Green Bean Casserole From Scratch is freshly made without any canned ingredients. Green beans are covered in a creamy homemade mushroom sauce, then topped with breaded and fried onions.
This green bean casserole is made entirely from scratch. If you avoid using canned, high sodium ingredients in your casseroles, you’re going to love this recipe.
This casserole is made with a creamy mushroom sauce, prepared with just a few, easy to find ingredients. Plus, it tastes so much better than the canned soup version.
I’ve topped this casserole with freshly made, crispy fried onions made with panko bread crumbs. They are so tasty, you may want to make extra for snacking while you cook!
Crispy fried onions
That crunchy onion topping is usually the favorite part of a green bean casserole. You’re welcome to buy store bought fried onion topping if you want to save some time.
However, the homemade version is so crispy and delicious, I recommend you give it a try!
I prefer the light crunch from using panko bread crumbs, but they can be substituted with traditional bread crumbs if needed.
Casserole ingredients and substitutions
Casserole ingredients and substitutionsOnce your onion topping is prepared, you can move on to the casserole filling.
Fresh green beans can be substituted with frozen (and thawed) green beans or canned green beans. However, fresh green beans will give you the best flavor and texture overall.
Chicken broth can be substituted with beef or vegetable broth.
Make ahead
Assemble your green bean casserole, leaving off the onion topping. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 days in the refrigerator. Store your fried onions in a separate container.
When ready, top your casserole with the fried onions, then bake at 375 for 18-22 minutes.
You can also find these directions in the recipe card below.
Green Bean Casserole From Scratch
Ingredients
Fried Onion Topping
- 1 small onion thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- canola oil
Green Beans and Mushroom Sauce
- 1 pound green beans trimmed and cut in half
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 ounces button mushrooms diced into 1/2" pieces
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup half and half
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
Fried Onions
- In a bowl, pour buttermilk over onions and toss to coat. Set aside. Combine flour, panko, salt, and pepper in a second bowl.
- Begin heating a saucepan with 1-2 inches of oil over medium-high heat on the stove top.
- A handful at a time, transfer onions from buttermilk into panko mixture (allow excess buttermilk to drip off onions first). Toss quickly to coat, and transfer into hot oil. Fry for 2-3 minutes or until lightly browned and crispy. Transfer to paper towels. Continue until all onions have been fried.
Green Beans and Mushroom Sauce
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 1.5 quart dish or 8x8 baking pan and set aside.
- Bring a gallon of water and a dash of salt to a boil over high heat on the stove top. Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath (water and ice) in a large bowl and set aside. Add green beans to boiling water and cook for 5 minutes. Drain beans and immediately place into ice bath to stop cooking. Once cooled, drain again and set aside.
- In a sauté pan over medium heat, add butter to pan. Once melted, add diced mushrooms and cook 3-4 minutes, until almost cooked through. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add flour and stir to coat mushrooms. Then add the chicken broth and half and half, stirring constantly. Decrease heat to medium-low. Add dried thyme, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens, about 7-8 minutes.
- Remove from heat and add green beans to mushroom sauce. Stir to combine, and pour into prepared dish. Sprinkle top with fried onions.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes, until mixture is bubbly. Remove from oven and serve immediately.
Notes
- MAKE AHEAD TIPS: Prepare casserole as directed without baking or adding onions to the top. Cover unbaked casserole and refrigerate overnight, storing onions separately. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees, add onions to the top of your casserole, and bake for 18-22 minutes, or until bubbly and warmed through.
- To double this dish, serve in a 9x13 or 3 quart casserole dish.
Can it just be next Thursday already? This post is going to have me dreaming of green bean casserole until then, 100%. Love it!
Yes me too – I can’t wait to make it again 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
I realize it isn’t anywhere near thanksgiving but I was craving a good GB casserole and this recipe did not disappoint! The gravy sauce was perfectly delicious even without mushrooms and I was really impressed by how easy it was to make the homemade crispy fried onions. I absolutely will be making this dish again! Thank you so much!
Thanks for the great review, glad you enjoyed it! And I agree a good green bean casserole isn’t just for Thanksgiving 🙂