Homemade green bean casserole with bacon, fresh mushrooms, and sharp cheddar cheese is deliciously creamy without canned soup.
Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: This homemade green bean casserole is definitely a step above the traditional version that’s made with canned soup.
How long it takes: 30 minutes to prep, 20 minutes in the oven
Equipment you’ll need: large skillet, 9 x 13 inch baking dish
Servings: 10
Kick the cans to the curb and make your green bean casserole from scratch this year. With a creamy sauce flavored with bacon, fresh mushrooms, and cheddar cheese, and topped with crunchy onions, these green beans will be the star of your dinner.
True of many of my recipes, this recipe still has a few shortcuts. Because when you’re prepping a thousand things for Thanksgiving dinner, a couple shortcuts are okay. They’re actually a really, really good idea.
About This Green Bean Casserole
Use frozen green beans. Of course, you can use fresh green beans if you want. Personally, I think green beans are one vegetable that tastes great frozen. I mean, not eaten while they’re still frozen. You know what I mean.
Canned crispy fried onion are essential. For those lovely golden brown onions on top, I use French’s crispy fried onions (NOT sponsored!). I love them, what can I say? There’s really no substitute for them unless you want to fry up some onions or shallots.
Skip the canned cream of mushroom soup. My recipe is a “no soup” recipe and it’s not filled with heavy cream either. A lovely, but simple white sauce takes the place of cream soup which is loaded with sodium (843 mg per serving!), fat, and weird ingredients like modified food starch, soy protein concentrate, monosodium glutamate (MSG), and yeast extract,
Ingredients You’ll Need
- French-Cut Frozen Green Beans: Really, you can use whatever type of green beans you prefer. Fresh green beans are crisper and fresher tasting; frozen or canned green beans are super fast. They don’t have to be french-cut either, but that’s what we prefer.
- Bacon: Many green bean casseroles are not made with bacon but green beans and bacon are a perfect match and you won’t be sorry you added it.
- Mushrooms: You won’t be using cream of mushroom soup with its rubbery little mushroom pieces. Your casserole will feature plenty of fresh, delicious, real mushrooms.
- Onion: A regular yellow cooking onion, finely diced, flavors the casserole with subtle savory flavor, along with a couple of garlic cloves.
- Butter, Flour, Milk: This simple trio makes a white sauce to take the place of cream of mushroom soup.
- Fresh Thyme: Thyme is a woody herb with very small leaves that complements green beans perfectly. If you don’t have fresh, dried thyme is a good substitute. Dry herbs are more potent than fresh herbs so use much less.
- Sharp Cheddar Cheese: You’ll love the cheesy sauce! It’s good on everything. I like to use white cheddar because it doesn’t give the casserole an orangey hue.
- French Fried Onions: The crispy onions are a must on this traditional green bean casserole. I use a LOT! You may add as many or as little as you prefer. I probably get a little carried away.
How To Make Green Bean Casserole
Although it is a bit more work than opening up a few cans and mixing everything together, this green bean casserole recipe isn’t difficult. The end result is worth the extra labor!
Prep the green beans. If you’re using fresh beans, they need to be snipped, washed, cooked lightly, and drained. An ice bath isn’t necessary because they’ll continue to cook in the casserole when it’s heated. Frozen beans need to be cooked and drained. Canned beans simply need to be drained.
Cook the bacon. First, chop the bacon into small pieces. I like to use thick slices of center cut bacon so there are more substantial pieces of bacon. In a large skillet, fry the bacon until it’s crisp. Take it out of the pan to drain on paper towels. Leave the grease in the pan.
Cook the onions and mushrooms. Add the chopped onions to the pan and cook them for a few minutes, and then add the mushrooms. Cook, stirring once or twice, until the mushrooms lose their liquid and begin to brown. Remove the onions and mushrooms with a slotted spoon and add them to a large mixing bowl with the green beans.
Make the sauce. Using the same skillet with any remaining juices, melt the butter with the garlic. Add the flour and cook it for a minute or two, stirring constantly. Slowly whisk in the milk and bring the sauce to a boil. You should have a creamy white sauce.
