Featured in magazines across the web and consistently rated THE best green bean casserole EVER, this recipe will convert even the most determined green bean haters! Tender green beans, bacon, cheese, cream, mushrooms and more, this deluxe green bean casserole is made from scratch and is guaranteed to become your go-to from now on!
The quintessential American side dish for family gatherings, holidays, church socials, potlucks…the recipe clipping that virtually ever American woman has had lying somewhere at some point throughout the past gazillion decades. Only this one is different.
This one’s the best. Ever.
And it’s made from scratch.
If up until now you’ve just been kind of “meh” towards green bean casserole, prepare to experience a major paradigm shift in attitude. This isn’t your Aunt Betsy’s green bean casserole.
I developed this recipe a couple of weeks ago when I had about two pounds of fresh organic green beans that I needed to use up. I posted about it on my Facebook Page and one of my readers asked me about a recipe for a green bean casserole. So I made two dishes using up those green beans: Southern-style Green Beans with Caramelized Onions and Bacon and this green bean casserole. The bacon complemented the green beans so beautifully in the first dish, so why stop there, I thought?
Because everything tastes better with bacon?
And cheese.
And cream.
Yes, let’s just combine them all. Ultimate Green Bean Casserole. The outcome was so fabulous that I made it again two days later for Thanksgiving. And the proof in the pudding, so to speak, was when my brother tasted it. My brother has hated green beans since he was old enough to say the word. He has never relented to eating them. Ever. No exceptions. But he ate this. He ate this! Seriously, I don’t think you understand how monumental that is. He ate it…and he liked it!
Yes. Ultimate Green Bean Casserole. The BEST.
This recipe take a little longer than the 2 minutes and 38 seconds required to open a can of condensed mushroom soup, mix it with water, toss it with green beans, dump the mixture into a casserole dish, sprinkle with French fried onions, and put it in the oven to bake (ie, the classic recipe first introduced by Campbell’s in 1955). But this Ultimate Green Bean Casserole is still quick to make and to say that there is no comparison between the two is an understatement. This isn’t called “ultimate” for no reason. You’re going to love this version and it’s destined to become your new go-to recipe for green bean casserole.
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Let’s get started!
Chop up the bacon, onions and garlic. Tip: Bacon is much easier to dice while it’s still frozen.
Fry the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crispy. Add the onions and cook for 4-5 minutes until soft and translucent.
Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook for 4-5 minutes until the mushrooms are soft. Transfer the bacon/mushroom mixture to a bowl and set aside.
Melt the butter in the same skillet, add the flour, and whisk until combined. Continue whisking for another minute until the mixture has slightly deepened in color.
Whisk in the half-and-half and chicken stock and continue to whisk, letting the mixture simmer, until it has slightly thickened.
Whisk in the white cheddar cheese until combined.
Add the bacon/mushroom mixture and stir to combine.
Add the salt and pepper.
Let the sauce simmer for a couple of minutes, stirring frequently.
Add the blanched green beans (see recipe box for instructions on blanching).
Stir to combine.
Pour the mixture into a 9×13 inch casserole dish.
Since this is a made-from-scratch version, don’t go using nasty hydrogenated oil-packed French fried onions. There are several good options out there. I had two in my pantry to choose from. I went with Lars’ Crispy Onions this time.
You can conveniently purchase Lars’ crispy onions on Amazon and the best deal is buying them in bulk. They currently have a 3-pack and a 12-pack (a much better deal if you think you’re going to use them a lot, and they keep for a while.)
Sprinkle all of the French fried onions evenly over the casserole.
Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes in an oven preheated to 350 degrees F.
Dig in!
PIN ME!
Ultimate Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients
- 3 slices thick-cut bacon diced
- 1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 12 ounces fresh button or cremini mushrooms chopped
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup shredded white cheddar cheese
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound fresh green beans trimmed, halved, and blanched (boil 5 minutes, place beans in ice water for a couple of minutes, drain)
- 1 can French fried onions
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Fry the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crispy. Add the onions and cook until soft and translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook for another 4-5 minutes until the mushrooms are soft. Transfer the mixture to a bowl.
