Green Bean Casserole

I firmly believe that Thanksgiving dinner isn’t complete without green bean casserole. We have plenty of versions of this classic casserole, including a gluten-free version, a slow-cooker version, and even a vegan version. This tried-and-tested recipe is my most classic version of the Thanksgiving side. I ditched the cream of mushroom soup for a homemade cream sauce and fresh sautéed mushrooms, but don’t worry—this dish is still super-simple to make. You only need 8 ingredients and a little over an hour to make it. Keep reading on for my top tips to make this classic side dish the best it can be.

What People Are Saying:
"Once you have this, you'll never be able to go back to the Campbell's gray sodium laden sludge & soggy canned green beans recipe! This is amazing! Your whole family will change their minds about green bean casserole." - CyanCarrot

"This is the best green bean casserole I've ever made! It was easy enough that I could read it through twice, and then just make the dish without having to refer to the text of the recipe! It turned out great, my family ate it up! Without using a can of condensed soup, I could control the amount of salt...this made from scratch sauce tastes more mushroomy than a can of condensed soup!" - GreenBike

How To Make Green Bean Casserole

INGREDIENTS

• The Beans: Green beans aren't in season during November, so if you're more into using frozen, go for it. Frozen green beans have been preserved at their peak, so they taste very comparable to fresh. You can blanch frozen or fresh ones to get them tender; if you're using canned green beans, it's not our first choice, but no need to blanch them.
• The Butter: Yes, you could use extra-virgin olive oil here, but hey, it's Thanksgiving! The amount of butter I go through during the holidays is award-worthy, so why not continue that tradition here?
• The Onions: After testing, I determined that 2 yellow onions are the perfect amount for this classic casserole. They cook for a while to get nicely caramelized, then the mushrooms are added after and cooked down even more so they meld together. Speaking of mushrooms...
• The Mushrooms: The biggest reason we didn’t use canned cream of mushroom soup for this recipe is because of its lack of a strong mushroom taste. By sautéing mushrooms (you can choose whichever variety you like most!), you can build a base with some serious depth of flavor. Cook them until they get a little caramelized for that strong, rich mushroom flavor to really come through.
• The Cream Sauce: This sounds fancy, but it's seriously just melting butter, whisking in a little flour, and pouring over milk. DONE. Let it simmer and thicken on your stovetop to have that creamy element of green bean casserole you know and love—no gloppy texture allowed.
• The Fried Onions: Fried onion pieces are salty, crunchy, and absolutely mandatory for green bean casserole. If you want to keep this dish entirely homemade, make your own fried onions (bonus: homemade is available year-round 😉) or go for classic store-bought French's.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

The very first step is blanching the green beans. This may seem a little fussy, but it's the best way to start cooking the beans to preserve their crispy texture and bright green color as they continue to bake in the oven. It's easy, but just requires a little setup. Cook the beans in salted water for a few minutes, then immediately transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. That's it!

On to the aromatics! This is what takes this casserole truly over the top. Cook sliced onions in butter until just starting to soften, anywhere from 7 to 10 minutes.

Add the mushrooms and let everyone get to know each other. Make it even better by adding some garlic; in my opinion, the more, the merrier. Your kitchen will smell amazing. Pour the aromatics into the bowl with the blanched beans.

Time for the sauce. No need to wipe out the pot, just melt a stick of butter, then toast the flour.

Slowly pour in the milk and whisk, letting the sauce come to a simmer, until nicely thickened. Be sure to taste for salt and pepper.

Add to bowl with beans, stir to combine, then transfer to a 13" x 9" baking dish. Spread in the dish, then bake until everything is bubbly, which should take just 30 minutes.

Time for the fried onions! Return to the oven and bake until the onions are just warmed through, about 5 minutes more.

Note: The full list of ingredients and directions can be found in the recipe below.

Make It Ahead

Save some time (and oven space) on the busy holiday by making this Thanksgiving side ahead of time. Simply assemble the casserole (without the fried onions), cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 4 days or until you're ready to bake!

Some tips: Make sure to let it cool to room temp before baking, or add a couple minutes to your timer to adjust to the colder temp. Whatever you do, DON'T forget to add the fried onions until after the first round of baking. If they're added before refrigerating, they'll get soggy instead of having that signature crispy crunch.

Storage

Store any leftovers in an airtight container (or cover your casserole dish with storage wrap) before refrigerating. This side will last up to 4 days refrigerated (look through our Thanksgiving leftovers ideas for some creative inspo for what to do with them), and leftovers can be reheated in the microwave or oven.