Stir in the shredded cheese and fresh thyme. Does your sauce remind you of anything? It’s the replacement for the canned cream of mushroom soup but so much better, especially once you add the mushrooms.
Mix everything together. Stir the creamy sauce into the bowl with the green beans, onions, garlic, and mushrooms.
Bake. Add the bacon, and stir until everything is coated with sauce. Pour it all into a greased baking dish.
Top with the crispy goodness of French fried onions and bake. Done!
A couple things could contribute to a watery, soupy casserole. Perhaps the beans weren’t drained well. Excess water in the beans could thin out the sauce too much. Not using enough flour to thicken the sauce could result in a more soupy casserole. Or maybe you have more sauce than you needed if you used too few beans.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you follow the instructions closely, a soupy casserole should happily be a thing of the past for you.
Choose the kind of green bean you like best. Traditionally, green bean casserole is made with canned green beans. The advantage of using canned green beans is that they don’t have to be precooked before adding them to the casserole.
However, many people prefer fresh or frozen green beans because they have superior texture, color, and taste. They do have to be blanched or cooked lightly before adding to the casserole.
Make It Your Own
- Vegetarian/Meatless: Simply omit the bacon. Use a tablespoon of olive oil to sauté the vegetables.
- Green bean variations: Substitute fresh green beans or canned green beans for the frozen beans. Cook fresh green beans before adding; canned green beans can be drained and added without cooking.
- Try different cheese varieties. Other types of flavorful cheese can be subbed in for the cheddar. Try Parmesan, sharp provolone, Swiss, or Gruyère.
- Topping ideas: Top the casserole with sliced almonds or buttered bread crumbs instead of French fried onions.
- Not into green beans? Try one of these popular casserole recipes instead: cheesy baked corn with bacon, scalloped sweet potatoes with bacon and Gruyère, or cheesy Brussels sprouts au gratin.
Since holiday dinners can be a bit stressful with lots to do, you may want to get a little head start on this side dish. There are a couple of ways to do that.
One or two days ahead of time: Prep the beans (if using fresh), onions, and mushrooms. Wash, slice, bag and refrigerate them.
The day before: Prepare the whole casserole except for the onion topping and refrigerate it unbaked, covered well with foil or plastic wrap.
On the day of: Take the casserole out of the refrigerator to warm up a half hour while the oven preheats. Uncover, add the fried onion topping, and bake as directed, adding 5 to 10 minutes to the baking time.
Refrigerate: Leftover green bean casserole should be covered tightly and refrigerated within 2 hours. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to four days. It doesn’t freeze well.
Reheat: Microwave single servings at medium heat in 30 second increments or until heated through. If you prefer, reheat larger portions uncovered in the oven at 350°F for twenty minutes or until warm.
Note: The topping won’t be quite as crisp.
More Green Bean Recipes
- Roasted Green Beans
- Green Beans with Lemon and Feta
- Green Beans Almondine Recipe
- Green Beans with Bacon, Garlic, and Onion
- Mediterranean Green Bean Salad
- Pickled Green Beans – an easy quick pickle!
- Air Fryer Green Beans
Thanksgiving Recipes
Homemade Green Bean Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 bags (16 oz. each) french-cut frozen green beans, cooked according to package instructions and drained very well
- 5 to 6 slices center cut bacon, cut into ½-inch or smaller pieces
- 8 ounces white or button mushrooms, finely chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 large clove garlic, minced (or 2 small cloves)
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups whole milk
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped (or ¼ teaspoon dried thyme)
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, more to taste
- 1 cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
- 3 cups french fried onions, or to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray a 9×13-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Place cooked green beans in a large bowl.
- In a deep sauté pan, cook bacon over medium heat until crispy. Remove to a paper-towel lined plate, reserving the grease in the pan.
- Over medium heat, sauté the onions in the bacon grease for 2 to 3 minutes, or until starting to become translucent. Add mushrooms and continue to sauté until cooked. Use a slotted spoon to remove mushrooms and onions from the pan and put them in the bowl with the green beans.
