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Classic Green Bean Casserole – Made Without Cream Of Mushroom Soup

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, it is time to share one of my favorite, homemade side dish recipes that I make every year for our holiday meal: Classic Green Bean Casserole.

Tender green beans coated in a thick and creamy mushroom based sauce, cooked until hot and bubbly. Then the dish is topped with fried onions and baked until golden brown and crispy.

However, instead of following the instructions on how to make this recipe from the back of the Fried Onions container, I make my own version that doesn’t included canned cream of mushroom soup.

And I have been told by everyone that tastes it that it is way better than the standard recipe on the back of the package.

classic green bean casserole
Classic green bean casserole – topped with crispy fried onions.

Why this is the BEST Classic Green Bean Casserole Recipe?

So when I began to question what makes my casserole so delicious, I decided the answer is two-fold.

1. Use Fresh Green Beans

First of all, I use fresh green beans for this recipe. Fresh picked green beans retain their shape and don’t fall apart or turn to mush when baked.

However, if you are wondering if you can use the cans of whole green beans that have been sitting in your cupboard for months, of course you can.

However canned green beans already are soft. So when you bake them in a casserole, they will become even softer.

You certainly can make this classic green bean casserole with them. But once you use fresh green beans, you will never go back!

fresh green beans
Fresh green beans make a huge difference in the quality of this green bean casserole.

2. Homemade Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup

The second reason that this classic green bean casserole is so good is that I make my own condensed cream of mushroom soup. See: Homemade Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup recipe.

Ideally, I will make the homemade condensed cream of mushroom soup a couple of weeks ahead of the holiday. I then store it in the freezer and thaw it out when I need it for this recipe.

However, as life happens, there are sometimes when I don’t have any in the freezer and have to start from scratch. Although it is a little time consuming, it gives me an opportunity to add in a few special ingredients to make it even better.

Not only does it taste better than canned cream soup, it is much healthier for you as well!

Making Green Bean Casserole Using Fresh Mushrooms

It is easy to incorporate fresh mushrooms in a cream sauce directly into your recipe. It adds so much flavor and a step that shouldn’t be skipped!

But be sure to use gourmet mushrooms whenever possible. White button mushrooms have little flavor and will result in a bland sauce.

I prefer to use baby Bella or Cremini mushrooms. Of course, if Shiitake mushrooms are available and on sale, then I would definitely add those in as well!

Start by sauteing the mushrooms with a little onions and garlic. Then add in a little flour to the pan to thicken everything. Next add some sour cream and heavy cream to make the sauce.

condensed cream of mushroom soup
Homemade condensed cream of mushroom soup adds so much flavor to this casserole.

Once everything gets nice and thick, add in the crispy fried onions and blanched green beans. Mix everything together and put it in a casserole dish.

Once the classic green bean casserole has heated through, add a layer of crispy fried onions to the top and brown.

A few minutes later – the classic green bean casserole is ready!

Just be prepared for everyone to ask you to make this dish again at the next get together!

Homemade Green Bean Casserole Recipe

INGREDIENTS

Fresh Green beans, trimmed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Unsalted butter
Baby bella mushrooms, sliced
Fresh thyme leaves
Garlic cloves, minced
Cayenne powder
Ground nutmeg
All-purpose flour
Chicken broth, low-sodium
Sour cream
Heavy cream
Grated Parmesan cheese
Crispy fried onions, divided

INSTRUCTIONS

The first step in making this homemade green bean casserole is to preheat the oven and bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. While the pot is boiling, prepare the fresh green beans by trimming off each end and removing any bad spots.

Once the pot begins to boil, add the green beans to the water and cook for 2-3 minutes. Drain the beans and immediately place them in an ice water bath. When cool, drain and set on dry paper towels to dry.

While the green beans are drying, make the mushroom cream sauce. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the butter. Once the butter is melted and the pan is hot, add the sliced mushrooms.

Saute for 1 minute, then add the thyme and garlic and continue cooking the mushrooms until they have lost most of their moisture. This process will take approximately 5-7 minutes.

Then season mushrooms with the salt, pepper, cayenne and nutmeg. Continue to cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.

Next, sprinkle the mushrooms with flour and gradually add in the chicken stock. Whisk the mixture together and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and stir in the sour cream and heavy cream.

Continue to cook over low heat until the creamed mixture thickens, approximately 5 minutes.

classic green bean casserole
Crispy fried onions on top of green bean casserole.

Assemble The Green Bean Casserole

When the sauce is almost finished, add the blanched green beans and 2/3 cup fried onions into a 2 quart casserole dish. Pour the gravy mixture over the green beans and mix to coat.

Spread the mixture out evenly in the pan. Then sprinkle the green beans with the Parmesan cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes. Then sprinkle the remaining fried onions on top and bake for an additional 5 minutes.

Take the homemade green bean casserole out of the oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Enjoy! Mary

Other Popular Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes:

Instant Pot Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes

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Yield: 10

Green Bean Casserole with Homemade Mushroom Gravy

classic green bean casserole

Fresh green beans lathered with homemade mushroom gravy and topped with crispy fried onions. The perfect side dish for any occasion!

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 pound baby bella mushrooms
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup chicken broth, low-sodium
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 1/3 cups crispy fried onions, divided

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
  3. Cut the ends off the green beans. Add the green beans to the boiling water and cook for 2-3 minutes. Drain the beans and immediately place them in the ice water bath. When cool, drain and set out to dry on paper towels.
  4. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the butter. Once the butter is melted and the pan is hot, add the mushrooms. Cook for 1 minute, then add the thyme and garlic and continue cooking the mushrooms have lost most of their moisture (5-7 minutes).
  5. Season mushrooms with the salt, pepper, cayenne and nutmeg. Cook 2-3 minutes.
  6. Sprinkle the mushrooms with flour and gradually add in the chicken stock. Whisk together and bring to a simmer.
  7. Reduce heat and add sour cream and cream, stirring gently. Continue to cook over low heat until gravy thickens (approximately 5 minutes).
  8. Add the blanched green beans and 2/3 cup fried onions into a 2 quart casserole dish.
  9. Pour the gravy mixture over the green beans and mix to coat. Spread out evenly in the pan. Sprinkle the green beans with the Parmesan.
  10. Bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining fried onions on top and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
  11. Take out of the oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

Recipe provided by Make Your Meals

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

10

Serving Size:

1 grams

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 212Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 35mgSodium: 187mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 4gSugar: 5gProtein: 5g

Nutritional Information is to be used as a general guideline only . Nutritional calculations will vary from the types and brands of the products used.

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