This green bean casserole is made from scratch without any canned ingredients. Green beans are coated 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!
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!
Make green bean casserole for your next holiday meal, like Thanksgiving or Christmas. This recipe serves six, and can easily be doubled for a crowd!
Fried onion ingredients and substitutions
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!
Panko bread crumbs add a nice crunchy texture, but they can be substituted with traditional bread crumbs if needed.
Sweet onion, yellow onion, or Vidalia onion can be used to make your fried onions.
Casserole ingredients and substitutions
Once 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. If using canned green beans, skip the cooking and ice bath step.
Chicken broth can be substituted with beef or vegetable broth.
Half & half can be substituted with milk, but your sauce will turn out slightly less rich and a little thinner. You may want to cook your sauce for an extra minute or so for the right consistency.
Make ahead
Assemble your green bean casserole without 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 fried onions, then bake at 375 for 18-22 minutes.
I've also included these directions in the recipe card below.
What to serve with green bean casserole
Green bean casserole makes an excellent side dish for any family gathering or holiday meal. Here are a few other recipes to make a complete holiday meal:
- Marmalade Glazed Ham
- Southern Sweet Potato Casserole
- Gruyere Potatoes Au Gratin
- Creamy Mashed Potatoes
- Cranberry Sauce with Orange Zest
- Easy Pecan Pie
- Apple Pandowdy
Green Bean Casserole From Scratch
Ingredients
Fried Onion Topping
- 1 small onion, thinly sliced
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ 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 ½" pieces
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup half and half
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ 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 salted water to a boil over high heat. 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 beans and set aside.
- In a sauté pan over medium heat, add butter. Once melted, add diced mushrooms and cook 3-4 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add flour and stir to coat mushrooms. Add chicken broth and half and half, whisking to incorporate. Decrease heat to medium-low. Add dried thyme, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens, about 4-5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and add green beans to mushroom sauce. Stir to coat, then pour into prepared dish. Sprinkle top of casserole with fried onions.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until mixture is hot and 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.
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 🙂
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!