Green Bean Casserole is a Thanksgiving staple at our house. It is creamy, crunchy, delicious, and so easy to make.
I would honestly make green bean casserole regularly if my husband would let me. It is hands down, my favorite Thanksgiving side and I don't think a Thanksgiving meal would be complete without it.
I have tried many homemade, from-scratch recipes, but I still honestly just love my variation of the recipe from the back of the French's Crispy Onions can the best!
🥘 Ingredient Notes
- Cream of Mushroom Soup
- Milk - Whole milk is best, but you honestly can use what you have in the house!
- Black Pepper
- Green Beans - Canned, fresh, or frozen green beans (I prefer to use French cut canned green beans because they get really soft and absorb all the tasty flavors of the cream of mushroom, pepper, and milk. (For the pictures in this post, I used fresh green beans from our garden that I had frozen.) If you are using fresh green beans, be sure to blanch them - if using frozen, be sure to prepare them as directed.
- Crispy Fried Onions
🍽 Equipment Needed
- A Baking Dish - I like to use the larger of this set from Staub, it is 10. 5x7. 5-inch but an 8x8-inch or 9x9-inch square baking dish will work as well.
- A Spoon for Mixing
🥣 How to Make It
Seriously so easy - preheat your oven to 350°F.
Then mix the cream of mushroom with milk and pepper. (You can do this directly in a baking dish or in a large bowl.) (Pictures 1 - 4)
Next, add green beans and ⅔ cup of the crispy onions. (Picture 5) Mix well. (Picture 6)
Bake for 30 minutes. (Picture 7) Remove from oven and stir. (Picture 8)
Then add a top layer using the remaining ⅔ cup of crispy onions and bake for 5 more minutes until the onions are slightly browned. (Picture 9 - 10)
Serve immediately.
Store cooled leftovers in an airtight container for up to a week.
Recipe Yield
This recipe will yield 6 - 8 servings depending on how much everyone eats. (I like about 3 servings for myself!)
🙋♀️ Frequently Asked Questions
You can substitute cream of celery, cream of chicken, or cream of bacon - they are all really tasty.
You can. Just mix everything together and heat it on the stovetop, over medium/low heat, stirring pretty frequently - for about 15 minutes. Serve with crispy onions on top.
You can, but the oven is the only way to get browned, crispy onions. To make this in the microwave, bake in a covered 1 ½-quart microwave-safe dish for 8 - 10 minutes. Stir, then top with crispy onions and cook for another minute. Let stand for 5 minutes, then serve.
No - you do not need to grease the baking dish when making green bean casserole.
Yes, you can make your green bean casserole the night before and refrigerate it. Just don’t put the onions on top until you are ready to bake it. This will allow the onions to stay crispy.
Absolutely! Be sure to use a larger baking dish and you may need to bake the casserole for an extra 5 minutes.
You can add chicken, ground beef, cooked crumbled bacon, or even cheese or water chestnuts. You can also add a pinch of celery salt or smoked salt to add a new depth of flavor.
🥫 Storage/Shelf Life/Reheating
Once cooled, store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. (It will probably last a full week, but the onions will get really soggy and the quality definitely won't be as good.)
To reheat, I recommend putting a portion in a small baking dish (like the smaller one in this set) and baking it in the oven for a few minutes at around 350°F. This will allow the crispy onions to get a little crispy again.
📋 Tips
- When using fresh or frozen uncooked green beans, make sure to cook them first or they will be really crunchy. (Blanch fresh green beans for about 5 minutes or until tender, or steam frozen beans as directed on the package. )
- Try to use very thin green beans - frozen haricot vert or canned french cut. These will get nice and soft when cooked.
- To make a larger batch of this recipe, double (or triple) the recipe and prepare it in a 13x9-inch (or larger for 3x) baking dish. Use an entire 6-ounce container of Crispy Fried Onions, reserving 1 ⅓ cup for the topping. Increase cooking time to 40 minutes or until heated through.
- As a fun variation, use a mix of ⅔ cup Funyuns with ⅔ cup Fried Onions. It gives the recipe a little bit of a different flavor. (You can also do all Funyuns, about 1 ½ cups will work.) You can use the Funyuns crushed or whole!
Other Great Vegetable/Side Recipes
Have You Tried This Recipe?
Please rate it and leave a comment below. I would love to hear what you think!
Classic Green Bean Casserole
Equipment
- a baking dish
Ingredients
- 1 10.5 ounce can cream of mushroom soup
- ¾ cup milk
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 cups cooked frozen green beans or two 14 ounce cans of green beans, drained
- 1 ⅓ cup fried crispy onions divided into two equal portions
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Then mix the cream of mushroom with milk and pepper. (You can do this directly in a baking dish or in a large bowl.)
- Next, add green beans and ⅔ cup of the crispy onions. Mix well.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and stir.
- Then add a top layer using the remaining ⅔ cup of crispy onions and bake for 5 more minutes until the onions are slightly browned.
- Serve immediately.
- Store cooled leftovers in an airtight container for up to a week.
Notes
- When using fresh or frozen uncooked green beans, make sure to cook them first or they will be really crunchy. (Blanch fresh green beans for about 5 minutes or until tender, or steam frozen beans as directed on the package. )
- Try to use very thin green beans - frozen haricot vert or canned french cut. These will get nice and soft when cooked.
- To make a larger batch of this recipe, double (or triple) the recipe and prepare it in a 13x9-inch (or larger for 3x) baking dish. Use an entire 6-ounce container of Crispy Fried Onions, reserving 1 ⅓ cup for the topping. Increase cooking time to 40 minutes or until heated through.
- As a fun variation, use a mix of ⅔ cup Funyuns with ⅔ cup Fried Onions. It gives the recipe a little bit of a different flavor. (You can also do all Funyuns, about 1 ½ cups will work.) You can use the Funyuns crushed or whole!
Once cooled, store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. (It will probably last a full week, but the onions will get really soggy and the quality definitely won't be as good.) To reheat, I recommend putting a portion in a small baking dish (like the smaller one in this set) and baking it in the oven for a few minutes at around 350°F. This will allow the crispy onions to get a little crispy again. FAQs Can you substitute anything for the cream of mushroom soup?
You can substitute cream of celery, cream of chicken, or cream of bacon - they are all really tasty. Can you make green bean casserole on the stove?
You can. Just mix everything together and heat it on the stovetop, over medium/low heat, stirring pretty frequently - for about 15 minutes. Serve with crispy onions on top. Can you make green bean casserole in the microwave?
You can, but the oven is the only way to get browned, crispy onions. To make this in the microwave, bake in a covered 1 ½-quart microwave-safe dish for 8 - 10 minutes. Stir, then top with crispy onions and cook for another minute. Let stand for 5 minutes, then serve. Do you need to butter or spray the baking dish?
No - you do not need to grease the baking dish when making green bean casserole. Can I make this the day before to refrigerate and serve the next day?
Yes, you can make your green bean casserole the night before and refrigerate it. Just don’t put the onions on top until you are ready to bake it. This will allow the onions to stay crispy. Can you double or triple this recipe?
Absolutely! Be sure to use a larger baking dish and you may need to bake the casserole for an extra 5 minutes. Can you add anything else to green bean casserole?
You can add chicken, ground beef, cooked crumbled bacon, or even cheese or water chestnuts. You can also add a pinch of celery salt or smoked salt to add a new depth of flavor.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is approximate and is automatically calculated, so should only be used as a guide.
Great recipe! A classic in our house for the holidays for sure.
Really good tips here as well.