Green Bean Casserole From Scratch
Green Bean Casserole FROM SCRATCH! A remake of the classic Thanksgiving side dish made with fresh green beans, a homemade cream of mushroom soup, and a topping made with fresh bread and butter, along with some canned French’s 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!).
Let’s talk about the iconic Thanksgiving staple straight out of the 80’s… the green bean casserole. It’s a classic, and it just screams Thanksgiving, right?! I’ve had it dozens of times, but I feel like we can do better than canned green beans and canned soup, right? We can take something good and make it absolutely phenomenal; something that guests will be talking about days later.
This recipe puts a wonderful homemade spin on the original, which means lots of fresh green beans, a replacement for condensed soup, and homemade bread crumbs (but don’t worry, we’ve kept the crispy fried onions on top!).
How to Make 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 how exactly 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, 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 in the notes, too!)
- Sprinkle the topping over the green beans and mushroom cream sauce and bake until golden brown and bubbling, then DIG IN!
Recipe Notes
- 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.
- 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 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.
Truthfully, I have never been a green bean fan. The thing is, though – I’ve always WANTED to be. They remind me of my grandfather and his huge, impeccably cared for garden, and seeing my grandma sitting on her kitchen stool at the sink, trimming freshly-picked green beans.
So, for me to say that I really enjoyed this green bean casserole is a massive, massive endorsement. I have tried the old classic version at countless holiday tables, and let’s just say that version was no help in my quest to enjoy green beans.
This green bean casserole from scratch, however? It’s a beauty. I actually ate green beans. Like, forkful after forkful. Talk about a breakthrough! It’s amazing what a difference fresh, from scratch, and homemade can do to a dish.
If You Like This Green Bean Casserole, Try These Recipes:
- Tuna Noodle Casserole (From Scratch)
- Sweet Potato Gratin with Gruyere
- Easy Hashbrown Casserole
- Mushroom Lasagna
Five years ago: Sausage Cornbread Stuffing
Six years ago: Cranberry Ice Cream Pie
Watch How to Make Green Bean Casserole
Green Bean Casserole From Scratch
Ingredients
For the Topping
- 4 slices white bread, each slice torn into quarters
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) salt
- â…› teaspoon (0.13 teaspoon) ground black pepper
- 6 oz (170.1 g) canned fried onions
For the Beans and Sauce
- 2 tablespoons salt, for cooking water
- 2 pounds (907.18 g) green beans, ends trimmed, and halved
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 pound (453.59 g) white button mushrooms, stems removed, wiped clean and broken into ½-inch pieces
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ¾ teaspoon (0.75 teaspoon) salt
- â…› teaspoon (0.13 teaspoon) ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups (352.5 ml) chicken broth
- 1½ cups (357 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: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat 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 beans. Cook 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 until foaming subsides. 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 3-quart (or 9×13-inch) baking dish. Sprinkle with 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
- 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.
- 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 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.
- Â
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
This recipe was originally published in November 2010, updated with new photos in November 2016, then refreshed in November 2018 with more new photos, a video, and extensive recipe tips.
[photos by The Almond Eater]
This was the hit of our Thanksgiving table! I made homemade onions and used Panko bread crumbs with butter in lieu of the bread. Also I added some garlic and herb seasoning to bump up the flavor some and it was amazing!
I have been asked to save this recipe and make it again for Christmas and next Thanksgiving!!
Meant to put my rating!!
The rave reviews are right! Just made this for Thanksgiving.  Very easy and the most amazing green bean casserole I’ve ever made (and eaten).
I added a handful of bacon bits – highly recommended. Â
This is by far the best green bean casserole recipe out there. Every time I make it people rave how yummy it is. Simply delicious.
Thinking of trying this but would like to have it prepped more than 24 hours ahead. What is your opinion if I cook the beans, prepare the sauce and topping and store each separately in the frig? Â I could put it together Thursday for baking. Â
Yes, I’ve done that several times, works out perfectly. Combine the cooked beans and cooled sauce in a covered baking dish. When ready to prepare heat the casserole in a 425-degree oven for 10 minutes, then add the topping and bake as directed.
