Homemade Green Bean Casserole

Green Bean Casserole is a holiday dinner side dish staple & it’s also perfect for a weeknight meal. My Homemade Green Bean Casserole doesn’t have any canned soup in it & my entire family agrees – it’s the best ever AND it’s made from scratch!

Green Bean Casserole is a standard for every holiday dinner around here & many a weeknight meal too. It’s one of those classics that almost everyone seems to love.

Most versions are made with canned soup, and while those taste pretty good too – I’m going to introduce you to my favorite Green Bean Casserole that tastes way better & doesn’t have one single can of soup in it.

Instead of using cream of mushroom soup, I saute fresh chopped mushrooms & onion on the stovetop in a little butter (or some bacon grease if I have it, yum) & make a super simple and flavorful sauce in the same pan. The fresh mushrooms add so much more fresh flavor than the canned soup, obviously.

Ingredients

• Green beans – I like the frozen ‘steam in the bag’ french cut personally but other cuts will also work. You can use canned or fresh green beans too.
• Mushrooms – portabella is what I use but you can use your favorite variety.
• Butter – divided
• Onion – diced.
• Flour – all purpose.
• Milk
• Salt & Pepper
• Refrigerated French Onion Dip – Sour Cream may be used instead.
• Garlic powder – fresh garlic can also be used.
• Cheddar Cheese – shredded.
• French Fried Onions – you measure these with your heart 😉

How To Make The Best Homemade Green Bean Casserole

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Prepare your green beans – I use the steam in the bag ones and quickly cook them in the microwave according to package directions.
3. Melt 2-3 tbsp butter in a large skillet.
4. Add the onion & cook for 5 minutes, then mix in the mushrooms & saute until caramelized.
5. Remove the veggies from the pan and set aside.
6. Make a roux in the pan by combining the remaining 3 tbsp butter with the 3 tbsp flour. Cook for 30 seconds, while whisking continually.
7. Whisk in the milk, stirring constantly, so there are no lumps. Stir in the onion dip or sour cream and garlic powder & cook until it begins to bubble.
8. Stir in the reserved onions & mushroom along with the cheddar cheese & half of the french fried onions.
9. Pour into a 2 quart or 9×13 casserole dish sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
10. Top with the remaining french fried onions.
11. Bake for 30 minutes at 350-F.

Can Homemade Green Bean Casserole Be Made Ahead Of Time?

You can prep this a day ahead too if you like. Prepare it as the recipe states but do not put the final topping of French fried onions on top & don’t bake it yet. Just put the untapped green bean casserole a baking dish, cover with foil, & pop in the fridge til the next day. When ready to bake, let it sit at room temp for an hour then top with the final layer of French fried onions & bake according to the recipe.

Storage

This keeps in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Print Pin

The BEST Green Bean Casserole (no canned soup!)

Ingredients

• 2 15 ounce packages ‘steam in bag’ frozen French cut green beans
• 16 oz baby portabella mushrooms diced into small pieces (use 8oz if you don’t really like mushrooms & increase the onion a little)
• 5 to 6 tablespoons butter divided
• 1 large onion diced
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 pinch ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 cup refrigerated onion dip Or substitute sour cream
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 6 oz can canned French fried onions or more if you like them a lot

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Cook the ‘steam in bag’ green beans in the microwave according to package directions. Set aside.
• Melt 2 to 3 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion; cook and stir until onion is starting to become tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped mushrooms. Sauté until the veggies are brown & caramelized. Season with salt & pepper. Remove the veggies from the pan & set aside.
• Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in the pan, scraping any browned bits up with a wooden spatula. Whisk in the flour until blended & cook for about 30 seconds to ‘activate’ the flour. Whisk in milk, stirring constantly, so that no lumps form and then stir in the onion dip & garlic powder. Warm over medium heat until the sauce begins to bubble. Turn off the heat & dump in the green beans and sautéed onions & mushrooms, stirring to coat.
• Stir in the cheddar cheese and half of the French fried onions. Taste with a little spoon to make sure you don’t need any more salt or pepper – if you do, add it to taste.
• Pour into a 2 quart or 9×13 casserole dish. Top with the remaining French fried onions.
• Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.