My Top Holiday Side Dish

Everyone loves this classic holiday side dish—and it takes less than 5 minutes to prepare.

This Green Bean Casserole recipe has tender green beans and crispy fried onions in a cream shortcut sauce. It’s topped with crispy onions and baked until bubbly.

This is the perfect side dish to serve alongside any holiday dinner.

a cooked green bean casserole recipe in a white serving dish with a spoon

Fast prep: Green bean casserole needs just 5 minutes of prep—it’s the easiest side dish ever.
Use any kind of green beans: It can be made with fresh, frozen, or canned green beans
Make ahead: Make this recipe days in advance and bake before serving (see notes).
Serve anytime: Perfect for a holiday meal or alongside a Sunday supper like meatloaf.

Green Bean Casserole ingredients in bowls with labels

What You’ll Need For Green Bean Casserole

Green Beans

Green bean casserole can be made with fresh, frozen, or canned green beans.

Canned green beans have a softer texture and require no prep—drain and stir.
Frozen green beans require no cutting and have a tender-crisp texture. They should be boiled for about 5 minutes, and you’ll need to add extra salt.
Fresh green beans have a tender-crisp texture and a fresh flavor. Simmer for 8 minutes.

Other Ingredients

Sauce – Condensed mushroom soup makes this recipe easy to prepare, and it’s the base of the creamy mushroom sauce. Use any flavor of “cream of” soup or make homemade condensed mushroom soup.
Crispy Fried Onions – French’s Crispy Fried Onions adds both flavor, and a crisp topping to this recipe. You can usually find a less expensive store brand which works great in this recipe.

Green Bean Casserole ingredients in clear glass bowl

Variations

Cheese: I love to add cheddar cheese to this recipe, making a cheesy green bean casserole sauce. So good!
From Scratch: Swap out the soup for mushroom cream sauce and replace the onions with fried shallots.
Garlic: Add minced cloves of garlic cooked in butter, some roasted garlic, or a dash of garlic powder.
Topping: Top with crispy onions or ¼ cup Panko mixed with 1 tablespoon each melted butter and parmesan cheese.
Seasoning: Simmer the green beans in chicken broth. Reserve the drained chicken broth to make stuffing.

How To Make Green Bean Casserole

There’s a reason this dish has been around for years: it’s simple. It’s delicious. Perfect in every way. Full recipe below

Cook Beans: Simmer fresh or frozen green beans—no need to cook canned beans, drain them well.
Mix Sauce: Combine the sauce ingredients in a bowl and stir in the green beans, some crispy onions, and cheese if you’d like.
Top & Bake: Bake for a bit and then stir. Top the green bean mixture with more crispy onions and bake until golden and bubbly!

Voila!

To double this recipe: Prepare as directed and place in a 9×13-inch baking dish. Add 10 minutes to the cooking time.

Set It & Forget It

Green bean casserole can be prepared as above and cooked in a crock pot or slow cooker on low for about 2-3 hours. Once cooked through, turn the slow cooker to warm.

If your slow cooker is larger than 4qt, I would recommend doubling the recipe.

Green Bean Casserole in a white baking dish

Making Green Bean Casserole Ahead of Time

Prepare as directed, except store the crispy onion topping in a separate container or sandwich bag.
Refrigerate for up to 48 hours.
Remove the casserole from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before baking. Sprinkle the onions on top before baking. If it’s really chilled, you may need to add up to 10 minutes of extra cooking time.

How To freeze

Prep this green bean casserole months in advance! Prepare as directed and freeze before baking. Thaw in the fridge overnight and bake as directed, adding 15 minutes to the baking time.

If you’re taking this dish to a gathering, prepare everything as directed and skip the last 10 minutes of baking. Cover with aluminum foil, wrap it in a towel to insulate the heat, and place it in a cooler or insulated bag.

Once you arrive, top with crispy onions and bake until hot and bubbly!

Did you enjoy this Classic Green Bean Casserole? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!

image of Everyday Comfort cookbook by Holly Nilsson of Spend With Pennies plus text

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Green Bean Casserole

In this green bean casserole tender green beans, cheese, and crispy onions are tossed in a delicious creamy sauce and then baked!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 8 servings

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
If using fresh or frozen green beans, boil just until tender crisp (see notes).
In a large bowl, combine green beans with soup, milk, soy sauce, pepper, salt, 1 cup of crispy onions, and cheese if using (see notes). Transfer to a 2qt or 8×8 baking dish.
Bake uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes or bubbly.
Remove from oven and stir. Top with remaining onions and return to oven for an additional 10 minutes or until golden.

Green beans: Canned, fresh, or frozen beans work in this recipe. In place of frozen beans, you can use either of the following:

drain 2 (14 ½ ounces each) cans of cut green beans
1 ½ pounds fresh green beans, trimmed and simmered for about 7-8 minutes

Optional additions:

1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese mixed into the sauce (favorite!)
fried mushrooms, onions, garlic, and/or shallots

Cheese: If adding cheese, you can mix the cheese in with the soup for a cheesy sauce or sprinkle it on top after stirring. I prefer to mix it into the sauce.
Slow cooker: Prep the green bean casserole as above and cook in a 4qt slow cooker on low for about 2-3 hours. Once heated through, turn the slow cooker to warm. If your slow cooker is larger than 4qt, double the recipe.
Make ahead: This casserole can be made up to 48 hours ahead of time—store the topping on the side until baking. Remove the casserole from the fridge for at least 30 minutes before baking. You may need to add 10 minutes of extra cooking time.
Leftovers: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

5 from 2060 votes

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Casserole, Side Dish

Cuisine American

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