Excellent!!! Seriously, it’s delicious.
can someone please clarify how to use the fresh onions VS can? I read the notes, but Its still a bit vague
This was wonderful – even though I made a huge mistake! I had purchased, washed, and snapped the green bean ahead and put them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. When it came time to assemble the casserole I poured them in without even thinking I hadn’t cooked them! Surprisingly enough they weren’t too crunchy and the casserole was super tasty. I will make it again and even cook the beans ahead of time! Thanks for a great recipe.
Is this America’s Test Kitchen Recipe? It looks exactly like theirs but I don’t see a mention of them in the post.Â
Amazing 🤩 my husband re-proposed and my mother in law had two servings with no comments… which never happens 😄
My son who loves green bean casserole said this was the best he has ever eaten. Very easy to make.
Can you use frozen green beans in this casserole?
Hi Barbara, Yes that would be fine!
Can you please tell me what one serving size is ? The Nutrition information is provided based on one serving but I don’t know what the serving size amount is.Â
Hi Jennine, The number of servings is always listed at the top of the recipe. Enjoy!
I tried Green Bean Casserole many years ago but, didn’t particularly care for it. I thought I would try this one mostly because of the fresh mushroom sauce. I can say it made my Thanksgiving very special. I’m making it again for Christmas dinner. Thank you for sharing such a wonderful recipe.
I made this for Thanksgiving 2018. WOW!! Wonderful-so yummy!!. Note that it is way more complicated to make than the traditional ‘open cans of green beans and cream of mushroom soap and fried onion rings and dump together’, but the extra steps are worth it for those special occasions. This will definitely be making a repeat appearance at future family dinners. Thanks BEB!!!
Great recipe. Easy to understand. DelishÂ
Thank you for sharing this recipe! I have used your recipe for the past 2 years at Thanksgiving, and the entire family absolutely DEVOURS this green bean casserole! It is the absolute best!
Happy holidays to you and your family. (:
Made it for Thanksgiving & it was awesome! Tons of flavor & so easy to make! Thx for the recipe!
Nice recipe. Beautiful pictures.
I found this recipe probably 5 years ago, and I’ve literally made it every single Thanksgiving (and the occasional Christmas) since then! I love it, and everyone is always pleasantly surprised to find out it’s made from scratch. I just saw your addition to try it with bacon—I’m definitely trying that this year! Thanks so much for the amazing recipe!
This is the best green bean casserole ever!!! I have tried other versions and have never been a fan but after seeing this recipe I thought I would give it a try and it was a huge hit! Now it has become one of my Thanksgiving Dinner staples. Thanks so much for sharing!
Really looks good. I have looked at so many recipes I’m like crazy until I hit upon yours BINGO! This is the one I’m trying for Thanksgiving this year. I have one stupid question since I don’t eat bread……what brand of bread did you use? Did you use store bought stock or your own? ( sorry 2 questions). Thanks for sharing a great looking recipe..can’t wait to try. Diana
Hi Diana, I have used both my own recipe and store bought for the bread, they both work great! I’ve always used store-bought stock.
You can also think slice sweet onion, soak in buttermilk for 15 minutes, toss in breadcrumbs/panko and deep fry for 2 minutes and use in place of the canned french fried onions.
We are limited on oven space for the holiday. Can this be made in a large crockpot? Thanks!
I have never used a crock pot to make this recipe, so I really couldn’t say for sure how it would turn out. If you try it, though, I would love to hear how it goes!
Quite apparently I’m very much in the minority here. I find it odd that, as someone who prefers pretty much anything and everything made from scratch, I admit I am in the all-canned-ingredients camp here for this casserole. Please don’t judge to harshly, LOL. I did try this recipe, and it was good, but I still like the old standby better. Also, the dump it all together factor with no cooking is a real time saver for me. To each his own, right?
This recipe is soooo good! Â I made it last year for Thanksgiving and it was a big hit! Â I am making it again this year. Â My sister jokingly asked me not to bring it because last year she made herself sick eating so much of it. Â It is so rich and delicious, it’s hard to just eat a normal sized portion of it. Â Thanks for sharing this and adding a new dish to our holiday menu!
