This green bean casserole recipe is a remake of the classic Thanksgiving side dish; we use fresh green beans, a homemade cream of mushroom soup, and a topping made with fresh bread and butter, along with some canned french-fried onions because, let's be honest, they're delicious (but don't worry, there are instructions for making THOSE from scratch, too, if you'd like!).

Overhead photo of green bean casserole in a baking dish with a corner scooped out.

Let's talk about the iconic and ever-nostalgic Thanksgiving staple… the green bean casserole. It's a classic, and it just screams Thanksgiving, right?! 

I've had it dozens of times, but I felt like we could do better than canned green beans and canned condensed soup. We can take something good and make it absolutely phenomenal; something that guests will be talking about days later. And, THIS IS IT!

Green Bean Casserole From Scratch

This recipe puts a wonderful homemade spin on the original, which means lots of fresh, tender green beans, a replacement for condensed soup, and homemade bread crumbs (but don't worry, we've kept the crispy fried onions on top!).

THIS precise recipe is what turned me on to green beans many years ago. Fresh beans are prepared and mixed in a homemade cream sauce that’s perfectly flavored, and topped with breadcrumbs and fried onions.

Ingredient Notes

The ingredients in this from-scratch version of green bean casserole hit all of the right notes in terms of flavor and texture; let’s chat about a few ingredients and possible substitutions:

Photo of fresh green beans spread out on a paper towel-lined baking sheet.
  • The Green Beans: Fresh green beans are the number one choice, but you can also blanch frozen green beans. Canned green beans aren’t preferable in this recipe, but if you use them, simply drain them and proceed with the recipe, no need to blanch them.
  • The Mushrooms: For this recipe, we use standard white button mushrooms, however, you can also substitute cremini mushrooms (sometimes also referred to as baby Bella mushrooms). If someone is allergic or need to omit the mushrooms, you can do so without substituting anything else.
  • The Cream Sauce: We make the homemade sauce with a combination of butter, flour, chicken broth, and heavy cream. Along with the mushrooms and garlic, it’s an easy, but exponentially more flavorful mixture than canned soup.
  • To Add Bacon and/or Cheese: To take this casserole up another notch, cook and crumble 8 ounces of bacon and stir it into the mushroom cream sauce along with the green beans. For a cheesy version, add 6 ounces of shredded cheese (choose a favorite - cheddar cheese would be great, but you could use Monterey Jack, pepper jack, Swiss, gouda, or any combination!) or a handful of grated Parmesan cheese to the creamy mushroom sauce before stirring in the green beans; or you could add half of the cheese to the sauce and toss the other half with the topping.
  • The Breadcrumbs: These are made by pulsing fresh bread with butter, salt, and pepper (see photo below); however you can easily substitute plain panko breadcrumbs if you’d like (use about 1 cup).
  • The Fried Onions: This recipe keeps with the iconic French’s fried onions (tossing them in with the homemade breadcrumb mixture), but if you want to make your own fried onions, read the section below. 
Side by side photos of bread in food processor pulsed with butter and breadcrumb mixture tossed with french-fried onions.

How to Make Homemade Fried Onions

If you want to skip the canned version (or can’t find it), here is how to make your own:

Thinly slice 2 sweet onions and sauté in 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes. 

Reduce heat to medium-low, sprinkle with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes, or until the onions are golden, caramelized and soft. 

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Set aside to cool before combining with remainder of crumb topping. Proceed with the recipe as directed.

How to Make the Green Bean Casserole

We've already discussed how this casserole is different from its not-so-homemade cousin, but let's break it down so you know exactly how to make the BEST green bean casserole your Thanksgiving table has ever seen!

  • First, we start with fresh green beans. They are boiled for a short amount of time to get them slightly tender, then plunged into ice water so they don't overcook and become mushy. Then they're spread out on paper towels to drain.
  • Next, we make a homemade cream of mushroom soup. White button mushrooms are broken into rough pieces (love this rustic touch!) and sautéed with garlic in butter in a skillet, then flour is stirred in to start the roux, and chicken broth and heavy cream are stirred in, and the sauce is cooked down and thickened.
  • The green beans are stirred into the cream sauce and poured into a baking dish.
  • Time for the topping! Fresh white bread is pulsed together with softened butter, salt, and pepper in a food processor, then tossed with the ever-popular French's fried onions. (If you would rather make your own onions for the topping, I've included instructions on how to do that, too!)
  • Sprinkle the topping over the green bean mixture and bake until golden brown and bubbling, then DIG IN!
Side by side photos of sauteed mushrooms and a cream sauce, both in a saucepot.
Side by side photos of green beans in cream sauce, then assembled green bean casserole in baking dish prior to baking.

