The Cozy Cookbook is here! 
This Green Bean Casserole is easy to make from scratch with no canned soup! It’s made with fresh green beans, but frozen or canned green beans work as well! You will love this incredibly flavorful filling and crunchy topping!
Be sure to try my Homemade Mashed Potatoes, Sausage Stuffing, Cranberry Sauce, and Dinner Rolls next!
Green Bean Casserole
One of my all-time favorite side dish recipes at a holiday dinner table is definitely Green Bean Casserole. I promise you, this recipe does not disappoint!
This dish is made entirely from scratch with a flavorful creamy mushroom filling that’s accompanied by a two-cheese combo and classic crispy fried onions!
Bonus: The entire dish can be made 2 days ahead of time! Be sure to check out my PRO tips below!
How to Make It
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Boil green beans for 5 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside. Sauté the mushrooms and garlic in butter.
Add more butter and flour to make a roux. Then add filling mixture. (Chicken broth, half and half, Worcestershire sauce, and seasonings.) Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer until thickened. Add the green beans.
Add Parmesan cheese, half of the cheddar, and half of the crispy fried onions. Stir to combine. Transfer to a lightly greased baking dish.
Add remaining cheddar and crispy fried onions. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes.
Make Ahead Method
- This can be prepared up to 2 days ahead of time.
- Assemble the casserole as outlined but don’t top with fried onions yet. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- To serve, cover and bake for 10 minutes, then add the fried onions and bake uncovered for 15 minutes, or until brown and bubbly.
Crock Pot Method
- Prepare as outlined, but arrange in a crock pot instead of casserole dish. Heat in a crock pot on low for 2-3 hours.
- Pro Tip: Bake the fried onions on a baking sheet at 375° for 10 minutes, then sprinkle over the cooked casserole prior to serving.
Pro Tips
- Cheese: Shred/grate the cheese from a block as it will melt and taste much better than packaged cheese. I use Cracker Barrel Sharp Yellow and Belgioioso Parmesan.
- Baking Soda: Adding baking soda to the water helps maintain the vibrant color of the green beans!
- Using Frozen Green Beans: Let frozen green beans thaw and pat them completely dry. Boil for just 3 minutes instead of 5.
- Using Canned Green Beans: Drain the beans and pat them completely dry. No need to boil them first. Note that canned green beans contain sodium as well.
- An alternative topping option is 3/4 cup crushed Ritz crackers + 1.5 tbsp. melted butter.
- Check out all of my holiday recipes here!
Storage
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Leftover casserole does freeze/reheat well (aside from the crunchy topping doesn’t stay crispy).
Tools For This Recipe
(Amazon affiliate links)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.
- Sharp Paring Knife– to cut the green beans
- Box Cheese Grater– Shredding your own cheese from a block yields the best results!
- Colander– to drain/rinse green beans after boiling.
- 9 x 13 inch baking dish
Try These Next
-
- Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
-
- Homemade Mashed Potatoes
-
- Sausage Stuffing
-
- Corn Casserole
-
- BEST Dinner Rolls
-
- Baked Mac and Cheese
Get My Free Meal Plan
I’ve got a Free Meal Plan with 7 of my super popular recipes (complete with grocery list)! Sign up for my email list and I’ll send it over now along with weekly dinner recipes!
And follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
Tried This Recipe?
Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients
Green Beans
- 1 ½ lbs. fresh green beans, washed. See notes for frozen or canned.
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 Chicken bouillon cubes
Filling
- 8 oz. mushrooms, plus a pinch of salt for cooking
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons butter, divided
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup half and half
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon EACH: onion powder, dried parsley, mustard powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 ½ cups cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 cup crispy fried onions
Instructions
Prep Work
- Preheat oven to 375° F.
- Begin boiling water in a large soup pot or Dutch oven. Once a boil is reached, add the baking soda and bouillon.
- Meanwhile, combine the chicken broth, half and half, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, parsley, mustard powder, salt, and pepper in a medium measuring cup with a spout. Set aside.
- Dice the mushrooms and cut the green beans in half or into thirds.
Boil the Green Beans
- Boil the green beans for 5 minutes. Set a timer to avoid overcooking, we don’t want them to be mushy. When they’re done, they’ll have softened but will still hold their shape nicely.
- Drain well and rinse with cold water to stop them from cooking further. Spread out on a clean dish towel to dry.
Make the Filling
- Use the same pot that you used to boil the green beans and melt 1 tbsp. butter over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, garlic, and a pinch of salt and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring continuously.
- Add the remaining butter along with the flour and cook for 2 more minutes.
- Add the chicken broth mixture in small splashes, stirring continuously. (Adding it slowly ensures that the mixture is thick and that the roux doesn’t break.)
- Bring it to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Let it bubble gently for 4 minutes, or until desired consistency is obtained. Stir occasionally as it cooks.
- Remove from heat. It will thicken a little more upon standing.
Assemble and Bake
- Add the green beans and stir to combine. Stir in the Parmesan cheese along with half of the cheddar cheese and half of the crispy fried onions.
