This Green Bean Casserole is totally made from scratch, super delicious side dish that’s a must on your Thanksgiving table. No canned stuff here, only fresh ingredients.
Green Bean Casserole In A Skillet
Green Bean Casseroles are probably a classic and every cook probably has their favorite recipe stashed away in their repertoire. While some prefer using frozen and canned ingredients quickly tossed together with some green beans, I prefer a clean recipe with fresh ingredients and all made from scratch.
I find that using nice fresh ingredients is vital to achieving the flavors we’re going for today. This casserole is pretty dense, with super rich ingredients so we need some fresh bright flavors to lighten it all up. Try this side dish out for your next big holiday get together, believe me you won’t regret it.
My favorite thing about this incredible green bean casserole is the crispy fried onions, and the super rich base – and well I guess all of it. All in all, this casserole is my family’s favorite. A true comfort food that’s a must on your Thanksgiving table.
Ingredient Notes
Crispy onions
- Onions – Medium mild flavored onion like white or yellow onions.
- Dry ingredients – All purpose flour, salt, and panko bread crumbs.
Green beans
- Veggies – Fresh trimmed green beans and cremini mushrooms. Regular white mushrooms work as well.
- Butter – Unsalted so as to control the sodium content of our dish.
- Garlic – Essential to add flavor to our casserole.
- Flour – All purpose flour to help thicken our sauce.
- Nutmeg – Ground up adding the perfect flavor kick to our dish. There’s nothing like nutmeg in a nice creamy sauce.
- Liquids – Low sodium chicken broth and heavy cream. You can use half and half for a lighter version.
- Bacon – 3 slices of bacon fried up fresh and chopped up. This is an optional ingredients, but we know that bacon makes everything better.
How To Make Green Bean Casserole From Scratch
- Onions: Add the flour, breadcrumbs and salt to a bowl and mix. Add the onions and toss them in the flour mixture. Spread the onions over the baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes or until crispy and golden brown. Reduce the oven heat to 400 F degrees.
- Green Beans: Add about a gallon of water and a tsp of salt to a large pot and bring it to a boil. Add the green beans to the pot and blanch for 5 minutes. Remove the beans from the boiling water and plunge them into a large bowl of ice water, to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside.
- Sauce: Melt the 2 tbsp of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the minced garlic and nutmeg to the skillet and cook for another minute or 2 until the garlic becomes fragrant. Sprinkle the 2 tbsp of flour over the mushrooms and stir to combine well. Add the chicken broth, stir with a wooden spoon and cook for a minute. Decrease the heat to medium-low and add the heavy cream. Continue cooking for another 6 to 8 minutes until the mixture thickens.
- Assemble: Turn off the heat and add the green beans, chopped bacon and a quarter of the crispy onion. Stir well then top with remaining crispy onions. Place the skillet in the oven and bake for 15 minutes until bubbly.
FAQs and Expert Tips
FAQs
Since fresh green beans are not readily available in November, frozen green beans are the next best thing because they are already blanched and flash-frozen.
To thaw green beans, place them under running water in a colander. Let the beans drain while you’re preparing the rest of the casserole.
Yes! Prepare everything as directed, except turn off the oven after the onions are done. Once the casserole is finished and assembled allow it to cool completely. Cover tightly with foil or in an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to serve. Before serving bake it in the skillet for about 20 minutes or until bubbly at 400 F degrees.
Tips
- To get the best tasting green bean casserole, always use fresh ingredients.
- Make your own sauce, skip the canned cream of mushroom soups. It’s really easy, all you need is some butter, flour, mushrooms and some heavy cream. This way you get all the mushroom flavor.
- Don’t skip the fried onions, they are essential to a green bean casserole.
Leftovers
Store leftover green bean casserole in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
To freeze, store the casserole in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
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Green Bean Casserole From Scratch
Ingredients
Crispy Baked Onions
- 2 medium onions sliced
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup breadcrumbs I used Panko
- 1 teaspoon salt
Green Beans
- 1 pound fresh green beans rinsed and trimmed
- 2 tablespoon butter unsalted
- 8 ounce cremini mushrooms sliced
- ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon pepper or to taste
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg ground
- 1 cup chicken broth low sodium or no sodium added
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 slices bacon fried and chopped, optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 475 F degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.