 I just want the recipeÂ
I love this recipe! I make it every year. Going to try out your sausage cornbread stuffing receipe as well this year. Thank you! Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
I made this today. Well I can never make a recipe without making some changes because that is just how I roll but I basically followed your recipe. I used frozen green beans because I am lazy, I also added a dollop of sour cream because…..well, sour cream! I also only used the canned onions because they are so yummy and, like I said before, I am lazy. Anyways, they turned out wonderfully and I will make it again. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
I made this and it got great reviews from the family. I used a thawed 2-lb bag of green beans and I used table cream (18%) instead of whipping cream. I didn’t have any white bread so used 2 seedy buns and i liked having the seeds in the topping. I piled mine into a 8×8″ baking pan (full to the top) and baked for 30 mins at 350 with all my other things. Turned out great. Tip- make sure you add enough salt. I didn’t because my salt grinder is on the fritz and i wish i would have added more to the sauce :)
Oh yes. And I used vegetable broth to be vegetarian friendly for those wanting that. and i threw all my topping on right away and baked with that on the entire time. I also needed to add a bit more flour to thicken my sauce more during cooking but that may have been poor measuring ;)
Thank you SO MUCH for this recipe! We had our Thanksgiving today and I followed your recipe. I really stressed about it and wondered if it was all worth it as I cooked it, but my family LOVED it! They said it was the best they had ever had, and once I tasted it I had to agree!
Also, the recipe reheats BEAUTIFULLY! I’be already microwaved some to see how it tastes and it was still fantastic. I have a second helping heating up in the toaster oven right now as I type! Bravo! This truly makes a classic even better!
The sauce calls for 2 Tablespoons of salt? Is that correct? Not 2 Teaspoons?
Just checking. I didn’t see anyone else question the salt…..
You’re right, I think it is a typo. I made the mistake one year and put two tablespoons of salt, and it was pretty salty! Def. only put two teaspoons!
Hi Brenda, It’s not a typo – the salt goes into the boiling water with the green beans. Think of it the same way as you do salting water for boiling pasta. Only ¾ teaspoon goes into the actual sauce (see step #3).
OOPS !! I did not see that at all, I assumed it went into the mixture…..I’m sorry. Thank you for getting back to me on that.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Enjoy
I came across this recipe 4 years ago I think it was? Maybe 5? And have made it for Thanksgivig every year since! I would highly suggest to anyone making this to take the littleee bit of extra time to make your own caramelized onions (explained at the end of the recipe). I’ve only ever made it with the homemade caramelizad onions and I don’t think I can ever go back! This dish is always a hit – whenever I say I’ll bring green bean casserole, people aren’t too excited, probably expecting the same old “from a can gloppy green bean casserole” and then this dish shows up :). Thank you for sharing this recipe! It’s a staple at our Thanksgiving dinner now and oh man I can not wait to make it in just about a week!
Wonderful dish and I like your version of it but a small point of fact. This dish isn’t “straight out of the 80’s” but gained fame and widespread acceptance in the late 50s and early 60s. By the early 70s almost every other household was serving it for Thanksgiving. Its not your mothers dish but your grandmothers dish too!
O BEB I wanted to see more of you on dr oz …
Green bean casserole from scratch is THE BEST. I have never seen this CI recipe -I have used a similar Pioneer Woman recipe that I modified to make it Thanksgiving-y (she used roasted red peppers and only a breadcrumb topping but I took out the peppers, added mushrooms and OF COURSE use the canned French’s onions!!) The kicker is that she uses CHEESE in her sauce and it takes it over the top!
Regarding green beans by themselves, have you ever tried them either roasted in the oven or on the grill?? So delicious! We think the trick is marinating the beans for about 30 minutes before the grill/oven really allows the oil and seasonings to penetrate the bean instead of just sliding off and being left behind in the pan. We use olive oil, salt and garlic powder: it has changed the green bean game in our house!!
I forgot to mention: I make sure to cut the green beans up before assembling so that they fit on your fork (think of the canned version size) It sounds silly, but this makes it much easier and more delicious to eat.
Best Green Bean Casserole Ever!!! I tried this for the first time 4 years ago for Thanksgiving and it has become a favorite Thanksgiving for our family. Everyone looks forward to it every year. It is so fresh, flavorful and yummy, and nothing like the traditional recipe on the back of the soup can. Sad thing is that there are never any leftovers, lol! Cooking time is a little time consuming (for me at least), so Thanksgiving is the only time I will make it and it is so worth it!!
This was amazingly delicious. Made it for Thanksgiving tonight, and everyone loved it. The flavor was fresh and bold. I could see the cream sauce being turned into a mushroom soup if not reduced. My mom, who was hesitant to think this would be better than the canned variety told me she loved this!