- Melt the butter in the same skillet and whisk in the flour. Once combined, continue whisking for another 2 minutes until the mixture has slightly deepened in color. Add the half-and-half and chicken broth while constantly whisking to prevent lumps. Once slightly thickened, add the cheese and whisk until melted and combined.
- Next add the mushroom/bacon mixture along with the salt and pepper. Let the sauce simmer for a couple of minutes, then add the green beans. Stir to combine.
- Pour the bean mixture into a 9x13 casserole dish and sprinkle the French fried onions all over the top. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
Notes
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Tina says
Love this casserole! We don’t use mushrooms so I forget how we handle the onions/ garlic mixture- still sauté for the full time?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks, Tina! Just sauté the onions until they’re soft and translucent and then add the garlic and sauté for a couple more minutes.
T sherry says
My friend made this for Friendsgiving and it was phenomenal! I don’t usually like green bean casserole because I don’t like canned ingredients. That being said, I’m trying to make it myself and my math teacher brain is making it more confusing than I think it should be lol. I brought a container of mushrooms which was 12 oz weight. The recipe calls for 12 oz… so, I’d this weight or 1 1/2 cups? Thank you for your help!!!
Faisal says
I made this for Thanksgiving this year and everyone LOVED it. Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe.
Question: If I wanted to make cream of mushroom soup, could I just follow all the above steps steps before stirring in the green beans? Or should I do something different to make a soup?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m glad you all enjoyed it, Faisal, thank you! For making a cream of mushroom soup you can use the following recipe and just substitute mushrooms for the celery: https://www.daringgourmet.com/homemade-cream-celery-soup/
Anonymous says
Absolutely love this dish. I made it for thanksgiving and everybody loved it!
Paula Carmody says
Totally delicious Kimberly.
This will be my go to signature dish come Christmas this year.
Its the perfect side dish to almost anything. Especially cooked salmon!
I have made your Mongolian Chicken and Best Chinese Beef and Broccoli as well, for my mum and partner and they’re mouths were watering. (My partner says I’m not to order chinese take out again!)
Oh and the Minestrone soup, its totally delicious and easy, it was the perfect winter meal.
Tell you what, I can’t fault anything!
All this I’ve now made from just discovering your potato gratin recipe a few months back!
Keep it up!
From the Aussie Downunder! You have changed my cooking forever.. not to mention made my friends very jealous ;) !
Paula.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
You’ve made my day, Paula! :) I’m absolutely thrilled to hear that, thank you so much for your kind feedback! Warmly, Kimberly
Pete says
This was a spectacular smash. Didn’t change a thing and made it exactly as written.
My wife went back for seconds and she doesn’t like green beans. She even asked me to make it for a social function next week. This is now part of my repertoire.
THANKS for a fabulous receipe.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Pete! That’s what I love to hear, that an otherwise green bean hater has been converted :) Thanks so much for the feedback!
Kyle says
Ohhh my! This is a winner. I made two of these. However one I omitted the bacon and chicken broth and used veg broth and oh my….
I added a bit more butter for the fat content and actually thew in some pino grigio into the sauce. Outstanding. Awsome recipe especially to play with and get such great flavors!!!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Kyle, thanks so much for the feedback!
Judy says
I’ve made this dish five times now — its a hit every time! This year I changed it up a bit and used leeks instead of onions and frozen French cut green beans. Also, I had to use breadcrumbs on top as I forgot dried onions and I was too lazy to make my own….But it was better than ever. This has become one of those dishes that people always ask me to make! I love it!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s so awesome, Judy, thank you for the feedback! I love practically anything with leek and have no doubt that’s a delicious addition!
George says
So, if I’m cooking for a crowd and have the equivalent of six recipes in one pan, how would that effect the cooking time?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi George, if it’s the same depth (just a larger/wider pan) then it should really affect the cooking time. If it’s deeper you may need to cook it a bit longer.
Melissa says
Could I use greyere cheese instead of cheddar cheese?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Absolutely, Melissa! If it were me I’d do a combination of Emmentaler (or Jarlsberg) and gruyere because all that gruyere on its own may be a bit too overpowering for some.
Kathy says
Do you think this recipe would work with canned green Beans
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Kathy, yes, you can use canned green beans.