Green Bean Casserole

Green Bean Casserole is a Thanksgiving classic. That creamy mushroom sauce, tender green beans, and fried onion topping are a match made in heaven. But a lot of green bean casserole recipes use shortcuts like condensed soup, which I’ve never really been a fan of. So, of course, I had to make my own deliciously rich green bean casserole from scratch! No mushy green beans or tinny canned flavor here! …But I did make an exception for those crispy fried onions. They’re still my fav. ;)

Want more Thanksgiving classics? Check out our Thanksgiving Recipes category.

Fresh, Frozen, or Canned Green Beans?

For a really stellar green bean casserole, I suggest using either fresh or frozen green beans. Canned green beans tend to be too mushy and their flavors are a bit muddy. Frozen green beans are definitely the most convenient because they’re already prepped, chopped, and partially cooked. I prefer French-cut because they mix well with the sauce for an optimal bean-to-sauce ratio.

Fresh green beans taste amazing but do require a bit more prep. You’ll need to wash, snap off the stems, chop them, and boil or steam them before adding to the casserole. Boil or steam the green beans for 3-5 minutes just to take the raw edge off, then drain and add to the casserole.

Can It Be Made Ahead?

This Green Bean Casserole can be prepared one day ahead of time (minus the onion topping), refrigerated, then the next day you can top with the onions and bake. The baking time may be slightly longer when preparing ahead since the dish will be chilled instead of going into the oven warm.

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Green Bean Casserole

This Green Bean Casserole recipe is a Thanksgiving classic made with a creamy mushroom sauce, tender green beans, and crispy fried onions.

Course Dinner, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Total Cost $8.85 recipe / $1.48 serving

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 6 (about ¾ cup each)

Calories 303kcal

Author Beth – Budget Bytes

Ingredients

• 8 oz. mushrooms $1.89
• 2 cloves garlic $0.16
• 1 Tbsp olive oil $0.12
• 3/4 tsp salt, divided $0.04
• 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper, divided $0.02
• 4 Tbsp salted butter $0.50
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour $0.04
• 1 cup vegetable broth $0.17
• 1 cup whole milk $0.48
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder $0.02
• 4 oz. cream cheese $0.87
• 24 oz. frozen French-cut green beans $3.38
• 1 cup crispy fried onions, divided $1.16

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Roughly chop the mushrooms into small pieces. Mince the garlic.
• Add the olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium. Once hot, add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté the mushrooms until soft, then add the minced garlic and continue to sauté until the liquid in the skillet evaporates.
• Add the butter and flour to the skillet. Stir to melt the butter and allow the butter and flour to create a paste that coats the bottom of the skillet. Continue to stir and cook over medium for one to two minutes, or until the flour begins to turn golden on the bottom of the skillet.
• Add the vegetable broth, milk, and garlic powder to the skillet. Whisk to combine and dissolve any browned flour off of the bottom of the skillet. Allow the liquid to come up to a simmer, at which point it will thicken.
• Add the cream cheese to the skillet and whisk over medium heat until the cream cheese has fully melted into the sauce.
• Add the frozen green beans to the sauce and stir to combine. Continue to heat over medium, stirring occasionally, until the green beans have heated through and the sauce comes up to a gentle simmer. Let the green beans simmer for a few minutes. Give them a taste and add salt and pepper to your liking (I added about ½ tsp salt and another ⅛ tsp pepper).
• Stir ¼ cup of crispy fried onions into the green bean mixture. Pour the green beans into a 2-quart casserole dish and top with the remaining ¾ cup crispy fried onions.
• Bake the casserole for 20-25 minutes, or until the fried onions have turned deep golden brown and the sauce is bubbling up around the edges.

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Nutrition

Serving: 0.75cup | Calories: 303kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 23g | Sodium: 669mg | Fiber: 4g

How to Make Green Bean Casserole

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Wash 8oz. button mushrooms and roughly chop them into small pieces. Mince two cloves of garlic. Heat a large skillet over medium, add 1 Tbsp olive oil, and swirl to coat the skillet. Add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt and pepper to the skillet and sauté until the mushrooms become soft. Add the minced garlic and continue to sautè until all of the moisture in the skillet evaporates.

Add 4 Tbsp butter and ¼ cup all-purpose flour to the skillet. Continue to sauté the mushrooms with the butter and flour until the flour begins to coat the bottom of the skillet and turn golden brown. This toasts the flour and prevents that floury flavor.

Whisk 1 cup vegetable broth, 1 cup milk, and ⅛ tsp garlic powder into the skillet, making sure to dissolve all of the flour off the bottom of the skillet as you whisk. Allow the liquid to come up to a simmer while whisking, at which point it will thicken.

Cut the cream cheese into chunks, add it to the sauce, and whisk until it has fully melted in.

Add 24oz. French-cut frozen green beans. Stir the green beans into the sauce and allow them to heat through and the sauce comes up to a gentle simmer. Allow them to simmer for 2-3 minutes. At this point, you want to taste the sauce and add more salt and pepper (I added about ½ tsp salt and ⅛ tsp pepper).

Stir ¼ cup of crispy fried onions into the skillet.

Transfer the green beans and sauce to a 2-quart casserole dish and top with ¾ cup of crispy fried onions.

Bake the casserole in the preheated 350ºF oven for 20-25 minutes, or until heated through and the fried onions have become golden brown.

More Thanksgiving Recipes

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$2.77 recipe / $0.46 serving

Mashed Potatoes

$2.83 recipe / $0.57 serving

Broccoli Cheese Casserole

$6.56 recipe / $1.09 serving

Pumpkin Pie

$7.49 recipe / $0.62 serving

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