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Everyone loves Green Bean Casserole with tender green beans and crispy fried onions in a shortcut cream sauce. It’s topped with more crispy onions and baked until browned and bubbly.

Holly’s Recipe Highlights

  • Fast prep: It needs just 5 minutes of prep—it’s the easiest side dish ever.
  • Use any kind of green beans: It can be made with fresh, frozen, or canned green beans.
  • Make ahead: Make this casserole a few days in advance and bake before serving (see notes).
  • Serve anytime: Perfect for a holiday meal or alongside a Sunday supper like meatloaf.

Ingredient Tips For Green Bean Casserole

  • Use fresh, frozen, or canned green beans:
    • Canned green beans have a softer texture and require no prep—drain and stir (personal favorite).
    • Frozen green beans require no cutting and have a tender-crisp texture. They should be boiled for about 5 minutes, and you’ll need to add extra salt.
    • Fresh green beans have a tender-crisp texture and a fresh flavor. Simmer for 8 minutes.
  • Sauce: Condensed cream of mushroom soup is the base of this casserole and makes it easy to prep. Use any flavor of “cream of” soup, such as cream of celery.
  • Crispy Fried Onions – French’s Crispy Fried Onions adds both flavor and crunch.

Variations

  • Cheese: I love to add cheddar cheese to the green bean casserole sauce. Try other favorite cheeses.
  • From Scratch: Swap out the soup for mushroom cream sauce and replace the onions with fried shallots.
  • Garlic: Add minced garlic cloves cooked in butter or ½ teaspoon of garlic powder.
  • Topping: Swap the crispy onions with ¼ cup of Panko breadcrumbs mixed with 1 tablespoon each of melted butter and Parmesan cheese.

How to Double Green Bean Casserole

To double this recipe: Prepare as directed and place in a 9×13-inch baking dish. Add 10 minutes to the cooking time.

Prep Ahead Tips For Green Bean Casserole

  1. Prepare as directed, except store the crispy onion topping in a separate container or sandwich bag. Refrigerate for up to 48 hours.
  2. Remove the casserole from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before baking.
  3. Sprinkle the onions on top, bake as directed, adding up to 10 minutes of extra cooking time if needed.

Travel Tip

If you’re taking this dish to a gathering, prepare everything as directed and skip the last 10 minutes of baking. Cover with aluminum foil, wrap it in a towel to insulate the heat, and place it in a cooler or insulated bag.

Once you arrive, top with crispy onions and bake until hot and bubbly!

Did you enjoy this Classic Green Bean Casserole? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!

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Green Bean Casserole

Tender green beans, cheese, and crispy onions are tossed in a delicious creamy sauce and then baked!
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Author Holly Nilsson

Equipment

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Ingredients  

  • 4 cups frozen cut green beans see notes for canned or fresh beans
  • 10.5 ounces condensed cream of mushroom soup 1 can
  • ½ cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon seasoned salt more to taste
  • 1½ cups crispy fried onions divided

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  • Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add the frozen green beans and boil until tender crisp, about 2 to 3 minutes.
  • In a large bowl, combine green beans with soup, milk, soy sauce, pepper, salt, 1 cup of crispy onions, and cheese if using (see notes). Transfer to a 2-quart or 8×8-inch baking dish.
  • Bake uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes or bubbly.
  • Remove from oven and stir. Top with remaining onions and return to oven for an additional 10 minutes or until golden.

Video

Notes

Green beans: Canned, fresh, or frozen beans work in this recipe. In place of frozen beans, you can use either of the following:
  • drain 2 (14 ½ ounces each) cans of cut green beans
  • 1 ½ pounds fresh green beans, trimmed and simmered for about 7-8 minutes
Optional additions:
  • 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese mixed into the sauce (favorite!)
  • fried mushrooms, onions, garlic, and/or shallots
Cheese: If adding cheese, you can mix it with the soup for a cheesy sauce or sprinkle it on top after stirring. I prefer to mix it into the sauce.
Make ahead: This casserole can be prepped up to 48 hours ahead of time—store the topping on the side until baking. Remove the casserole from the fridge for at least 30 minutes before baking. You may need to add 10 minutes of extra cooking time.
Leftovers: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. 
 
5 from 2077 votes

Nutrition Information

Calories: 112 | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 475mg | Potassium: 190mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 409IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Casserole, Side Dish
Cuisine American

© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.

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About the author

Holly Nilsson is the creator of Spend With Pennies, where she creates easy, comforting recipes made for real life. With a passion for nostalgic flavors and simplified techniques, Holly helps busy home cooks create delicious meals that always work. She is also the author of “Everyday Comfort,” which promises to inspire even more hearty, home-cooked meals.
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Comments

  1. Hi Holly, love your recipes. Can you make this ahead and freeze if so at what stage would you freeze it ?

    Reply

    1. Carole, I have not tried freezing this recipe, I would be concerned that the sauce may change consistency once thawed. If you do freeze it, I would bake after it thaws. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and bake covered at 350°F for about 35 minutes, uncovered and bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until hot.

      Reply