I was wondering…..instead of French’s fried onions. Why not use fresh chopped onions dipped in a light seasoned batter then deep fry golden brown? A lil extra work but since Thanksgiving is a special occasion…why not! Personally, I don’t care for the canned fried onions and at $4.00 for 6oz….a $1.49 sweet onion sounds like the better deal. Just thought I would toss my idea out there!!
Thx for the share!!~~
Hello,
I adore your recipe and I make it every year. This year, I need to prep it in advance so I will be following your Note 1 suggestions. Can you please clarify whether the beans need to be baked for 10 minutes without toppings and then baked again with toppings? I apologize if I’m asking the obvious, but I’m afraid to overcook this.
Best,
NG
Hi Nancy, Yes, you are correct!
I made this for this thanksgiving & I truly think it was the best green bean casserole I’ve ever had! I will never make the non-fresh one again! (I did use the can onions, but fresh green beans & mushrooms make this dish great!)
This is without a doubt one of the best online recipes I have ever used. Christmas 2013 (tomorrow) will be the fourth time I have made it and it will be fantastic, again. I mix-up the mushroom blend and use shitake and oysters in the mix. I could eat the whole damn casserole myself.
To include all guests (including those odd vegetarians) equally among your holiday bash may I request you prepare your vegetable dishes without processed soups and chicken stocks or bacon bits or animal gravies? Green bean and yam dishes are all we may be offered at most holiday feasts. So don’t be alarmed if your new sister in law asks what’s in the dish. Thank you on behalf of all vegetarians everywhere. We so appreciate not being poisoned on the holidays.
Susan, You can substitute homemade vegetable broth for the chicken broth in the recipe if you need it to be 100% vegetarian. You can also use the caramelized onion option above in lieu of the fried onions if you wish to not include them. This recipe does include processed soup or bacon bits, so I’m not sure what you’re referring to. I was not serving any vegetarians or those that are opposed to the occasional packaged food, so I didn’t need to make these changes. Also, I do not have a sister-in-law, so… ??
Just a reminder – I have attended many a holiday meal where vegetables were glazed with grease. Considering the power of your recipes to inform more gracious and inclusive meals. Thank you.
Hey trolling Susan, here is an idea for you: if you don’t like the recipe, don’t use it. I think Michelle was more than “gracious” in trying to help you with the recipe to suit YOUR SPECIAL NEEDS. The only thing poisonous here is your sorry-a$$ attitude. No one cares that you don’t eat meat. There are plenty of green bean casserole recipes out there for you and I don’t know why Michelle would waste time trying to help a troll like you. In fact, I suspect that the only thing that could help you is a big sausage, but based on your picture, I don’t see that happening for you anytime soon.
Great answer.
My SIL brought this to dinner this year- AMAZING! Already pinned for next year. My husband who hates mushrooms and onions both loved this, too!
Thank you SO much for this recipe! I live abroad and can’t get cream of mushroom soup in a can, and anyway I am trying to cook as much as I can without processed foods, so this recipe was just what I needed! I even did the caramelized onions instead of canned. It was delicious!!! I plan on making it a family tradition. Happy Thanksgiving!
When I saw this, I couldn’t wait to try making the casserole from scratch. My husband loves green bean casserole. I can take it or leave it but making the sauce was fantastic…..it is so much more flavorful than opening a can. And I loved having more crunch on the top. I will make this again!!!
I’ve been making this recipe for years and it is indeed outstanding!!! My favorite mod is to use a variety of mushrooms…oyster, shiitake, chanterelles, whatever I can find. Just brings another level of Fall to the dish. I also use any leftovers either in turkey soup or “Thanksgiving pot-pie”. Delicious!
This looks great. I made one from scratch last year and while it was good, it wasn’t good enough for all the work that went with it. This seems a little closer to the flavor and texture I’m looking for. Can’t wait to try it out.
I was wondering if anyone had tried this with a flour alternative?? We have a gluten free dinner guest, but i really want then to try this amazing recipe.