Crispy Onions
- Add the flour, breadcrumbs and salt to a bowl and mix. Add the onions and toss them in the flour mixture. Spread the onions over the baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes or until crispy and golden brown.
- Reduce the oven heat to 400 F degrees.
Green Beans Casserole
- While the onion is in the oven, start by blanching the beans. Add about a gallon of water and a tsp of salt to a large pot and bring it to a boil. Add the green beans to the pot and blanch for 5 minutes. Remove the beans from the boiling water and plunge them into a large bowl of ice water, to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside.
- Melt the 2 tbsp of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the minced garlic and nutmeg to the skillet and cook for another minute or 2 until the garlic becomes fragrant.
- Sprinkle the 2 tbsp of flour over the mushrooms and stir to combine well. Add the chicken broth, stir with a wooden spoon and cook for a minute. Decrease the heat to medium-low and add the heavy cream. Continue cooking for another 6 to 8 minutes until the mixture thickens.
- Turn off the heat and add the green beans, chopped bacon and a quarter of the crispy onion. Stir well then top with remaining crispy onions.
- Place the skillet in the oven and bake for 15 minutes until bubbly.
Recipe Notes
- Make-ahead instructions: Prepare everything as directed, except turn off the oven after the onions are done. Once the casserole is finished and assembled allow it to cool completely. Cover tightly with foil or in an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to serve. Before serving bake it in the skillet for about 20 minutes or until bubbly at 400 F degrees.
- Store leftover green bean casserole in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
- To freeze, store the casserole in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
The bread crumbs & flour aren’t sticking to the onions. Suggestions?
You can dredge them through some egg first.
I made this for Thanksgiving and was blown away by the excellent taste and ease of making. I’m not a fan of canned soups and I always try to make it from scratch. None of the green bean casseroles that I’ve made previously are this good. I’m making it again right now for our Christmas Eve dinner. This time I sautéed up the mushrooms right in the bacon grease with some added butter and added in some shallots. It looks and smells and looks yummy. Holiday meals are always an enjoyable time for me to cook and I really am enjoying this recipe. Thanks for sharing all of the terrific recipes. On to your pumpkin dessert next! Merry Christmas, Jo.
Merry Christmas, Diane!
This recipe looks delicious! Is there any suitable substitute for the heavy cream? My family is trying to limit fat intake. Maybe half & half?
Thank you!!
Yes half and half will work great!
I can’t wait to make this recipe for our Thanksgiving!! Can I assemble, bake the casserole as directed, and then top with the onions and reheat in the oven or microwave? How long and what temperature should I reheat it?
For sure! Reheat at 450F for about 10 minutes or until it’s heated through. Keep an eye on it!
can recipe be doubled successfully, and if so, what would be a good substitute pan/dish for the skillet?
You can use a large dutch oven!
This is the finest! We had tired of the traditional “Green Bean Casserole”, and as a new visitor to this site, this recipe popped,
Once you have made this, you will never return to the *old* version.
Also, I am finding this site to be outstanding with its quality recipes.
Thanks Much!
Thanks Mabel! So happy you’re enjoying my recipes!
Just found this recipe and am going to make it for Thanksgiving dinner. Sounds like this recipe can be made ahead of time and frozen. What do you think?
Thanks,
Desi
You could Desi but it really does taste best when its freshly made….hope you try it and thanks for being a part of Jo Cooks
Made this today and I’m considering not serving it so I can have it all to myself. It’s that good. Thank you for the recipe!!
My pleasure Jen! 🙂
Does this reheat well if I wanted to make it the night before?
Yes absolutely, you can either pop it in the oven for a few minutes, or just microwave it.
Planning on making this the night before. What temperature and time do you recommend for reheating?
I would reheat this in the oven, covered with foil, at 350 until heated through, probably around 15 minutes.
Looks fabulous! Can anything be done ahead of time? Thanks!
Absolutely! You can blanch the green beans ahead of time and make the crispy onions. You can store the onions in an airtight container in the fridge, and because the casserole will go back in the oven, the onions will crisp up again.
It really looks great, I would eat it as it is with some bread, no need for something else…
Ok, Jo, now you’ve gone and done it!! I have to make this! I love that it uses all fresh ingredients. This sounds delish! Thank you!
You’re welcome Cynthia! Let me know how you like it!
That looks so simple yet so good!! I have trouble of thinking of good dinner meals I will have to try this!!
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