Best Green Bean Casserole Recipe - Make Ahead Thanksgiving Side! (2024)

This is the very bestGreen Bean Casserolerecipe we’ve ever made. Seriously! Fresh green beans, homemade cream of mushroom soup, and crispy fried onions make this a holiday side dish that’s sure to impress your guests!

Table of Contents

• Why This Is the Best Green Bean Casserole Recipe
• What You’ll Need
• How To Make This Easy Green Bean Casserole
• Tips and Variations
• What To Serve With French’s Green Bean Casserole
• Can You Make Green Bean Casserole Recipe Ahead Of Time?
• Storage and Freezing
• More Must Make Holiday Side Dishes
• Get the Recipe

Why This Is the Best Green Bean Casserole Recipe

This easy green bean casserole has been a long-time family favorite and our loyal readers agree! Here’s why you should try it in your holiday menu this year:

• Reader Favorite: So many 5-star reviews, it’s hard to keep track! According to many years of glowing comments, your holiday table won’t be the same without this side dish.
• Fresh Flavors: This green bean casserole, made with fresh green beans and a homemade mushroom cream sauce, beats the retro canned version hands down! If you grew up with French’s green bean casserole made with canned beans and canned soup, you might be a little shocked. You seriously won’t believe how creamy and flavorful this version is until you try it for yourself.
• Impressive: Make this easy and delicious side dish from scratch with very little effort. While it looks similar to the canned classic, everyone swoons when they taste the homemade love in every bite.
• Make Ahead: Save your sanity and prep this amazing green bean casserole up to 2 days before serving. It turns out perfectly!

Looking for more tasty holiday side dishes? You can’t go wrong with our decadent sweet potato casserole topped with toasted marshmallows! We’re also quite partial to corn on the holiday and love a serving – or two! – of our best corn casserole or a creamy Southern corn pudding!

What You’ll Need

Simple, wholesome ingredients make the best green bean casserole ever. Check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact amounts.

Green Beans

• Green Beans: We highly recommend using fresh green beans. For other options, check the tips section below.

Mushroom Cream Sauce

• Veggies: We’ll be using sweet yellow onion, freshly minced garlic, and portobello (large or baby) mushrooms.
• Salt & Pepper: Freshly cracked black pepper will give you the best flavor.
• Butter
• Flour: Regular, all-purpose flour thickens the sauce perfectly.
• Broth: Chicken or vegetable broth adds depth.
• Dairy: The recipe calls for half and half, but heavy cream can also be used. Whole milk will work in a pinch.

Topping

• Breadcrumbs: Use your favorite store-bought or buzz up your own leftover toasted bread in the food processor.
• French Fried Onions: Homemade onion strings NEVER beat French’s Fried Onions for flavor and crunchy texture. This is truly what makes this a French’s green bean casserole!

How To Make This Easy Green Bean Casserole

Here’s a quick tutorial showing you how to make the best green bean casserole recipe you’ll ever try. For detailed directions scroll to the recipe card below.

• Blanch Beans: Boil green beans in water or chicken broth until just tender. Immediately drain and place beans in ice water to stop the cooking process. This keeps the green beans from becoming too soft.
• Cream Sauce: In a large deep skillet, sauté the onions and garlic in butter until softened. Stir in mushrooms, salt and pepper. Sprinkle flour over vegetables; stir. Next, add broth and half and half. Stir to combine and cook until thickened.
• Combine: Toss blanched green beans in the mushroom sauce and transfer to a large baking dish. Top with bread crumbs and French fried onions.
• Bake: Bake at 375°F for 20 minutes, until hot and bubbly.

Tips and Variations

Our fresh version of French’s green bean casserole is easy and tastes sublime. However, if you are looking to shake things up, see variations below and bonus tips:

• Green Beans: For unbeatable flavor and texture, we wholly recommend using fresh green beans. The next best choice is frozen green beans, prepared just as you would fresh. Canned green beans are our last choice. But if that’s all you have access to, use 6 cans and drain them well before cooking.
• Nutmeg: 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg can be added to the cream sauce for surprising warmth and depth of flavor.
• Cheese: Add up to 2 cups of shredded cheese to the green bean mixture. Or, sprinkle cheese on top of the casserole before breadcrumbs and fried onions. Try white cheddar, parmesan cheese, fontina, or regular cheddar.
• Herbivores: Swap veggie broth for chicken broth to keep this casserole totally vegetarian.
• Omnivores: Add chopped, cooked, smoky bacon to the green bean mixture before baking.
• Not a Mushroom Fan? Nix the mushrooms and double the onion in the cream sauce to create a homemade cream of onion sauce instead!

What To Serve With French’s Green Bean Casserole

Here are some of our favorite holiday entrees to pair with this classic Thanksgiving side dish:

• Turkey: Follow our easy directions for how to cook a perfect Thanksgiving turkey. For a smaller version try air fryer turkey breast, crockpot turkey breast, or instant pot turkey breast.
• Ham: Try crockpot ham or air fryer ham to keep it stress free. Or this baked ham with orange glaze is a show stopper!
• Pork Loin: This surprisingly easy stuffed pork loin is packed with dried apricots and Boursin cheese.

Can You Make Green Bean Casserole Recipe Ahead Of Time?

Yes! This is a wonderful make-ahead side dish that also travels well. To prepare ahead:

• Follow recipe up to topping it with the bread crumbs and fried onions.
• Instead, cool and store the prepared casserole tightly wrapped in fridge for up to 48 hours.
• To bake, remove from fridge and allow casserole to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, or up to 1 hour.
• When ready to bake, top casserole with the bread crumbs and French fried onions. Bake according to recipe directions!

Storage and Freezing

Leftovers are almost as good the next day! Here’s how to store and reheat this green bean casserole:

• Fridge: Store leftovers tightly wrapped in fridge for up to 3 days. You can also store it in the baking dish, just wrap it tightly with plastic wrap or foil.
• Reheat: For best results, reheat in the oven at 375°F for 15 minutes, or until warmed through. Or, microwave until warm. Adding fresh fried onions on top will make it taste more like it did fresh.
• Freeze: Freeze leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in oven or microwave.

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