This casserole is basically foolproof and just jam-packed with flavor! You can make if pretty far in advance and reheat before serving making it perfect for that busiest time of year, the holidays!
Pro Tips to make Green Bean casserole
- Try deglazing the pan of mushrooms with some brandy or bourbon towards the end. The alcohol will burn off but you’ll get a great depth of flavor!
- If you prefer to use fresh green beans: remove the top and bottom of each pod. Blanch in boiling water for two minutes and sauté in some butter with salt and pepper to taste to further soften and enhance the flavor.
- Hate mushrooms? Don’t bother using them! The dish will still taste great.
- Try using the white sauce recipe below in place of cream of mushroom soup for a made from scratch option.
Look at those mushrooms and green beans suspended in a creamy cheesy sauce all topped with golden fried onions. So tasty!!
Using Fresh Green Beans for this casserole
If you prefer to use fresh green beans for this dish remove the top and bottom of each pod. You can also cut them in half for more manageable bites. Blanch in salted boiling water for two minutes and sauté in some butter with salt and pepper to taste to further soften and enhance the flavor.
I love this dish with canned green beans but the fresh ones will have more texture, color and a bit more flavor as well.
Making green bean casserole in advance
If you’re going all out for a holiday dinner you will want to make as much in advance as possible.
You can make this dish a day or two ahead of time and keep it covered in the fridge, just don’t add the onions on top yet. Take the casserole out of the fridge before you start heating the oven so it comes closer to room temperature, then bake according to the directions below. If it’s going into the oven colds you may need to add another 5 minutes on the initial bake time.
You can freeze the casserole for up to a month. Make as directed without adding the crispy onions on tip then wrap in plastic and foil. When you’re ready to bake just unwrap and top with foil. Bake until center is warm (about 40-50 minutes). Top with crispy onions and bake an additional 10-15 minutes.
Green Bean casserole without cream of mushroom soup
- Add 1 cup milk and 1/3 cup chicken stock to a bowl and microwave for 2 minutes.
- Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a medium pot over medium-high heat and add 1/4 cup flour.
- Whisk over heat for a minute to cooke the flour.
- Pour in warm milk mixture along with 1/2 tsp salt, a pinch of pepper and any herbs/spices you like. I always grate in some fresh nutmeg.
- Whisk over heat until thickened.
How to Make Green Bean Casserole
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Half your mushrooms and in a medium pan, heat butter and sauté the mushrooms with salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour the cream of mushroom in a large bowl.
- Add milk, salt and pepper to taste.
- When the mushrooms are nice and sautéed, pour them in the bowl.
- Go ahead and add the green beans, fried onions and give it a good mix.
- Transfer to an 8×8 casserole pan and add cheddar and gouda to the top. Bake for 20 minutes, take out and add more fried onions to the top. Put it back in the oven to bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden and crispy.
IF YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE TRY THESE OUT!
If you’ve tried this green bean casserole recipe then don’t forget to leave a rating and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tbsp butter 28g
- 1/2 tsp Salt or to taste
- 1/2 tsp Pepper or to taste
- 10 oz mushrooms halved, 30g, about 4 cups
- ¾ cup milk 180mL
- 10 oz cream of mushroom soup 300g, One 10oz can
- 6 cups green beans 3 cans 14.5oz cans drained, 900g
- 2 cup fried onions 350g
- 1 cup sharp cheddar shredded, 115g
- 1 cup gouda shredded, 110g
Instructions
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat to 350 degrees F.
- In a medium pan, heat butter and sauté halved mushrooms with salt and pepper to taste over medium-high heat. As an optional step you can deglaze the pan with some brandy or bourbon towards the end. The alcohol will burn off but you'll get a great depth of flavor!
- In an 8x8 casserole pan, add milk, salt, pepper, cream of mushroom, green beans, sautéed mushrooms and fried onions then mix together. *You can also mix everything in a large bowl and transfer into your baking dish if you're worried about spilling.
- Add cheddar and gouda to the top.
- Bake for 20 minutes at 350F, remove from oven and add fried more onions to the top. Put back in to bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden and crispy.
Video
Notes
- Try deglazing the pan with some brandy or bourbon towards the end. The alcohol will burn off but you'll get a great depth of flavor!
- If you prefer to use fresh green beans: remove the top and bottom of each pod. Blanch in boiling water for two minutes and sauté in some butter with salt and pepper to taste to further soften and enhance the flavor.
- Hate mushrooms? Don't bother using them! The dish will still taste great.
Nutrition
I’m confused about the total amount of the fried onions. The onions that you put on top at the end, do they come out of the two cups the recipe calls for, or are they on top of the two cups? And if they are not part of the two cups, how much more onions do I put on top? Thank you, I just want to be sure to do it right since it looks like a great recipe.
I hate cream of mushroom soup! For this recipe, I substitute mushrooms sautéed in fresh garlic mixed into sour cream and whipping cream. It is wonderful!
Every Thanksgiving I try a new Classic Green Bean Casserole and I’ve yet to find one that’s a keeper until this one. Hands down the best we’ve had and my entire family agreed! 🙂 Thank you!!!
Hey Brandie,
That is so nice to hear, thank you!! I LOVE this green bean casserole. I will thank my mother forever for this recipe!
Best,
John
Question about the onions: do they have to be fried? Will it affect the taste much if I just brown them?
We are a norwegian couple and our daughter is American (born in the US), so we try to make a tradition of celebrating thanksgiving to honor her lineage. This must be the best blog I’ve found so far to pick up American cooking! Great work!
Thank you so much!! SO I love the adea of adding caramelized onions. The fried onions are crispy so if you don’t use them maybe top with fried breadcrumbs for some texture?
Are the green beans fresh or canned? If fresh, do you cut them up?
Karen,
You can do either in this recipe! I used canned green beans that were chopped.
John
Love the simplicity in this dish!
Simple and easy to follow recipe. I know this casserole would be a hit at our house!