Featured in magazines across the web and consistently rated THE best green bean casserole recipe EVER, this 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 everything but the French fried onions that go on top is made from scratch, choose some quality ones and avoid using those nasty hydrogenated-oil-packed French fried onions. There are better options out there. I had two in my pantry to choose from. I went with Lars’ Crispy Onions this time.
You can find Lars’ crispy onions on Amazon and the best deal is buying them in bulk. As of the time I published this they 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 quality 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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Anonymous says
I never did one with bacon or cheese. It turned out perfect.
Michael says
Awesome recipe. Everyone loves it! I have made it many times and have a few notes.
One or two extra slices of bacon. Center cut, thick cut bacon is the way to go. No maple or pepper flavor.
If fresh green beans sell out, get about 25% more of the weight in frozen beans, and steam them in the bag half of what is instructed, then throw into the ice bath. People wont know the difference and it saves a lot of prep time, especially when making 3x the amount.
Fresh ground nutmeg. Yes.
Make your own crispy onions. Slice them thin on the mandolin and toss them in the oven on a sheet pan 3x over 20 minutes.
A combo of baby bella and white button shrooms makes a big difference.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Michael, thank you, and thanks also for the tips and feedback!
Sherron says
I grew up with the traditional green bean casserole with mushroom soup and canned green beans every Thanksgiving. I hated it so much I have never made it as an adult. I have sautéed green beans with slivered almonds instead. This year I was asked to bring the green bean casserole to a friend’s house for thanksgiving. I couldn’t say no but I just couldn’t bring myself to make that dish. I found this recipe with fresh green beans, mushrooms and bacon – I mean how can you go wrong with bacon? Plus a white sauce instead of cream of mushroom soup. I made a test run and it was quite good so I made this casserole again for Thanksgiving yesterday and it was a big hit even though it wasn’t piping hot. It still had that great fresh flavor and – bacon!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s wonderful, Sherron, I’m so glad your courage paid off and that you were able to find a green bean casserole you enjoyed – thanks so much!
Natalie Rusanovsky says
Just made this first time, put in a whole pack of center cut bacon and the dish won over the turkey!!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
So awesome, Natalie, thanks so much for the feedback!!
Stephen Gagnepain says
I’m calling it Awesome Sauce, in my recipe book. I made the exactly as posted (except light cream instead of half and half) it was excellent! Then I realizei , with a little extra liquid it would make a great cream of mushroom soup, then i also thought it would be good with Brussels Sprouts sauteed with the onions! …and how would some jalapenos go??? This is gonna be fun!!!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Great ideas, Stephen, those would all be delicious! Thanks so much for the feedback!
Travis says
I have searched high and low for a green bean casserole that meets and exceeds my wildest casserole dreams and this is it. Most of the recipes I use are sourced from Bon Appetit, Ina Garten and the New York Times, however, I have tried many versions of their GBC over the years and they just didn’t do the trick–this recipe does. I followed the recipe exactly as written, using extremely high quality ingredients, with one exception: I omitted the mushrooms, as I strongly dislike them. Instead, neurotically, I added additional 12 ounces of bacon and onions (yes, I used a scale) to account for the absence of the mushrooms. I also sauteed the onions slowly for a little longer than suggested to caramelize them add an additional depth of flavor. The end result was out-of-this world. If you are looking for a GBC, look no further, because this is absolutely it.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s absolutely fantastic, Travis, thanks so much!!
Kim says
This is a game changer! I just made this for our family Thanksgiving and EVERYONE loved it. My father n law does not eat green bean casserole, but agreed to try mine…he had seconds! I did not add mushrooms (only because I’m the only one in my family who will eat them) and I did not blanch the beans, just boiled 1/2-3/4 done. Otherwise I followed as written. I will NEVER make green bean casserole any other way, ever again. Thank you so much!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That SO awesome, Kim, I’m happy that your dad and everyone loved it, thanks so much!
Patty says
Can you use canned green beans? Or frozen?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Patty, you can use either. Here’s what one of our readers recently recommended if using frozen: “If fresh green beans sell out, get about 25% more of the weight in frozen beans, and steam them in the bag half of what is instructed, then throw into the ice bath.”
Gabi says
Kim, your green bean casserole is a crowd pleaser. I’ve finally found my favorite recipe!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Gabi, thank you! :)
Julia Conrad says
Making this to go with Christmas dinner! Yummy 😋 the BEST!!!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks so much, Julia, Merry Christmas!
Jennifer Owen says
I made this for Thanksgiving and it was so well received that I got asked to make it for Christmas.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Jennifer, thank you so much for the feedback!
83ver123 says
Since making this GBC last Christmas, my family requested it for Thanksgiving and Christmas again this year. They now expect it every holiday season. My picky husband and picky teen daughter usually have at least 3 helpings of this GBC. Since we typically have ham readily available for our holiday meal, I’ve subbed ham slices for bacon. Thank you for sharing this awesome GBC recipe.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s wonderful, I’m so glad your family enjoys this, thank you!