I haven’t tried this (yet).
http://glutenfreemommy.com/how-to-make-french-fried-onions/
Thanks! I just made the caramelized onions without the breading. I used a gluten free flour (potato I think). The recipe didn’t have that traditional crunch but I did small portion on the side for our gluten free guest. I did the normal recipe on the rest. :D
Thanks so much for this great recipe, I have featured it in my Thanksgiving Recipe Round-up over at Krafty Cards etc. http://kraftycardsetc.com/2013/11/thanksgiving-recipes-link.html
This is DELICIOUS. I actually only used 1 c. cream and it was still phenomenal. Thanks for the awesomeness that is this recipe.
I just put this in the oven and I know already that it’s going to be amazing because I’ve been tasting it along the way. I love all the notes you give about halving, preparing in advance, making your own onions, etc. So helpful. So professional. Thanks, lady!
This was absolutely fantastic and will be my go-to green bean casserole recipe from now on. The cream of mushroom soup (the sauce) in this recipe is a keeper too to just have as soup. I love that most of this is from scratch and fresh ingredients are used and not all the processed stuff. Thanks so much for sharing!
This dish is a WINNER!!!!!! A must try! Everyone loved it and ask for more!
I have looked at this 10 times and can’t find the actual recipe…?
The recipe is above, at the end of the blog post and photos.
This recipe was awesome! My husband is not a fan of the canned version at all but was willing to try this one. He said that he didn’t like it very much, but that I could make it anytime. I didn’t the heavy cream, but I found a substitute recipe for that, it called for whole milk, butter and flour. I only had 2% milk and I used whole wheat bread for the bread crumbs. It was fantastic! Thank you. Do you have other felled out there?
I made this at Thanksgiving this year. I think everyone was expecting the canned soup version so they were really surprised at how good this tasted. I didn’t have button mushrooms so I weighed out the equivalent in white mushrooms (the kind you can buy whole in bulk) and put 3/4 of them in the food processor, while I hand chopped the other 1/4 into about the size this recipe called for (half – buttons). I made it the night before, so I actually made the cream of mushroom soup first, then, as it cooled, I made the beans. I didn’t leave them in boiling water for six minutes; it was more like 3-4, but these were organic and locally grown so they might’ve been smaller than regular ones at your store. I also saved some time by skipping the white bread and butter topping. I used just the french onion– except I ended up using two cans– half a can stirred in and 1.5 can over the top just before putting into the oven to warm. Everyone raved about it and wanted the recipe. They want me to make this every year now. Thanks!
This recipe was delicious!! Unfortunately I burned the crap out of my hand on our glass stove top right after I put the casserole in the oven…. but the amazing reviews for the dish (almost) made it worth it! This was my first time making a cream of anything sauce and I was so happy it turned out so well. I will probably be assigned to make this every Thanksgiving from now on, and because of your recipe I will be 100% okay with it. :) Thank you!!!
I made this for thanksgiving and it was awesome! My husband LOVED it!!! I will be adding this to my recipe collection. Thanks so much!!!
I made this for my families feast this year and it turned out great! I should have planned ahead a little better, as it turned out to take longer than it could have, but it was well worth it. I really enjoyed the mixed topping. It just seemed to take it that next step.
I made this today and it was FABULOUS!!!
I made this last year and loved it. I’m making it again this year for Thanksgiving. thanks! And, you’re totally right- you have to have the fried onions!!
This recipe sounds fantastic…however I have couple family members who are lactose intolerant and can’t have cream. What are your thoughts on substutinng skim for cream? Any other ideas to keeping this flavorful?
Hi Emilee, Wouldn’t skim milk still be dairy? In any case, it’s so much thinner than cream that I don’t think you would achieve the same thick sauce with skim milk that you would with cream.
Hello!
This looks so delicious, I have been searching for a perfect green bean casserole for a Thanksgiving party this week. I am just wondering if I took out the mushrooms it would make a huge difference? I am not fan of mushrooms. Do you have any suggestions if it does effect the dish? Thank you!
Hi Heike, You can simply omit the mushrooms from the recipes, no problem. Enjoy the casserole!
I made this for Thanksgiving with my folks in Florida and everyone said it was the absolute best green bean casserole they have EVER had! I have already been told I have to make it for Christmas too, and probably for all future get togethers. Appreciate the inspiration and am now following you on FoodBuzz and Facebook!
This was DELICIOUS! Everyone loved it. This is my only green been casserole recipe from now on. Word of caution – my topping almost burned so keep a close eye on it. Thank you for posting such a wonderful recipe!
this recipe is awesome! I used frozen green beans…and added a little bit of cheese…. Delicious! A little time consuming, but sooooooo worth it. Can’t wait to make it again.
