It’s difficult to imagine any holiday table without a Creamy Green Bean Casserole (from scratch) with a crunchy, crisp topping. Green Bean Casserole is a classic Thanksgiving side dish and this one is made entirely from scratch and uses a homemade cream of mushroom soup. P.S. It can be made 2 days ahead!
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There are a handful of sides that consistently show up at our holiday table and Green Beans are always on the menu! We love serving Green Bean Casserole with Mashed Potatoes, Sweet Potato Casserole, and Roasted Brussels Sprouts all paired with a stunning Prime Rib Roast or Juicy Roast Turkey for the ultimate feast!
Homemade Green Bean Casserole:
This recipe is a staple at Thanksgiving dinner and the holiday itself. Everyone loves a classic green bean casserole and this one is made from fresh real ingredients: Green beans in a creamy mushroom sauce baked under a crisp bread crumb and cheese topping.
What is Green Bean Casserole?
This traditional green bean casserole is essentially a green bean gratin. It was invented in the US by Dorcas Reilly in 1955 who developed it with Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup. This green beans casserole is baked in a homemade cream of mushroom soup and there is nothing quite like homemade! The green beans are more vibrant and the sauce is so flavorful.
The Best Green Bean Casserole Topping:
Rather than using the deep-fried canned onion rings, this recipe has a crisp and flavorful parmesan garlic crust. The contrast of the creamy beans and the crunchy savory crumb topping is delicious.
Making a green bean casserole from scratch is really easy and so much better than canned beans cooked in canned cream of mushroom soup and topped with pre-made deep-fried onions. You will feel so good about serving this to the people you love!
How to Make Green Bean Casserole from Scratch:
Using fresh green beans makes the beans extra sweet, tender and vibrant. You can’t match that same texture or flavor with beans that come out of a can. To make green bean casserole with fresh green beans:
- Trim and blanch the beans for 5 minutes for firmer beans or 8 minutes if you prefer softer beans
- Make the mushroom sauce and combine with green beans
- Top with the Parmesan herb and garlic breadcrumbs
- Bake immediately or store in the fridge to bake on the day of the feast
Can You Make Green Bean Casserole Ahead?
During the busyness of the holidays, it’s wonderful to have some make-ahead recipes up your sleeve. You can make this green bean casserole recipe up to 2 days ahead, covered and refrigerated until ready to bake. If baking at a later date, top with the Parmesan breadcrumb mixture immediately before baking to ensure a crisp topping.
If I could describe this green bean casserole, I would say it tastes just like the original but better. The homemade mushroom sauce still holds the same savory punch of Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup but tastes more wholesome, and therefore infinitely more delicious.
Our Favorite Thanksgiving Side Dishes:
- Festive Red Cabbage Slaw
- Roasted Parmesan Broccoli with Sun-dried Tomatoes
- Creamy Mashed Potatoes Recipe
- Sweet Potato Casserole
- Brussels Sprouts in Alfredo Sauce
- Easy Stuffing Recipe
What are your go-to Thanksgiving side dishes? You can explore more of our favorite Thanksgiving recipes here.
Green Bean Casserole (from Scratch)
Ingredients
For the Green Bean Casserole
- 1 lb green beans, trimmed
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 8 oz mushrooms, (cremini, baby bella, or white)
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
For the Parmesan Herb and Garlic Breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder, (or 1 tsp garlic flakes)
- 1 tsp dried parsley
Instructions
- Preheat Oven to 375˚F. Set a large pot with water over high heat and bring to a boil then add trimmed green beans. Cook/blanch them for 5 minutes for firmer beans or 8 minutes for softer beans. Drain and set aside.
- Meanwhile, Place a large pan over medium/high heat and add 1 Tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp oil, then add sliced mushrooms with a pinch of salt and pepper. Saute until the mushroom liquid has evaporated and mushrooms are golden.
- Move mushrooms to one side of the pan and add chopped onion. Saute onions over low heat for a couple of minutes then stir them together with mushrooms and saute until onions are soft (6-8 min). Add minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds longer while stirring.
- Add 2 Tbsp flour and stir until the flour turns into a paste. Continue cooking 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly until it smells slightly nutty, being careful not to burn the mixture.
- Add the 1/2 cup chicken stock and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom of the pan with a spatula. Add 1 cup heavy cream, 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 Tbsp soy sauce and cook over low until sauce has a creamy and gravy-like consistency (it thickens more as it bakes). Season with salt to taste.
- Add blanched green beans to the mushroom sauce and stir to combine then transfer to a 1.5 to 2 qt casserole dish.
- In a separate bowl, combine 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, 1/4 tsp garlic powder and 1 tsp dried parsley. Sprinkle over the green bean casserole. Bake uncovered at 375 F for 20 minutes then broil for 2-3 minutes until topping is golden.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
Hi! I’m Natasha Kravchuk, a New York Times bestselling cookbook author, recipe developer, food photographer, and writer. Here you’ll find delicious, reliable recipes made with simple ingredients, plus easy step-by-step photos and videos to help you cook confidently at home. 
Great recipe as usual, thank you.
For baking the next day : Should the sauce cool down before adding the beans in so the beans don’t over cook?
Hi Farrah! It’s worked well not cooling the sauce but yes, you could also cool the sauce first if you’d like.
We made this and all really enjoyed it! Followed your recipe, tripled.
Even tripled, it still all fit into one 9×13 pan. I blanched the beans for 8 minutes and baked for 30. Perfect, I thought but could also have been blanched for a minute or two less. Also, I bet we could have gotten away with just tripling the beans and only doubling the rest of the ingredients as we had more than a cup of extra sauce (we left some out of the baking).
