Swamp Potatoes are the viral slow cooker dish of Yukon gold potatoes, smoked sausage and green beans, tossed with onion soup mix and Cajun seasoning and cooked under a whole stick of butter until everything is soft and saucy. There’s no water and no broth: the butter, soup mix and sausage make the sauce. It serves 6.
How to make it: Put the cut potatoes, onion, green beans and sliced sausage in a 5-quart slow cooker. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle on the seasonings and onion soup mix, toss, and set a stick of butter on top. Cook on LOW 6 to 7 hours or HIGH 4 to 5 hours, stirring a couple of times, then stir well and serve.
What Are Swamp Potatoes?
They’re a one-pot slow cooker dish of potatoes, smoked sausage and green beans in a buttery, onion-seasoned sauce with a little Cajun kick. The name apparently comes from how the dish looks when it’s done: soft and saucy, with everything swimming together. You’ll also see it called crockpot swamp potatoes or slow cooker swamp potatoes and sausage. Serve it as a main dish or a side.
Why You’ll Love It
- Dump and go: 10 minutes of prep, then the slow cooker does the rest.
- No liquid needed: the butter melts into the sauce.
- One pot: potatoes, sausage and a vegetable together.
- Feeds a crowd: 3 pounds of potatoes make 6 servings.
Ingredient Notes
Potatoes: Three pounds of Yukon gold potatoes, cut evenly into 1 1/2-inch pieces so they cook at the same pace.
Smoked sausage: One pound, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds. Andouille makes it smokier and spicier.
Green beans: One pound, cut into 3-inch pieces. Frozen green beans work too; stir them in halfway through cooking.
Onion: One small onion, diced.
Seasoning: A 1-ounce packet of onion soup mix, 2 tablespoons of Creole or Cajun seasoning, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon each of black pepper and garlic powder, plus 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
Butter: One stick (1/2 cup), left whole and set on top.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 pound green beans, cut into 3-inch pieces
- 1 pound smoked sausage, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 packet (1 ounce) onion soup mix
- 2 tablespoons Creole or Cajun seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
How to Make Swamp Potatoes
1. Load the slow cooker. Put the cut potatoes in a 5-quart or larger slow cooker, then add the diced onion, green beans and sliced sausage.
2. Season and add the butter. Drizzle with the olive oil, then sprinkle over the salt, pepper, garlic powder, Creole or Cajun seasoning and onion soup mix. Toss until everything is evenly coated, then set the stick of butter on top.
3. Cook. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours or on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours, until the potatoes are tender and the flavors have blended. Keep the lid on except to stir a couple of times. The dish is done when a food thermometer reads 165°F in the center.
4. Stir and serve. Stir well so the melted butter coats everything, taste and add more salt or pepper if needed, and serve right away.
Do You Put Water in Swamp Potatoes?
No. Don’t add any extra liquid. Here’s where the sauce comes from instead:
| Ingredient | What it adds |
|---|---|
| Butter | Richness and moisture; it melts down into the sauce |
| Onion soup mix | The main seasoning: salt and deep onion flavor |
| Smoked sausage | Smoky flavor and fat that season the whole pot |
| Cajun seasoning | A little heat and spice |
Soft is right. Swamp potatoes are meant to be soft and saucy, not firm or crispy. A little mushy is normal.
Keep the lid on. Lift it only to stir a couple of times and to check that the potatoes are tender.
Timing depends on your cooker. Check the potatoes at the low end of the time range.
Variations
- Creamy swamp potatoes: add a can of cream of chicken soup and a cup of sour cream or Greek yogurt, and sprinkle cheddar on for the last hour.
- Andouille: use it for a smokier, spicier pot.
- Canned green beans: drained canned beans cook softer than fresh.
- Baby potatoes: quarter baby yellow potatoes instead of cutting large ones.
Make Ahead, Storage & Reheating
Refrigerator: Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow covered containers; hot food can go straight into the fridge. USDA FSIS says to eat them within 3 to 4 days.
Freezer: Freeze for 3 to 4 months and thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Reheat: Reheat covered on the stove, in the microwave or in the oven to 165°F. Don’t reheat leftovers in the slow cooker, though you can keep them warm in it once they’re hot.
Slow cooker safety: Keep the sausage refrigerated until you load the pot, and put the vegetables in first.
What to Serve With It
Swamp potatoes work as a one-pot dinner or as a side. For more sausage and potato dinners, try slow cooker Amish kielbasa potatoes, fried potatoes, onions and smoked Polish sausage or slow cooker Polish sausage, sauerkraut and potatoes. More potato sides: smothered green beans with potatoes, 5-ingredient slow cooker layered cheesy potatoes and slow cooker glazed herb baby potatoes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are swamp potatoes?
A slow cooker dish of potatoes, smoked sausage and green beans cooked in butter, onion soup mix and Cajun seasoning.
Do you put water in swamp potatoes?
No. The butter, soup mix and sausage make the sauce, so no water or broth goes in.
What is another name for swamp potatoes?
You’ll see crockpot swamp potatoes, slow cooker swamp potatoes, or swamp potatoes and sausage.
Can I use frozen green beans?
Yes. Add them halfway through cooking, no need to thaw.
How long do swamp potatoes take?
6 to 7 hours on LOW or 4 to 5 hours on HIGH, until the potatoes are tender.
Final Notes
Load it in the morning and it’s ready for dinner. Just resist adding water: the butter takes care of the sauce. If you make it, tell me in the comments which sausage you used.
Swamp Potatoes
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Ingredients
- 3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 pound green beans cut into 3-inch pieces
- 1 pound smoked sausage sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 packet onion soup mix 1 ounce
- 2 tablespoons Creole or Cajun seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 stick butter 1/2 cup, left whole and set on top
Instructions
- Put the cut potatoes in a 5-quart or larger slow cooker, then add the diced onion, green beans and sliced sausage.
- Drizzle with the olive oil, then sprinkle over the salt, pepper, garlic powder, Creole or Cajun seasoning and onion soup mix. Toss until everything is evenly coated, then set the stick of butter on top.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours or on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours, until the potatoes are tender and the flavors have blended. Keep the lid on except to stir a couple of times. The dish is done when a food thermometer reads 165°F in the center.
- Stir well so the melted butter coats everything, taste and add more salt or pepper if needed, and serve right away.