Hi Michelle! I made this for Thanksgiving and it was a smashing success!! I usually bring homemade rolls, but my Mom decided to mix it up and give us all something different to make. I have never eaten green bean casserole in my life, but I was hooked and went back for seconds! My oldest brother had 3 helpings! I was receiving feedback all day from everyone on how amazing it was! I felt really special…thank YOU for that! :) The only problem I had was when it said to reduce the sauce down for 12 minutes until about 3 1/2 cups. I ended up with less than 2 1/2, but I think that any more than that would have been too much so…no problem, It was perfect!! Thanks for all of the wonderful recipes and helping us to look so amazing! Love your site name, I have brown eyes too and so I warmed right up to the name!
I made this casserole yesterday, and it was fantastic! I did a half recipe, but made slightly more of the topping (3 pieces of bread instead of 2) and it was perfect!! I plan to make this every year now.
The Green Bean Cassarole was delicious. I made for Thanksgiving dinner and it was a big success. Everyone loved it. Thanks for sharing such a yummy recipe. It was worth the extra work to make because I got lots of compliments on it.
This was a huge hit at Thanksgiving dinner. Wonderful!
thank you so much for posting this and sharing about how it changed how you feel about vegetables. this is one of my husband’s favorite meals, and when i told him i was making it differently than the standard, he was skeptical. well, he’s raving now! it was amazing and we’ll never go back to the old version.
Great recipe though I added 1 bayleaf to mix while simmering – however, unless i am missing something, how does 3 cups of liquid equate to 3.5 cups when it comes to the reduction?
It’s not just the broth and cream – there is liquid released from the mushrooms, melted butter, and the addition of flour to the mixture.
I made this tonight. I love love love it!!!! I added chopped onions & bacon bits to the mushrooms & garlic & sauteed until onions were cooked. I also reduced the butter by half when processing the bread slices. And I used 3 cans french style green beans (it’s winter, fresh aren’t in season :). Cut the cream to only 1 cup & added 1/2 cup skim milk. Had to add more flour to thicken it up. DELICIOUS!!!!
Michelle –
Do you think I could make the casserole a day before hand and then add the topping prior to cooking?
Thanks!
Hi Erin, Yes you can make this ahead of time. Check out “Note #1” towards the end of the recipe – it outlines how to make and store it ahead of time.
Thanks for the recipe. I abhor canned veg second only to canned, cream soup and those *****bloody onion rings. I have a healthy supply of haricot vert (wee little green beans—try them sometime, they are delightful) and plan to make this topped with toasted panko crumbs mixed with browned butter and several crumbled slices of bacon. I’ll let you know how it turns out: I also may have the haricot vert with caramelized shallots and toasted sliced almonds. :) Thanks for the lovely recipes you always share with us.
Hi Michelle!
If I’m omitting the mushrooms, should I add more green beans to make up for this?
Hi Hayley, I don’t think you need to, you can just omit the mushrooms without making any changes.
I made this last year, and ended up just using canned green beans. Fresh green beans and I don’t get along- but it was SO delicious even with the canned product! Definitely making it again this year, and probably every year from now on! Thanks for sharing!
I’m starting to plan my Thanksgiving menu and stumbled across your site. Your casserole looks and sounds FANTASTIC!!! I want to rush home and make this tonight! My son in-law loves green bean casserole, but I can’t stand anything with cream of fill in the blank soup. I think this is going to make everyone happy! Thanks for the recipe.
This recipe looks great! Can it be frozen?
Hi Cathie, I have never tried to freeze this; doing so might alter the texture of the fresh green beans, but I can’t say for sure.
I’m so glad I googled “green bean casserole”! I really dislike the canned version and my sister asked me to bring the casserole for Easter dinner. Now I can eat it, too! I don’t have heavy cream on hand so I’ll use whole milk with greek yogurt and maybe some ricotta cheese. Thank you so much and am definitely bookmarking your site! ~ Michaele
This recipe was delicious! I made the green bean casserole yesterday and it turned out amazing and loved by all! I love your blog and all the great recipes you share!
Ohhh, those fried onions are so good aren’t they…great looking casserole, so much better than canned green beans!
