Ingredients:
- 900g fresh trimmed green beans
- 2 cans (297g each) condensed cream of mushroom soup
- 120ml whole milk
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 8 slices thick cut bacon
- 1 tbsp reserved bacon fat
- 0.5 tsp garlic powder
- 0.5 tsp cracked black pepper
- 1.5 cups French fried onions
- 0.5 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions:
- Crisp the bacon. Fry the 8 slices in a skillet over medium heat for 8 minutes until the fat renders and the meat turns deeply golden. Note: Starting with a cold pan helps the fat render more completely.
- Drain and reserve. Remove bacon to paper towels but save exactly 1 tbsp of the warm fat.
- Whisk the base. In a medium bowl, combine the mushroom soup, 120ml milk, soy sauce, garlic powder, black pepper, and that reserved bacon fat.
- Prepare the beans. Place 900g of trimmed green beans into the Crock pot liner.
- Coat the vegetables. Pour the soup mixture over the beans and toss until every bean is slicked with sauce.
- Add the crunch. Fold in half of the crisped bacon bits and half of the fried onions.
- Set the timer. Cover and cook on LOW for 3 hours. Note: Cooking on high can cause the edges to brown too quickly.
- Add the cheese. Ten minutes before serving, sprinkle the 0.5 cup shredded cheddar over the top.
- Final topping. Scatter the remaining bacon and fried onions over the melted cheese.
- Rest and serve. Let the casserole sit uncovered for 10 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken before scooping.