- Transfer to a lightly greased baking dish. (I used a 9x13-inch, but any size that holds the casserole is fine!) Top with remaining cheddar cheese and fried onions.
- Bake uncovered for 20 minutes, or until the top is brown and bubbly. Serve!
Notes
- Cheese: Shred/grate the cheese from a block as it will melt and taste much better than packaged cheese. I use Cracker Barrel Sharp Yellow and Belgioioso Parmesan.
- Baking Soda: Adding baking soda to the water helps maintain the vibrant color of the green beans!
- Using Frozen Green Beans: Let frozen green beans thaw and pat them completely dry. Boil for just 3 minutes instead of 5.
- Using Canned Green Beans: Drain the beans and pat them completely dry. No need to boil them first. Note that canned green beans contain sodium as well.
- An alternative topping option is 3/4 cup crushed Ritz crackers + 1.5 tbsp. melted butter.
- Check out all of my holiday recipes here!
Make Ahead Method:
- This can be prepared up to 2 days ahead of time.
- Assemble the casserole as outlined but don’t top with fried onions yet. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- To serve, cover and bake for 10 minutes, then add the fried onions and bake uncovered for 15 minutes, or until brown and bubbly.
Crock Pot Method:
- Prepare as outlined, but arrange in a crock pot instead of casserole dish. Heat in a crock pot on low for 2-3 hours.
- Pro Tip: Bake the fried onions on a baking sheet at 375° for 10-15 minutes, then sprinkle over the cooked casserole prior to serving.
Storage:
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Leftover casserole does freeze/reheat well (aside from the crunchy topping doesn't stay crispy).
Nutritional information is an estimate and is per serving. This recipe makes 8 servings.
I’ve been making this recipe for a few years now and my family absolutely loved it. However, I’m wondering why such a huge change in the recipe? I have the recipe using fresh green beans and boiling in chicken stock. There’s also no Parmesan, half and half and those seasonings aside from fresh garlic, onions and salt and pepper. Just curious why the change is all.
I can email you the original if you’d like, (just let me know!)- that one was Paula Deen’s recipe and I much prefer my own recipe these days! 🙂
That would be amazing! I’ve made the recipe so many times so I bought all the ingredients for the old version. However, I don’t remember exactly what amounts to add. I will definitely try the new version next time.
Thank you!
Happy to do it! Sent!! 🙂
It was truly the BEST green bean casserole I’ve ever made. And thanks for the baking soda tip! The beans actually stayed bright green. What’s the reason for the bouillon? Couldn’t figure that out… thank you for all your great recipes! They are delicious!
So glad that you loved it Geri! The bouillon adds depth of flavor!! 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving!
RR
DELICIOUS!!! Creamy with great flavor, and no mushy green beans! I made it in rehearsal for Thanksgiving with one big ask from the host; they like me have issues with the texture of mushrooms, so they asked that there be no chunks of mushrooms. So after making the sauce I used an immersion blender to break up the mushrooms and this has to be the best green bean casserole I have EVER had! Thank you so much, I know this will be a huge hit ❤️
Nice work Amanda! The immersion blender really does come to the rescue so often. I’m so happy the casserole was such a hit, thanks so much for the great comments!💖
Hi there! Are there any suggestions for making this ahead of time and freezing before cooking? Thank you!
Hi Mimi! I’m afraid the sauce likely won’t hold up as well if frozen and baked later. I think it would likely separate a bit and perhaps end up being a little runny.
Ok- thank you!
Hi Stephanie! I was wondering if an immersion blender could be used to break down the mushrooms? Either way, I can’t wait to try this one.
Hi Amanda! I think that would be just fine!! 🙂 Can’t wait for you to try it either!
I made this tonight as a rehearsal for Thanksgiving. All these years I have never made Green Bean Casserole because it looked too complicated for my busy life but this was so easy!!!! I love that it doesn’t use any canned soups as I like my Thanksgiving sides to be as homemade as possible (but also easy!!!!) This was impressive! My family ate it all and are excited to have it again for Thanksgiving!!! 5 Stars from us!
I’m so happy the passed the Thanksgiving rehearsal test Brandy! I do that too lol. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment and leave a review!🩷
Of only there were no mushrooms at all. I love green beans and those crispy little onions, but I just can’t get past the mushrooms. I’ve tried the soup version and could barely swallow the first taste I’ve often wondered of cream of chicken would work. It’s a flavor I like and doesn’t clash with the green beans.
Hi Wendy, you can make this recipe without the mushrooms if needed, or you can sauté some diced mushrooms instead for additional flavor!
Cannot wait to make this!! Looks sooo yummy!! Thank you for sharing!!
My pleasure Brenda, I can’t wait for you to try it. Enjoy!💖
Which one do you recommend? Canned green beans or frozen green beans? And how much of each do you use in the recipe?
Hi Heather! You’ll want to check out the recipe card for the recipe so that you know how much of each ingredient to use, as well as the full written instructions. It calls for 1 + 1/4 lbs. of fresh green beans 🙂