- Make sauce: Add butter and garlic to the pan (with any juices remaining in pan). Heat over medium heat until butter is melted and garlic is fragrant. Add flour and whisk for 1 to 2 minutes. While whisking, pour in milk and continue to cook, whisking nearly constantly, until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Add thyme and pepper, whisk to combine. Remove pan from heat and stir in cheese until melted.
- Pour cheese sauce mixture over the green beans, mushrooms, and onions in the bowl. Add cooked bacon and stir until everything is well coated.
- Pour the green bean mixture into the prepared pan, spreading it out in an even layer. Sprinkle on french fried onions.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until casserole is heated through and onions are golden brown.
Notes
- Any type of green bean can be used, fresh or frozen. Canned green beans are fine, too, and don’t need to be precooked before adding. Drain well. Use a comparable amount.
- You may use fewer (or no) fried onions if you want.
- To prep ahead, prepare the entire casserole, omitting onions, and refrigerate unbaked. Add onions prior to baking and bake as directed, adding 10 minutes baking time.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
Looks great, and I will probably give it a try, but not for Thanksgiving. Why? I’ve made about every green bean casserole under the sun, and usually end up with most of it leftover. So I went back to a tried and true favorite of my mom in our southern part of the country. You can still make it a casserole if you like, but it isn’t necessary. In an instant pot, rinse and cook some pinto beans as you normally would with a little pork fat, typically a couple strips of torn up bacon. Then mix with your prepared, cooked green beans (maybe half-half). If you want to casserole it, you can add a cream of something soup, and sprinkle the fried onions on if you like, and bake for a short while. This bean combo is a southern favorite. Oh, and don’t forget the Broccoli Cheez-it casserole to go with it.
It all sounds delicious!
Cook the mushrooms using some of the bacon grease, in a skillet until the liquid releases from the mushrooms. Lightly, browning adds a toasty flavor to them, then strain them until the liquid is gone, will help to keeps them from adding fluid to the casserole. The onions should be sautéed separately until they are lightly browned then drain them before adding to the casserole. It helps keep the casserole drier and lighter. The garlic can be added to the onions in the last 30 seconds, before draining them all before adding to the casserole. This prevents the casserole being soggy. I add the frozen green beans to a colander, to defrost. This gets rid of the frozen water. I don’t care for the French fried onions, they are far too greasy, and may have been fried in animal fat. Plus they are full of preservatives. Instead, I use buttered crumbs, seasoned with black pepper, thyme, parsley, smoked paprika, and plenty of of garlic powder and onion powder. Grated Parmesan or Romano, can be added if desired. Then baked as directed until bubbly and the crumbs are browned.
Sounds delicious – maybe you should start a food blog ;)
So I made this in the heat of August in the South. First time making it without using canned soup. Great recipe only thing is that it need some salt. So I added a dash of Worcestershire sauce, creole seasoning, and a little salt. Perfecto!
Glad you liked it!
I doctored this a bit – used fresh asparagus instead of green beans, portobella mushrooms, sweet onion, more garlic, more thyme, and I only had coconut milk. This was the hit of the Thanksgiving table!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Hi! Prepping for Thanksgiving, can we make this ahead of time, and if so what are the recommended tips for prepping and reheating? Thanks so much
Definitely! I plan to do the same. You can make the entire casserole (minus the crispy onions) and refrigerate it for up to two days (I’m going to make mine Wednesday). Refrigerate it unbaked. Take it out of the fridge about an hour before you plan to cook it. Right before cooking, add the crispy onions. It might take a little longer to cook because it’s cold, but it should still bake in the time it takes your turkey to rest!
When does the bacon go in? Or do you just use the grease?
It goes in when you mix together the beans with the sauce, mushrooms, and onions. You’ll find that in the last sentence of step 4. :)
I often substitute béchamel or velouté for canned Cream of Whatever soup in a recipe, and it always works beautifully. I will be using your recipe for Thursday’s big feast. Thank you so much.
Oh good! I hope you love it! :)