This green bean casserole is a classic Thanksgiving side dish. This version is extra delicious with a creamy, rich homemade creamy mushroom sauce, surrounded by fresh green beans, and topped with crispy fried onions.
I first made this from scratch green bean casserole a few years back when one of my blogging friends Ashlee got a few of us together for a “fakesgiving”. I made this green bean casserole, and my chocolate cream pie. It was a delicious feast to have an extra Thanksgiving meal made from some of my favorite food blogging friends.
This green bean casserole is semi homemade with fresh green beans, and a homemade cream of mushroom soup sauce, but store bought onion straws on top because those things are what make this dish so delicious, and give it the best crunchy texture on top.
This recipe is adapted from Alton Brown’s Best Ever Green Bean Casserole on Food Network.
How to make Green Bean Casserole?
- Par Cook the Green Beans. Bring a large pot of water to boil over medium high heat. Add your trimmed greens beans and salt to the pot and boil them for 4 to 5 minutes, until they are tender but still green in color. Drain the water out and add the green beans to a bowl of ice water to stop them from cooking more. Drain the ice water out and set the green beans aside until needed.
- Make the cream of mushroom sauce. Add butter to a large skillet over medium high heat. Let it melt, then add in your chopped mushrooms, and salt and pepper and cook until the mushrooms start to send out some liquid, this should take about 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and nutmeg, and stir it into the mushrooms, cooking for another 2 minutes.
- Add in the flour and stir it into the mushrooms, and butter, coating everything with it and cooking for another minute. Slowly pour in the chicken broth (you can use vegetable broth for a vegetarian option) while whisking it into the thickened butter mixture to combine.
- Lower the temperature to medium low and add in the half and half, cook for another few minutes until the sauce starts to get thick like a gravy, stirring every minute or so.
- Stir it all together. Remove the cream sauce from the heat, and stir in the green beans, and 1/2 cup of the French onions. Pour the dish into a square serving dish.
- Bake the casserole in the oven for about 10 to 15 minutes or until it’s nice and bubbly, then sprinkle the remaining French onion straws evenly over the top and let the dish keep baking for another 5 to 10 minutes until they are just lightly browned.
How to make Green Bean Casserole ahead of time?
Prepare the green bean casserole until you pour everything into the baking pan before baking. Cover the pan and place it in the fridge overnight, up to a few days.
When you’re ready to bake the dish add it to your oven and bake it until the sauce is hot and bubbly throughout. Top the dish with the French onions and bake it for another 5 to 10 minutes until they lightly start to brown.
Serve hot!
Tips for making Green Bean Casserole:
- Instead of fresh green beans you can also use canned green beans. You won’t need to blanch them before adding them to the cream sauce. You’ll want about 3 cans of canned green beans.
- If you don’t love mushrooms (I don’t – love the flavor, not the texture), cut them up extra small and you can even lower the amount of mushrooms used in the sauce as well.
- Add some crumbled up cooked bacon pieces to the French onion topping for a delicious twist.
This green bean casserole is so delicious and ready in less than an hour. It’s easy to make, and the perfect side dish for any meal, especially Thanksgiving! Don’t forget to pair it with this easy corn casserole for Thanksgiving dinner!
More Thanksgiving side dishes:
- Sweet Potato Casserole
- Savory Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Mashed Potatoes
- Cranberry Orange Sauce
- Dinner Rolls
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Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients
For the Green Bean Casserole:
- 16 oz fresh green beans (washed, trimmed, and halved)
- 1 tsp salt
For the Cream of Mushroom Soup:
- 2 TBS butter
- 8 ounces mushrooms (cut into 1/4 inch pieces)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 TBS minced garlic
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 3 TBS flour
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp chicken bouillon
- 1 cup half and half
For the Topping:
- 2 cups Crispy Fried Onions
Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl
Instructions
For the Green Bean Casserole:
- Bring a large pot of water to boil.
- Add the salt and green beans to the water and cook them in the boiling water for 5 minutes.
- Drain the water and add the green beans to a large bowl of ice water. Drain the water again, and set them aside.
For the Cream of Mushroom Soup:
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat.
- Add in the chopped mushroom pieces, and salt and pepper and cook until the mushrooms begin to emit liquid, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and nutmeg and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Add the flour and whisk it into the butter and mushrooms. Continue to cook it for about 1 minutes.
- Slowly pour in the chicken broth and whisk it into the mixture until smooth.
- Lower the temperature to medium low and slowly add in the half and half. Cook for about 5 to 6 minutes, or until the mixture thickens, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the green beans and 1/2 cup of the Crispy Onions
- Pour the mixture into a 9×9 serving dish.
- (Refrigerate until day of serving up to 3 days) or bake now.
- Bake in an oven preheated to 450 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until the mushroom sauce is bubbly.
- Top the green beans with the additional Onion Straws and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes or until the onions start to turn golden brown.
Notes
Nutrition
This green bean casserole was first posted on November 19, 2013. The photos and text were updated for clarity on November 10, 2021.
Debra Carolan says
Hi I would love to make this healthier version of a green bean casserole recipe, but would like to use fresh green beans . Do you know how many pounds of green bean I would need to use? Thanks
Aimee Berrett says
each can is just under a pound, so 2.5 to 3 pounds should be good!
Randy says
I made this recipe for Thanksgiving. Probably the best green bean casserole I have ever had. Everyone loved it. Thank you for the recipe.
Aimee Berrett says
Thank you Randy! I’m so glad you liked it!!
Sarah Familia says
Green been casserole is one of my guilty pleasures. I never make it myself (because hello, I can’t even bring myself to buy those ingredients, let alone feed them to my children), but I always partake liberally at potlucks.
I might be able to bring myself to overlook the canned green beans and french onions with this recipe, though.
Aimee Berrett says
I just saw your comment! I bet you could use fresh green beans too!! 😉
triedandtasty says
Ive never really been a fan of green bean casserole BUT I love that this is made without the canned condensed soup. Those condensed soups have a lot of yucky ingredients that I try to avoid. So if I AM going to make green bean casserole, this would definitely be the recipe that I would try! Thanks for sharing!
Craig says
OK just one question. As good as this is, it isn’t really one of your favorite things from Thanksgiving is it? There are so many good things. Cranberry sauce and stuffing are right up there for me with real mashed potatoes.
Aimee Berrett says
You’re right, there are wayy too many good things at Thanksgiving dinner I dont know if I could pick a favorite. But, I can’t imagine a thanksgiving dinner without these! (I could skip the cranberry)
Ashlee Prisbrey says
My husband loved it! and he’s not a fan of the cream of blah blah versions, so it was great!
Aimee Berrett says
Ashlee, that is wonderful. Thanks for telling me, I’m so glad he liked it!
Becky Bevan Blad says
I don’t really like green beans or mushrooms but this looks really good! I bet I’d like it. 🙂
marissa | rae gun ramblings says
I love a good green bean casserole! One of the only veggies I’d eat as a kid
Aimee Berrett says
Me too Marissa! I’ve always loved green beans!
Nicole says
One word: YUM. Green bean casserole is one of Husband’s most FAVORITE dishes. Due to my milk allergy, I cannot use cream of / condensed soups so I always make a creamy base with Silk soymilk or creamer (whatever I have on hand, more or less flour to thicken). It tastes delicious, is definitely homemade, and who can say “no” to fried onions?!?! You hit this out of the park, now I want GBC at 9:00am. =)
Aimee Berrett says
Thanks Nicole. Food allergies always make cooking a little bit harder, huh? But I’m glad you found a work around. And you’re pregnant, so of course you can have green bean casserole for breakfast. Now to just find someone to make it for you 🙂