Name: Homemade Green Bean Casserole recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 5 Tablespoons salted butter; 1 cup finely diced shallots; 1 cup finely diced mushrooms; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper; 4 Tablespoons flour; 1 1/2 cups half and half; 1 1/2 cups milk; 2 Tablespoons Romano cheese; 32 ounces fresh green beans, (trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces); 2 cups French fried onions

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This Homemade Green Bean Casserole recipe gives you all the creamy, crispy goodness of a traditional holiday green bean dish without all the canned soup. You'll never make it the old way again!

Try these other awesome green bean recipes: Garlic Green Beans, Green Beans with Pancetta and Mushrooms and Green Bean Salad.

An image of a serving spoon in the pan of casserole with a heap on the spoon.

Green Bean Casserole Recipe

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Is it even thanksgiving without Green Bean Casserole? I feel like this is a fixture on every holiday table and I get it. We American's love a good casserole, and the crispy onions on top add the very best crunch. It's one of our country's favorite side dishes for a holiday. But if I'm being completely honest, I've never loved this with all the canned cream of mushroom soup and mushy beans.

But a completely from scratch, homemade version of a fresh green beans casserole is the perfect way to take all the great things about this side dish, but making it way better by using fresh ingredients! So an even better Thanksgiving side!

Tips for how to make green bean casserole from scratch

Try to dice the shallots and mushrooms around the same size- it's ok if they aren't completely uniform, but it helps if they're at least a similar size so they cook evenly.
Make sure you stir the roux often so it doesn't burn.
Reduce the heat to low when you add the half-and-half and the milk so that it doesn't scald and be sure to stir often.
Make sure you trim and cut green beans to about 1 ½ inch pieces to make it easier to eat.
Be sure to cover the casserole for the first portion of baking. You'll uncover and sprinkle with french fried onions. for the last 10 minutes of cooking.

Can I use frozen green beans?

Yes, just add them to the pan frozen and skip the blanching step completely.

Can I use onions instead of shallots?

Yes but it will have a slightly different flavor- I prefer shallots because I like the flavor better, but regular onions will work in a pinch.

Can I make green bean casserole ahead of time?

Yes- you can assemble up until baking and then bake just before serving.

How long do you cook green bean casserole?

You'll be making the sauce on the stove for about 10 minutes (and blanching the beans during this time) and then the casserole bakes for a total of 30 minutes.

A close up image of a white plate of green bean casserole with a fork on the back of it.

Ingredients for making the best green bean casserole

Butter
Shallots
Mushrooms
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
Flour
Half and half
Milk
Romano cheese
Green beans
French fried onions

Best ingredients to prep ahead:

Trim green beans
Dice shallots
Dice mushrooms (only if making within 2 days)

Helpful tools:

Hosting Thanksgiving?

Discover the secret to hosting Thanksgiving without all the stress! Prepsgiving is your FREE guide to making a delicious Thanksgiving feast the easy way.

A square image of a serving spoon in the pan of casserole with a heap on the spoon.

Homemade Green Bean Casserole recipe

Jessy Freimann

This Homemade Green Bean Casserole recipe gives you all the creamy, crispy goodness of a traditional holiday green bean dish without all the canned soup. You'll never make it the old way again!

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 40

Total Time 50

Course dinner, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Servings servings

Ingredients

5 Tablespoons salted butter
1 cup finely diced shallots
1 cup finely diced mushrooms
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
4 Tablespoons flour
1 ½ cups half and half
1 ½ cups milk
2 Tablespoons Romano cheese
32 ounces fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 ½ inch pieces
2 cups French fried onions

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil on a different burner.
Add shallots and mushrooms to the saute pan and cook for about 5 minutes until softened, stirring often.
Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with flour and stir until there are no lumps remaining.
Cook roux for 1-2 minutes stirring often.
Whisk in half and half, milk and Romano cheese and reduce heat to low.
Cook until thickened stirring often, around 2-4 minutes and remove from heat.
While the sauce cooks, blanch green beans for 5 minutes and plunge into an ice bath to stop the cooking once drained.
Combine beans with sauce and pour into an even layer in a 9" x 13" pan.
Cover and bake for 20 minutes.
Remove cover and sprinkle evenly with French fried onions.
Bake uncovered for 10 more minutes and serve immediately.

Notes

Be sure to taste the sauce and adjust seasonings to your taste.

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