Green Bean Casserole is a classic Thanksgiving side dish that everyone loves! Fresh green beans mixed with homemade cream of mushroom soup and topped crunchy french fried onions then baked until golden and bubbly makes the perfect accompaniment to any holiday meal.
I didn’t have Green Bean Casserole for the first time until I was 13 or 14, (I’m originally from Canada, and 20 years ago, this classic American dish wasn’t even heard of, let alone found on any holiday table) when a family friend from America came to visit us for Canadian Thanksgiving. They wanted to share a dish for dinner, and this was it. They used canned green beans, a can of cream of mushroom soup and a whole heap of french fried onions. It was absolutely delicious, and I think I asked my Mom for it at least once a week for the next few months.
We continued making Green Bean Casserole this way, and Mom still does, and it’s still the classic comfort food I remember as a kid, and love to this day. But, classic Green Bean Casserole is not healthy. It has a lot of processed ingredients in it, sometimes giving it that ‘canned’ taste. I wanted to change up the recipe to make it a little healthier. I still use the french fried onions, but I now use fresh green beans and Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup.
What really makes Green Bean Casserole shine is fresh green beans. Tim and cut green beans into thirds, and cook for 5 minutes in boiling salted water. Drain, and set aside to cool. To make Thanksgiving, or any meal prep easy, you can cut and blanch the green beans up to a week in advance.
What makes good Green Bean Casserole great is the Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup. It’s really easy to get started, and other than mushrooms, you probably already have everything you need already in your fridge and pantry. We use cream of mushroom soup in so many different recipes (like Tatertot Casserole), that it’s something I always have prepared and ready to go in the fridge or freezer. Making the soup is simple, and comes together in 15-20 minutes, and you can use it in casseroles, or enjoy it on its own as a bowl of soup. Cream of mushroom soup can be made up to a 4 days in advance, or before if you freeze it.
Using fresh green beans was my first step in recreating the classic recipe, and makes the biggest difference in the recipe. If you’re not ready to take the plunge and make Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup, start with the fresh green beans. It’ll be worth every second of the extra 10 minutes it takes to prepare.
The best part about this Green Bean Casserole is that it’s another easy Thanksgiving recipe that you can make ahead of time, and just assemble and bake on Thanksgiving Day. A couple days ahead of time, you can prepare the filling, and cover with foil, label it, and put in the fridge. Right before baking, top with the french fried onions, and in 15 minutes, you’ll be enjoying a hot, bubbly, crispy Green Bean Casserole.
In a medium pot, over medium-high heat, add olive oil and heat until shimmering. Add onion and mushroom, and season with salt, pepper, and thyme. Cook, stirring constantly until onions are translucent, and mushrooms are fork tender - about 8-10 minutes. Sir in garlic and cook until fragrant - about 30 seconds.
Add butter to pan, and once melted, add flour, and whisk, cooking 1 minute. While whisking, add chicken stock to pan, and bring to a boil.
Lower heat and whisk in milk. Keep whisking, and let soup simmer for 5-10 minutes on low until thickened. Remove from heat, and serve as is, or let cool, and use in place of canned soup in recipes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook green beans 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, parmesan cheese, spices and ½ cup French fried onions, and whisk to combine. Stir in green beans.
Pour green bean mixture into a 9x13 casserole dish. Top with remaining French fried onions. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until bubbly and golden brown.
Ingredients
Directions
In a medium pot, over medium-high heat, add olive oil and heat until shimmering. Add onion and mushroom, and season with salt, pepper, and thyme. Cook, stirring constantly until onions are translucent, and mushrooms are fork tender - about 8-10 minutes. Sir in garlic and cook until fragrant - about 30 seconds.
Add butter to pan, and once melted, add flour, and whisk, cooking 1 minute. While whisking, add chicken stock to pan, and bring to a boil.
Lower heat and whisk in milk. Keep whisking, and let soup simmer for 5-10 minutes on low until thickened. Remove from heat, and serve as is, or let cool, and use in place of canned soup in recipes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook green beans 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, parmesan cheese, spices and ½ cup French fried onions, and whisk to combine. Stir in green beans.
Pour green bean mixture into a 9x13 casserole dish. Top with remaining French fried onions. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until bubbly and golden brown.
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Sausage Balls Recipe
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