I don’t go mad for green beans but this looks so tasty, I think I could eat a meal of it all on my own! Shame we don’t have Thanksgiving over here in Australia…but I’m going to make it soon anyway.
I made a casserole very similar to this for Thanksgiving this year- I LOVE green beans but am over the canned garbage- tastes too processed for me. I also used the french fried onions- those are just too tasty to ignore! But added bacon and 3/4 c grated white cheddar cheese. OMG! Couldn’t really taste the cheese but gives it an incredible creaminess.
Bacon and cheese make everything infinitely better, in my humble opinion :)
This was my favorite dish at Thanksgiving. Thanks for the awesome recipe, I think I will be making this dish every year from now on. I wrote about in my cooking blog if you want to look at.
Yay! So glad it was a holiday hit! Thank you for sharing!
Your recipe was posted.
All I can say is YUM!! The sauce was so delicious I could have eaten it by the spoon fulls. I didn’t put the mushrooms in due to my mom is allergic to them. I used fresh green beans. I will definitely make this again. Everyone at dinner raved about this casserole. Thanksgiving keeper. Thank you!!
You’re welcome Patty! I totally agree about the sauce – it’s AWESOME!
Excellent! I love everything fresh, especially green beans so I was excited to see this recipe. I made it this morning for our Thanksgiving dinner a few hours ago and it was such a hit!!! It was obvious to everyone who ate it that it tasted so much better than the popular version. Although this recipe required a little more effort, it was sure worth it. Now I wish I would’ve made more for leftovers. Thanks for a great recipe! Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy (belated) Thanksgiving to you too Theresa! I’m so glad your guests enjoyed the fresh casserole!
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. I green bean casserole without canned soup. I LOVE IT. This will be on my menu. yum
I must also admit that I love the canned soup version of green bean casserole….I did a test run of this recipe last night…and I really enjoyed it. I will probably sub milk for cream in the future, and leave off the extra breadcrumb topping, but I will definitely make it on Thursday.
I am adding this to my thanksgiving table, thanks for the fresh version. Yum!
Congratulations on the top 9!! This is such a great post!
Oh, how I heart thee! I LOVE Green Bean Casserole! I’ve never done the bread topping. I used to do the fried onions but have since switched over to crushing up some good ol’ corn flakes :-) Works like a charm! But yes, 99-100% from scratch green bean casserole is superior to all others. The pictures you took are fabulous, too!
I have to admit, I actually like the canned version of green bean casserole. But a fresh version does definitely sound more appealing!
I’m so excited to see this recipe! I asked and you posted! And you don’t even like green beans. That’s impressive. Even more impressive this dish has perhaps converted you to the dark side? How dark is is it with creamy mushroom sauce and crispy fried onions. Yum. I know everyone says, I’m so making this….but I AM so making this.
This is such a great Thanksgiving staple yet I’ve never actually made it so thanks for the recipe!
Okay this looks so yummy it has to be on my Thanksgiving table this year. I’m printing the recipe now.
Thank You for sharing it with us.
This sounds wonderful…so much better than condensed mushroom soup! Great photos as always…Theresa
This looks amazing. I love green bean casserole (but I live with someone who doesn’t – he’s not sitting next to me sighing as i post this or anything) and with Thanksgiving right around the corner I am dying for some. I would really love to update my step-moms classic Campbells version for something tastier. :)
I AM getting awfully tired of the canned version. This one looks/sounds fantastic!!!
Love the 99.99999% homemade version! :)
I think all green bean casseroles needs some crunchy onions on top..and really, who wants to make those from scratch????
Fresh green beans are the best!
So glad to see a fresh version of green bean casserole! My hubby loves green bean casserole, but I can never get over what’s in it. Whether it’s Thanksgiving or Christmas, I will definitely be making your version this year!
Omg…I just bookmarked this. Last year, my newly vegetarian daughter, begged me to make green bean casserole. I was busy, so I made the “other” version. Believe it or not, I totally f****d it up. Or maybe it’s just gross. We only ate the canned onions. I’ll just swap out the chicken broth for vegetable broth and we will be all good. Thank you!
Yep. Been making this one for years and posted the recipe (sans pictures because, well, I just want to eat it and not take pictures of it) last night.
http://waymorehomemaderecipes.blogspot.com/2010/11/green-bean-casserole.html
I love green beans! My friends always say I’m weird,I cann’t help it I love most veggies! Now donn’t get me wrong I like meat and love sweets ,but I love veggies too! Great job on this casserole ! I’m adding it to my To Make list for Thanksgiving.Thanks for sharing!