I automatically tripled the topping too, but since it was all in one pan, it was not necessary and I didn’t use more than the original recipe.
I sliced and also finely chopped the mushrooms just because canned soup doesn’t usually have the slices.
Because it was tripled, it took quite a bit longer to cook the mushrooms and onions, and the sauce never quite got to gravy consistency, so we added a bit of cornstarch (mixed with water).
Next time, I plan to prep the sauce ahead of time so it won’t matter if it takes longer (Thanksgiving is always a time crunch).
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Jessica!
Hi Natasha, i see a question in the comments about making ahead a day or two. My question is do i bake them when i put it all together , then refrigerate them. Then the day i serve them Put the bread crumbs on top and heat those again. Thanks
Hi Dave! There is no need to bake it ahead, you’ll bake it before serving on the day of. See my note in the blog above under, “Can You Make Green Bean Casserole Ahead?” for instructions.
Well, you officially ruined Thanksgiving Natasha’s Kitchen! I’ve been making the same GB Casserole dish for twenty years and had to throw that garbage out the window! THIS is the best GB Casserole I’ve ever tasted in my life. I followed your recipe to the T and it was incredible!!!! Очень вкусно!
I’m so glad you loved it, Eric! Thank you for sharing.
Do I leave the beans whole or cut into smaller, 2 inch pieces?
You can cut them to your preferred length. I find it easier to serve when they are smaller.
Sounds delicious, I’m going to make it today but have a quick question, do you use panko for the bread crumbs?
Hi Michelle! We used bread crumbs that come in a container labeled. Panko can work too, but texture will different, Panko has a more “airy” texture.
can you make this without mushrooms? We are a huge fan of all your recipes! My kids just dont like mushrooms!
Hi Maria! I’m not sure how it would turn out if you remove the mushrooms as I always make this with them but feel free to experiment.
My suggestion would be to cut up the mushrooms pretty small and don’t tell them that they are in it. They will never know. It’s the texture of the mushrooms they don’t like. At least that was the way it was with my kids.
I totally agree I chop the mushrooms super small and they don’t notice!
I’m so excited to make this! Do you use salted or unsalted chicken stock?
Hi Becca, the one I used was salted. I hope you love this recipe.
First time making but ti do have a big family- can I double this recipe? If so what is my new baking time?
Hi Diana! You’ll need a larger dish if you’re doubling it. Or you can make 2 of them at the same time without changing the baking time if both dishes are the same size/dimensions.
Keep in mind, the deeper the dish, the longer it can take. Sorry I don’t have an exact time to offer.
What size of dish do you bake this in? Is it a 9×13 or something else?
It was a 1.5 qt and it fills a 9X13 to about 2/3.
This sounds so good, but my family is not mushroom fans. Can this be made without them or are they important for the overall flavor?
Hi Jenn! I’m not sure how it would turn out if you remove the mushrooms as I always make this with them but feel free to experiment.
I love your recipes. My family loves them also. I will make your green bean casserole for this Thanksgiving. I do make Durkee onions from scratch. They are so easy and put them on the top of the casserole after it comes out of the oven. Thank you for all your hard work making these recipes they are glorious!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Carolyn!
This looks so yummy. Will make it for Thanksgiving next week. I would like to make it on Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Is that ok? If so. Do I combine beans and sauce and wait to bake on the day I am serving? Thanks! I love your recipes!
Hi Luciana, yes this can be made 2 days ahead! I have a note on this in the recipe under the “Can You Make Green Bean Casserole Ahead?” I hope that helps.
Thank you! One more quick question. Does it matter what type of onions I use? Thanks!
We used red onions but other types should be fine I think.
What type of parmesan cheese? Is it powdered, shredded, etc.?
Hi Victoria! It’s shredded.
Just made this. Dang, Natasha strikes again!!! Ingredients are just what I was looking for; a flour and dairy roux with mushrooms, onion, and spices. As with all of Natasha’s recipes, the proportions are perfect for my taste. I think we have cloned pallets. Excellent recipe.
Hi John! That’s wonderful to hear. So glad you loved this one too.
Can you make this in advance, put in fridge and then cook/bake the next day? Maybe don’t add the topping until ready to bake?
Thank you?
You can make this green bean casserole recipe up to 2 days ahead, covered and refrigerated until ready to bake. I recommend reading this part in the recipe “Can You Make Green Bean Casserole Ahead?”
Natasha, I love your recipes. I’m not a mushroom fan and I feel like you can’t have a green bean casserole without those delicious crispy onions. The crust sounds good, but I would add homemade fried onions.
Hi Erin! Thank you for sharing. Glad you love my recipes.
This was the best cream of mushroom sauce and the easiest recipe. I will make this again!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Natasha.
This recipe looks great.
Question, maybe a but dumb:)), if I omit parmesan cheese, would that affect the flavor too much? Or can I substitute cheese with something else?
Hi Susana, we love this recipe with cheese! I’m not sure how it would turn out without it, it will work but will definitely be missing some good flavor.
Thank you. I’ll make half without cheese (some of my family don’t eat cheese:-/ ). I’ll write here how it turns out.
So I realized, for our family, this dish is great even without the toping.
Yay to another go to recipe:) Thank you!
Yay, love it!
I have chosen this recipe to make for Thanksgiving. I love the fresh green beans and making the sauce from scratch. However, I will miss the the crunch of the Durkee crispy onions. Can some of these onions be added on the top along with your breadcrumb topping?
Hi Melissa, that sounds like a delicious addition! Happy Thanksgiving!