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This classic oven-baked Green Bean Casserole is made with a homemade creamy mushroom sauce, plenty of fresh green beans, and crunchy topping made with both bread crumbs and canned fried onions.
Nostalgic Green Bean Casserole From Scratch
I grew up eating Green Bean Casserole, the one pictured in vintage Campbell’s Soup ads, and I loved it! Now that I’m a classically-trained chef, though, I love recreating classic recipes in a new, modern way.
I swapped the canned green beans for fresh – but I also include info on how to substitute frozen green beans if you need that shortcut. No shame! I’m giving you permission to take shortcuts. Instead of canned cream soups, I created a delicious homemade mushroom sauce from scratch, and you’ll love every bite.
To finish off the dish, I added some crunchy panko bread crumbs to the traditional fried onion topping. More crunch for the win! Every bite tastes like nostalgia but even better than you remember. This fool-proof recipe turns out perfectly every time, one less thing to worry about around the holidays!
Table of Contents
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Best Green Bean Casserole Recipe Ingredients
- Butter: Salted or unsalted butter? Use what you have on hand. To soften butter in the microwave, cut each stick of butter in half, unwrap, and place on a microwave-safe plate. Then cook the butter at 10% power for 1 minute. Gently press on the butter with your finger, and if it still feels too firm, cook for another 40 seconds at 10% power.
- Mushrooms: Use fresh mushrooms to make a quick cream of mushroom soup from scratch for a flavorful addition to this Thanksgiving staple.
- Green beans: To substitute frozen green beans, microwave 2 (12-ounce) bags of frozen cut green beans according to the package instructions (or microwave on HIGH power for 4 to 5 minutes; let stand 1 minute before removing from the microwave). Drain well (I like to use a salad spinner to spin them dry).
- Chicken broth: Do not use low-sodium chicken broth or the sauce may be bland. Homemade chicken broth is fine or you could mix up a batch with Better than Bouillon chicken base (Culinary Hill may earn money if you buy through this link). For a vegetarian version, substitute vegetable broth.
How to Make Fresh Green Bean Casserole
- Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 425 degrees F. To make the topping, in a food processor or blender, pulse bread, butter, salt, and pepper until coarse crumbs form (about 10 pulses).
- Transfer to a large bowl. Add fried onions and toss to combine.
- In a Dutch oven or stock pot, bring 4 quarts water and 2 tablespoons salt to boil. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Add fresh green beans and cook until bright green and tender-crisp, about 6 minutes. Drain in a colander and immediately transfer to ice water. Spread on paper towels to dry.
- To the same pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat until foaming. Add mushrooms, garlic, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Cook until the mushrooms have released most of their liquid, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in flour and cook for one minute. Whisk in broth, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly.
- Reduce heat to medium. Whisk in cream and simmer until the sauce has thickened and reduced to 3 ½ cups, about 10 to 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Add the green beans to the pot with the mushroom sauce and toss until evenly coated. Pour green bean mixture into a 3-quart or 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish or oven-safe skillet. Sprinkle with topping.
- Bake until the top is golden brown and the sauce is bubbling around the edges, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.
Tips For Making Green Bean Casserole With Fresh
- Yield: This recipe makes enough for 10 as a side dish (or more depending on how many sides you have at Thanksgiving).
- Make the topping ahead: The bread crumb topping can be prepared ahead of time and stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. Combine with fried onions just before baking.
- Make the beans and sauce ahead: The beans may be blanched in advance, cooled, and stirred into the cooled mushroom sauce. Transfer to the baking dish, cover, and refrigerate up to 24 hours in advance. Heat the casserole for 10 minutes in a 425-degree oven before adding the topping, then bake as directed.
- Half batch: Prepare in a 2-quart or 8-inch square baking dish. Reduce the sauce cooking time to about 6 minutes for 1 ¾ cups. Reduce the baking time to 10 minutes in Step 4.
- Small batch: Green bean casserole for two is made with 8 ounces of frozen green beans.
- Gluten-Free: Make this recipe gluten-free using your favorite gluten-free bread and one-to-one gluten-free flour alternative. I love Canyon Bakehouse Mountain White and Udi’s Multigrain Gluten-Free bread (both sold in the freezer section). Dry the bread up to 3 days in advance (keep it covered with a dry kitchen towel on the counter, or slice and dry in a 300-degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes).
- Optional Ingredients: Elevate the flavor and texture of your casserole with mix-ins like cheddar cheese or Parmesan cheese, or substitute panko breadcrumbs.
