decided to prepare it tonight and we are so glad we did. This is the best of the best and slid to the top of our rotation meal selections. Thank you and plan on having it again next week with sourdough bread for pot likker dippin.
Best wishes,..
Don and Virginia in IN.