Forget all about those cans and boxes and learn how to make Green Bean Casserole from scratch! It’s easy and simple to do.
Today’s recipe is a from-scratch green bean casserole that tastes similar to the classic canned version, but is made with fresh ingredients. It’s a classic Thanksgiving side dish and it’s still an easy recipe even when using less cans.
What Is Green Bean Casserole?
Classic green bean casserole was invented in the 50s, 1955 to be exact. It’s made of canned green beans and canned condensed cream of mushroom soup and was created by Campbell Soup Company because they figured every American has canned green beans and cream of mushroom soup lying around. Oh, and french-fried onions. Can’t forget those!
It’s become as much of staple as the roast turkey for many families’ Thanksgiving dinner table, but I think it’s much improved when less cans are involved.
Green Bean Casserole With Less Cans
I don’t love using canned food in my recipes, I think making things from scratch makes everything more special which is what you want during the holidays. Hence, this recipe. But, if you want to stick to the more traditional method but use fewer canned ingredients, you can make this with my homemade cream of mushroom soup. Or just follow the recipe here because I just know you’ll love it like I do.
Oh, I did throw in one canned ingredient just to keep it traditional: Canned 2% Evaporated Milk. I find the evaporated milk adds creaminess without a lot of fat. But you can use plain whole milk instead if you’d prefer.
Tips For Green Bean Casserole From Scratch
The fresh green beans are a must for me with this green bean casserole recipe, but there’s plenty of ingredients that you can adjust. You do want to trim the ends off the beans, but it’s up to you whether you leave them whole or cut them into pieces.
Like I mentioned above, if you don’t want to cook the mushrooms and make the cream sauce, you can use condensed cream of mushroom soup, either canned or homemade.
While I love this panko topping, I know that the crispy fried onions are a requirement for some people. You can absolutely still top the casserole with that if that’s the flavor and texture you prefer. Or you can use a bit of both! It’s all about making it the best green bean casserole recipe for you.
More Holiday Side Dishes
I love all the classic holiday side dishes out there. For more holiday cooking, have a look at all of my Thanksgiving recipes over here (there are over 60 of them, sure to make your dinner the best ever!). And here are some of my all-time favorites for you:
- Sweet Potato Casserole
- Cranberry Relish
- Jiffy Corn Casserole
- Butternut Squash Casserole
- Corn Pudding
- Hashbrown Casserole
Podcast Episode About Making Homemade Green Bean Casserole
Listen to me explain briefly about how to make this casserole, with some great tips along the way, by clicking the play button below:
If you love cooking podcasts, head over and check out my daily recipe podcast, Recipe of the Day. There are over 700 episodes there for you to listen to!
PrintHomemade Green Bean Casserole Recipe
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
DESCRIPTION
Forget all about those cans and boxes and learn how to make Green Bean Casserole from scratch! It’s easy and simple to do.
Ingredients
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
- Salt
- Black pepper
- 3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
- 1 and 1/2 lbs. green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-in. lengths
- 8 ounces mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 3 Tbsp. flour
- 1 (370 ml) can of 2% evaporated milk or whole milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- In a small bowl combine the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Set aside.
- Combine the beans, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper in a 13×9″ baking dish.
- Roast for 10 minutes and then shake the pan. Continue to roast until beans are fork tender, 10-15 more minutes.
- Meanwhile, warm 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until well-browned, 7-9 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium. Add 1/4 teaspoon of salt and the flour. Stir well to coat all the mushrooms in flour. Stir in the evaporated milk. Heat while stirring continuously until the liquid is bubbling and thick.
- Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed (I add about another 1/4 teaspoon of each).
- Pour the creamy mushrooms over the beans and stir to combine. Sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture and bake until browned on top, 18-22 minutes.
This post originally appeared in November 2013 and has been revised and republished in November 2022.