- Slow cooker green bean casserole: Follow the recipe through Step 6, but instead of using a baking dish, transfer the mixture to a slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 to 3 hours or LOW for 4 to 6 hours. Omit the bread crumbs and top with 3 cups of French-fried onions or fried shallots immediately before serving.
- Vegan Green Bean Casserole: Plant-based Green Bean Casserole made with cashew cream in a slow cooker.
How to Store Homemade Green Bean Casserole
Store leftovers covered in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Can You Freeze Green Bean Casserole?
Like many casseroles, Green Bean Casserole cooled, labeled, and frozen for up to 2 months. However, recipes made with canned green beans will suffer in quality in the freezer (the green beans will get mushy). Luckily, my version is made with fresh green beans which freeze much better and the beans will hold their shape.
I also suggest saving the crunchy topping until you’re ready to bake the casserole. Be sure to wrap the casserole in a double-layer of aluminum and plastic wrap. When you’re ready to bake it, thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
How to Reheat Green Bean Casserole
Individual portions of green bean casserole can be scooped into a microwave-safe dish and reheated in the microwave. If frozen, start with a thaw/defrost cycle or cook at 50% power, then switch to 30-second increments until the green bean casserole is 165 degrees.
To reheat a casserole dish, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cover with foil for the first 10 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the casserole reaches 165 degrees, about 10 to 15 minutes longer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Leftover green bean casserole is good for up to 4 days. Cool leftovers completely and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
The best way to reheat green bean casserole is in the oven. Remove the casserole from the refrigerator and allow it to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. Reheat at 350 degrees in an oven-safe baking dish covered with aluminum foil until heated through, reaching 165 degrees internally, about 20 minutes.
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Homemade Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients
For the topping:
- 4 slices white sandwich bread torn into quarters
- 2 tablespoons butter softened
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 cups canned fried onions (about 6 ounces)
For the casserole:
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 pounds green beans ends trimmed, halved (see note 1)
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 pound white button mushrooms wiped clean and sliced (see note 2)
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
Instructions
To make the topping:
- In a food processor or blender, pulse bread, butter, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper until coarse crumbs form (about 10 pulses). Transfer to a large bowl. Add onions and toss to combine.
To make the casserole:
- Adjust an oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a Dutch oven or stock pot, bring 4 quarts water and 2 tablespoons salt to boil. Fill a large bowl with ice water.
- Add green beans and cook until bright green and tender-crisp, about 3 to 4 minutes. Drain in colander and immediately transfer to ice water. Spread on paper towels to dry.
- To the same pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat until foaming. Add mushrooms, garlic, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Cook until the mushrooms have released most of their liquid, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in flour and cook for one minute. Whisk in broth, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly.
- Reduce heat to medium. Whisk in cream and simmer until the sauce has thickened and reduced to 3 ½ cups, about 10 to 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Add the green beans to the pot with the mushroom sauce and toss until evenly coated. Pour into a 3-quart or 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with topping.
- Bake until the top is golden brown and the sauce is bubbling around the edges, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Green beans: To substitute frozen green beans, microwave 2 (12-ounce) bags of frozen cut green beans according to the package instructions (or microwave on HIGH power for 4 to 5 minutes; let stand 1 minute before removing from the microwave). Drain well (I like to use a salad spinner to spin them dry).
- Chicken broth: Do not use low-sodium chicken broth or the sauce may be bland. Homemade chicken broth is fine or you could mix up a batch with Better than Bouillon chicken base. For a vegetarian version, substitute vegetable broth.
- Mushrooms: Use fresh mushrooms to make a quick cream of mushroom soup from scratch for a flavorful addition to this Thanksgiving staple.
- Yield: This recipe makes enough for 10 as a side dish (or more depending on how many sides you have at Thanksgiving).
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Slow cooker green bean casserole: Follow the recipe through Step 6, but instead of using a baking dish, transfer the mixture to a slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 to 3 hours or LOW for 4 to 6 hours. Omit the bread crumbs and top with 3 cups of French-fried onions or fried shallots immediately before serving.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
Well after making, last Thanksgiving, threw out my old recipe! Iโve since made the oven, slow cooker, and love the smaller recipe for two. Everyone raved. Thanks for another great recipe!
You’re so welcome, Tavo! ๐ Take care! – Meggan
Awesome recipe! Any suggestions on making it gluten free? Have a divided house!
There is a recipe on here for condensed mushroom soup that has many variations at the end.