Tender green beans baked in a creamy mushroom sauce, topped with crispy fried onions, an iconic American Thanksgiving side dish.
Green bean casserole is one of the most iconic dishes on the American Thanksgiving table, created in 1955 by Campbell's Soup Company test kitchen employee Dorcas Reilly as a way to showcase the company's cream of mushroom soup. The dish combines green beans with a creamy mushroom sauce, topped with crispy French-fried onions, and baked until bubbling -- simple, nostalgic, and instantly recognizable to generations of American home cooks. The technique that matters, whether using the classic canned-soup shortcut or a homemade version, is not overcooking the green beans before baking, since they continue cooking in the oven and can turn mushy if already fully tender going in. A homemade version builds the creamy sauce from scratch with sauteed mushrooms, a roux, and stock or cream, achieving a fresher, more nuanced flavor than the canned original while keeping the same comforting spirit. The crispy fried onion topping, added generously in the final minutes of baking, is essential for the textural contrast that defines the dish. Served as a Thanksgiving and holiday side dish, green bean casserole is deeply nostalgic American comfort food -- a dish whose simplicity and mid-century origin story have made it a permanent fixture of the country's holiday tables.
Serves 6
Boil green beans in salted water 4-5 minutes until crisp-tender. Drain and set aside.
Melt butter in a wide pan over medium heat. Cook mushrooms and onion 8-10 minutes until softened and browned. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
Sprinkle flour over the mushroom mixture and cook 1-2 minutes. Gradually whisk in stock and cream.
Simmer 5-6 minutes until thickened. Season with salt and pepper.
Preheat oven to 190C/375F. Fold the blanched green beans into the sauce and transfer to a baking dish.
Sprinkle half the crispy fried onions over the top.
Bake 20 minutes, then top with remaining fried onions and bake 5 more minutes until golden and bubbling.
Serve hot straight from the dish.
Blanch the green beans only until crisp-tender, since they continue cooking in the oven and can turn mushy if already fully cooked going in.
Add the crispy fried onions in two stages -- some folded partway through baking and more on top at the very end -- for maximum crunch.
Build the mushroom sauce from scratch for a fresher, more nuanced flavor than the classic canned-soup shortcut, though both are valid approaches to this dish.
Use fresh green beans blanched at home rather than canned for a fresher texture and flavor.
Add a splash of soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce to the sauce for extra umami depth.
Make homemade crispy fried onions by thinly slicing and frying onion rings if store-bought aren't available.
Refrigerate up to 3 days in an airtight container. Reheat covered in a 180C/350F oven for 15-20 minutes, adding fresh fried onions on top before serving to restore crunch.
Green bean casserole was created in 1955 by Dorcas Reilly, a home economist at the Campbell's Soup Company test kitchen, specifically designed to showcase cream of mushroom soup, and it has since become one of the most iconic and enduring dishes on the American Thanksgiving table.
Yes -- assemble the casserole (without the final layer of fried onions) up to a day ahead, refrigerate, and bake when ready, adding the onions in the last few minutes of baking.
The green beans may not have been drained well after blanching, or the sauce wasn't thickened enough. Drain the beans thoroughly and make sure the sauce coats a spoon before combining.
Yes -- drain them well and skip the blanching step, adjusting baking time down slightly since they're already fully cooked.
Per serving (220g / 7.8 oz) · 6 servings total
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