Green Bean Casserole is a traditional American holiday side dish, but this from-scratch version takes the familiar favorite well beyond the canned-soup variety. Fresh green beans are blanched until tender-crisp, then combined with mushrooms and a creamy sauce made with chicken broth, half-and-half, garlic, and nutmeg. The casserole is finished with crispy homemade onions for the crunchy topping everyone expects.
The homemade onion topping is one of the things that makes this green bean casserole stand out. Thinly sliced onions are tossed with flour, panko bread crumbs, and kosher salt, then baked until golden brown and crisp. Making the topping separately allows the onions to develop plenty of crunch before some are stirred into the casserole and the rest are layered over the top.
A 12-inch cast iron skillet is the key piece of equipment for this recipe. The mushrooms are cooked directly in the skillet before garlic, nutmeg, flour, chicken broth, and half-and-half are added to create the creamy sauce. The blanched green beans are then stirred into that sauce, the crispy onions are added, and the entire casserole goes into the oven until bubbling.
This green bean casserole takes a little more preparation than the classic shortcut version, but the payoff is a creamy, flavorful side dish with fresh green beans, savory mushrooms, and genuinely crispy onions. It’s an excellent choice for Thanksgiving and other holiday meals, but because it doesn’t rely on canned soup, it’s also easy enough to serve alongside an everyday dinner.
Serve this Green Bean Casserole with Turkey Chile-Citrus Butter or our recipe for Thanksgiving Turkey. Also pairs well with Garlic Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes, Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes or Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes.
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Green Bean Casserole
- Total Time: 1:10
- Yield: 4-6 1x
Ingredients
For the topping:
- 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons panko bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Nonstick cooking spray
For beans and sauce:
- 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 1 pound fresh green beans, rinsed, trimmed and halved
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 12 ounces mushrooms, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup half-and-half
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.
- Combine the onions, flour, panko and salt in a large mixing bowl and toss to combine. Coat a sheet pan with nonstick cooking spray and evenly spread the onions on the pan. Place the pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake until golden brown, approximately 30 minutes. Toss the onions 2 to 3 times during cooking. Once done, remove from the oven and set aside until ready to use. Turn the oven down to 400 degrees F.
- While the onions are cooking, prepare the beans. Bring a gallon of water and 2 tablespoons of salt to a boil in an 8-quart saucepan. Add the beans and blanch for 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and immediately plunge the beans into a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside.
- Melt the butter in a 12-inch cast iron skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to give up some of their liquid, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and nutmeg and continue to cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute. Add the broth and simmer for 1 minute. Decrease the heat to medium-low and add the half-and-half. Cook until the mixture thickens, stirring occasionally, approximately 6 to 8 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and stir in 1/4 of the onions and all of the green beans. Top with the remaining onions. Place into the oven and bake until bubbly, approximately 15 minutes. Remove and serve immediately.
- Prep Time: :25
- Cook Time: :45
- Category: Side DIsh
- Method: Stove / Oven