Ok, ok I’ll try it. I have never understood the big deal about green bean casserole. I had it once at a potluck and I wasn’t really thrilled, but then again I was distracted by the huge pile of chocolate brownies that someone had made. I was asked to bring this to a holiday dinner and I totally planned on rebelling and showing up with something totally different. But you make it look so attractive in the photos…and since you have provided a recipe I will take that as a sign. I’ll give it a chance.
I’ve actually never been a green bean casserole person… mostly because we never had them in my fam and I don’t like cream of anything soups in a can. But this sounds awesome with the homemade sauce. Definitely something I would devour!
Beautiful pictures! Makes me crave this casserole for the holiday. Great post!
I love your blog so much. I have so many recipes from you starred in my google reader and queued up in my “to make” list. This looks awesome and I’m definitely adding it to my Thanksgiving menu this year – the first Thanksgiving I’ll be cooking myself! (Thankfully it’s just me and my hubby so it’s not a lot of pressure!) (Although I’d definitely prefer to be able to go home and let my mom do the cooking, haha)
Aw, thank you Suzi :) Have fun cooking dinner with your hubby!
I love finding homemade recipes for things like this! So much tastier and healthier!
Blog Mind-meld!
I posted the same thing today. Your version looks awesome :)
http://www.macheesmo.com/2010/11/green-bean-casserole-from-scratch/
Great minds think alike, Nick! :)
I love that you added additional crunch on the top with the breadcrumbs – most versions I’ve seen seem to only call for onions ontop. More crunch is great in my book!
I have never seen green beans look any better. This is truely one knockout of a side dish for Thanksgiving.
I love green bean casserole (I always used cream of celery soup instead of c. of mushroom since mushrooms are not my thing).
However- I would MUCH rather enjoy a homemade version! I love homemade, fresh foods and I am SOOOOO glad you posted this one!
I will MOST definitely be making this recipe this year and I am sure it will now be the go-to recipe for years to come. (although, I will still minus the mushrooms, no offense).
Thanks!!! I love this site!!!
Absolutely beautiful casserole, Michelle! I can’t stand the “usual” green bean casserole either, but I am drooling over your homemade version and I can’t wait to try it!
Mmmmm! I am a huge fan of green beans (but hate cream of anything soup), so I will definitely be giving this recipe a try. Thanks!!
Despite loving green beans, this has always been one of those Thanksgiving side dishes I skipped – I’m not a fan of the condensed soup and mushy green beans. This looks awesome however, and I’m glad that you kept the canned onions in – they’re a processed food I can get on board with :)
This is one of my favorite side dishes! Love your photos!
I was fortunate to come across this recipe in Cook’s Illustrated long ago and have been making it ever since. It is awesome and you will never want to eat the old casserole again!
I love green beans! This would be an awesome toss up to my regular steamed version. Not liking veggies is normal, I think, but I love them. Thanks for this!
thank you, thank you, thank you for this recipe! i love that it doesn’t call for canned beans or condensed soup. this casserole looks delicious!
This is awesome! I really am not fond of green beans (or many vegetables) either so I know where you’re coming from. And I’ve never liked the traditional green bean casserole. I may try this for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Do you think it would be okay to use frozen green beans? Fresh ones are really not in my budget!
Also, we spoke awhile back (when you allowed me to post your Royal Icing tutorial on my Christmas blog during Christmas in July) about you possibly doing a guest post during the holiday season. I will officially start posting Christmas stuff over there on the day after Thanksgiving. Would you be willing to do a guest post some time between that date and Christmas? I really would love to have you! Just shoot me an email and let me know: truebookaddict@gmail.com Thanks!
Hi Michelle, Yeah I don’t see why you couldn’t use frozen beans. Go for it!
I will email you about the guest post!
Do you need to defrost the frozen green beans or just use them as is?
Hi Susan, I would thaw them and drain off any collected moisture so they are as close to fresh as possible when they go into the recipe.
yummy! I’m baking this to share on Christmas day dinner with my Puruvian relatives:) Substituting vegetable broth, though for the chicken…less sodium! Thanks for sharing! Merry Christmas!