Prep and Storage Notes

  • Pan: A 9×13-inch pan works here, either a glass pan or a ceramic pan.
  • To Prepare Ahead of Time: Store the bread crumb topping in an airtight container in the refrigerator and combine with the onions just before cooking. Combine the beans and cooled sauce in a baking dish, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. To serve, remove the plastic wrap and heat the casserole in a 425-degree oven for 10 minutes, then add the topping and bake as directed.
  • To Halve the Recipe: This recipe can be halved and baked in a 2-quart (or 8-inch square) baking dish. If making a half batch, reduce the cooking time of the sauce in Step 3 to about 6 minutes (1¾ cups) and the baking time in Step 4 to 10 minutes.
  • Storage: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
  • Freezing Instructions: While green bean casserole is best eaten fresh, you CAN freeze it. Assemble it (minus the topping), cover in a layer of plastic wrap and foil, then freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, add the topping, and bake as directed, adding an extra 5 to 10 minutes to the bake time.
Overhead photo of green bean casserole in baking dish, right after coming out of the oven.

More Side Dish Casseroles You Will Love:

Watch How to Make Green Bean Casserole

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A pan of green bean casserole with a corner scooped out.

Green Bean Casserole

Yield: 12 servings
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Green Bean Casserole FROM SCRATCH! A remake of the classic Thanksgiving side dish made with fresh green beans and a homemade creamy mushroom sauce.
4.70 (86 ratings)
Print Pin Rate

Ingredients

For the Topping

  • 4 slices white bread, each slice torn into quarters
  • 2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter, softened
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 6 oz canned fried onions

For the Beans and Sauce

  • 2 tablespoons salt, for cooking water
  • 2 pounds green beans, ends trimmed, and halved
  • 3 tablespoons (43 g) unsalted butter
  • 1 pound white button mushrooms, stems removed, wiped clean and broken into ½-inch pieces
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1½ cups (360 ml) chicken broth
  • 1½ cups (360 ml) heavy cream

Instructions 

  • For the Topping: Pulse bread, butter, salt and pepper in food processor until mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about ten 1-second pulses. Transfer to a large bowl and toss with onions; set aside.
  • For the Beans and Sauce: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add 2 tablespoons salt and the beans. Cook the beans until bright green and crisp-tender, about 6 minutes. Drain beans in colander and plunge immediately into ice water to stop cooking. Spread beans on paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain.
  • Add butter to now-empty pot and melt over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, garlic, salt, and pepper; cook until mushrooms release moisture and liquid evaporates, about 6 minutes. Add flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in broth and bring to simmer, stirring constantly. Add cream, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until sauce is thickened and reduced to 3½ cups, about 12 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Add green beans to sauce and stir until evenly coated. Arrange in an even layer in a 9×13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with the topping and bake until top is golden brown and sauce is bubbling around edges, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Notes

  • Pan: A 9×13-inch pan works here, either a glass pan or a ceramic pan.
  • Green Beans: The recipe calls for fresh, but you can substitute frozen without changing anything else. While not preferred, canned green beans can be used; drain and skip the blanching step.
  • Mushrooms: You can substitute cremini or baby bella mushrooms, or eliminate them entirely if necessary due to an allergy. No adjustments are necessary.
  • To Add Bacon and Cheese: To take this casserole up another notch, cook and crumble 8 ounces of bacon and stir it into the mushroom cream sauce along with the green beans. For a cheesy version, add 6 ounces of shredded cheese (choose a favorite – cheddar would be great, but you could use Monterey Jack, pepper jack, Swiss, gouda, or any combination!) to the mushroom cream sauce before stirring in the green beans; or you could add half of the cheese to the sauce and toss the other half with the topping.
  • The Breadcrumbs: These are made by pulsing fresh bread with butter, salt, and pepper; however you can easily substitute plain panko breadcrumbs if you’d like (use about 1 cup).
  • To Make Homemade Onions for Topping: If you want to go 100% homemade and eliminate the canned fried onions, you can make your own caramelized onions. Thinly slice 2 sweet onions and sauté in 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, sprinkle with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes, or until the onions are golden, caramelized and soft. Set aside to cool before combining with remainder of crumb topping. Proceed with the recipe as directed.
  • To Prepare Ahead of Time: Store the bread crumb topping in an airtight container in the refrigerator and combine with the onions just before cooking. Combine the beans and cooled sauce in a baking dish, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. To serve, remove the plastic wrap and heat the casserole in a 425-degree oven for 10 minutes, then add the topping and bake as directed.
  • To Halve the Recipe: This recipe can be halved and baked in a 2-quart (or 8-inch square) baking dish. If making a half batch, reduce the cooking time of the sauce in Step 3 to about 6 minutes (1¾ cups) and the baking time in Step 4 to 10 minutes.
  • Storage: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
    Freezing Instructions: While green bean casserole is best eaten fresh, you CAN freeze it. Assemble it (minus the topping), cover in a layer of plastic wrap and foil, then freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, add the topping, and bake as directed, adding an extra 5 to 10 minutes to the bake time.
Nutritional values are based on one serving
Calories: 296kcal, Carbohydrates: 19g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 23g, Saturated Fat: 12g, Cholesterol: 53mg, Sodium: 1124mg, Potassium: 338mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 1105IU, Vitamin C: 12.5mg, Calcium: 74mg, Iron: 1.4mg

Did you make this recipe?

Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!

Author: Michelle Lettrich
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American

This recipe was originally published in November 2010.

[photos by The Almond Eater]