The Best Green Bean Casserole – Old Fashioned Recipe (Easy!)

Green Bean Casserole is a classic Thanksgiving and Christmas side dish that my family looks forward to each year! I love this perfectly crispy and flavorful casserole so much… In fact, I’m pretty sure I eat more of this tasty dish than anything else on my plate at Thanksgiving! I love it so much (and so does my family) that I also make it for Christmas and big family dinners! It only takes a few minutes to put together and feeds a large crowd!

Green Bean Casserole Ingredients

• 6 cups cooked green beans
• 2 cups cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 heaping cups on crispy fried onions!!!

Green Beans

I really prefer to use fresh green beans as opposed to canned!!! Fresh is best and if fresh green beans are not an option, the next best is frozen green beans. (Canned green beans are the last choice here!)

Fresh green beans need to be trimmed and steamed just till tender. Remember they will cook more in the oven after you put the casserole together.

Cream Of Mushroom Soup

You can use homemade cream of mushroom soup or canned here.

To Make Cream of Mushroom Soup: Use 2 tablespoons butter, an 8 ounce Package of sliced white button mushrooms. 3/4 cups of chicken stock, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder,1/2 teaspoon finely diced garlic, 1/2 cup whole milk, 1/4 cup flour, and salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

• In a medium to large saucepan melt butter over medium-high heat til foaming.
• Add mushrooms and saute til they release their liquid, about 5 minutes. 
• Add chicken stock, your onion powder, and finely diced garlic.
• Bring mixture to a simmer. 
• In a smaller bowl, whisk whole milk & flour together.
• Whisk milk mixture and simmer til soup thickens, about 1 minute. 
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Ground Black Pepper

Cream of mushroom soup and the crispy onions already have salt, so all you really need to add to this casserole is ground black pepper. The pepper compliments the green bean, cream of mushroom, and onion flavors perfectly!

Onion Powder

Adding just a teaspoon of onion powder really kicks the flavor up a notch from other green bean casseroles. The main flavors here are onion, and green beans, so adding a bit of onion powder enhances those flavors!

Crispy Onions

Crispy onions are the 2nd most important ingredient in this classic Thanksgiving dish! They add fat (which enhances the flavor even more) flavor and texture!

To Make Homemade Crispy Onions Use: 2.5 cups buttermilk. 4 cups thin sliced onions, or small halves, and small rings of smaller sized onions. 3 cups flour, 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, and 4 cups AVACADO oil.

• Soak your sliced onions in buttermilk for 10-15 minutes. 
• On a plate or in a shallow dish add: salt & pepper, and flour and mix it well with a fork. 
• In a large skillet, heat your avacado oil up over medium heat to 375 degrees. 
• If you don’t have a thermometer, test to see if oil is ready for frying by flicking a drop or two water into the oil… If it spits and bubbles lowdly, it’s ready!
• Coat buttermilk soaked onion slices in the flour mixture til they are well coated, and add them to the hot oil.
• Frying onions in smaller batches til they are golden brown, then remove them form the oil and place them on paper towels to drain.   
• Let cool and Enjoy!

Directions

Trim and steam 6 cups of green beans, and add them to a large mixing bowl.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Add your cream of mushroom soup, onion powder, milk pepper, and 1/2 the crispy onions, and stir everything together till all incorporated.

Butter a 9×11 casserole dish.

Pour green bean mixture into a casserole dish, and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Open the oven and evenly spread the other heaping cup of crispy onions to the top of your casserole.

Bake for 5-10 more minutes till fried onions are golden and heated. (make sure not to burn the onions on top!)

Remove from oven, let cook for 5 minutes and Enjoy!

What To Serve With Green-Bean Casserole

On Thanksgiving and Christmas, I serve this awesome dish with candied yams, sweet potato casserole, a roasted turkey breast, homemade bread or sourdough rolls, mashed potatoes and homemade gravy, a broccoli salad, old fashioned pecan pie, apple pie, and pumpkin pie!

For Christmas dinner and other special occasions, I serve this with roast beef, potatoes, and homemade gravy, a berry fruit salad, homemade rolls, and chocolate cake!

However you decide to serve this, it will be a hit because it’s so good all on it’s own!

Don’t forget to print your free Thanksgiving Coloring Pages to keep everyone busy while you’re cooking!

Print Your Recipe Card!

How To Serve Green Bean Casserole

I serve this green bean casserole with Thanksgiving Dinner including A Big Roasted Turkey, a big side of turkey stuffing, cranberry sauce, homemade sourdough rolls, mashed potatoes and gravy, apple pie, and pumpkin pie!

I also have free printable turkey coloring pages to keep the littles busy while your cook! Hope you have a blessed Thanksgiving with family and friends this year!