Active Time
30 minutes
Total Time
1 hour 35 minutes
For many, no Thanksgiving side dish spread is complete without a homemade green bean casserole. According to Campbell’s Soup Company, which is responsible for the original recipe, it’s served at 20 million tables every year. There are nearly as many variations as there are Thanksgiving tablescapes. And sure, you could go with the tried-and-true French’s Green Bean Casserole (with canned soup and canned green beans, it’s certainly the easy choice). But upgrading to a homemade sauce and fresh green beans isn’t that much more difficult—and if you ask us, it tastes worlds better.
In 2016 test kitchen director Chris Morocco set out to develop his ideal version of the classic green bean casserole recipe. He swapped out store-bought cream of mushroom soup in favor of fresh sliced criminis and a béchamel finished with Parmesan cheese. Well-browned mushrooms are crucial for building flavor here, so he cooked them in batches, making sure not to season them until they were beautifully caramelized (salting too soon will lead to soggy, steamed mushrooms).
Then came the onion topping. You may assume Chris opted for DIY fried shallots (and you certainly could if you’re so inclined), but he threw us a curveball. According to Chris, French’s Crispy Fried Onions are famous for a reason: “They are astonishingly delicious and practically define this Thanksgiving classic,” so we let them stay.
While many a casserole dish can be made ahead of time, this green bean casserole is best made day-of, so plan accordingly and use the bake time to work on a few other perfect side dishes, like our Ultra-Creamy Mashed Potatoes, a streamlined cranberry sauce, and a cornflake-topped sweet potato casserole.
Ingredients
8 servings
2
2
1
6
4
2
1¼
1
4
½
¾
Preparation
Step 1
Place rack in middle of oven; preheat oven to 375°. Working in batches, cook 2 lb. green beans in a large pot of boiling salted water until bright green and halfway to tenderness, about 3 minutes per batch. Drain and let cool; trim stem ends.
Step 2
Heat 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Cook ½ lb. crimini mushrooms, sliced, without stirring, until golden brown underneath, about 2 minutes. Toss and continue to cook, tossing occasionally, until browned on both sides, about 3 minutes more. Add 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter and 2 large thyme sprigs to pan. Cook, tossing occasionally, until butter browns and mushrooms are dark brown and very tender, about 4 minutes longer. Season with kosher salt and transfer to a plate. Repeat with 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, salt, and remaining 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, ½ lb. crimini mushrooms, sliced, and 2 large thyme sprigs.
Step 3
Melt remaining 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter in a large saucepan over medium-low. Whisk in 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour and cook, whisking occasionally, until roux is golden brown and smells mildly nutty, about 4 minutes. Whisk in 1¼ cups whole milk and 1 cup heavy cream. Increase heat and bring to a simmer, whisking often, and cook until béchamel sauce is thick and bubbling, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in 4 garlic cloves, finely grated, and ½ cup grated Parmesan; season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
Step 4
Arrange green beans and mushrooms in a 2-qt. baking dish. Pour sauce over bean mixture (it may not look like enough, but it will get saucier as it bakes). Cover tightly with foil and bake until sauce is bubbling, 25–30 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake until casserole is lightly browned on top and around the edges, 15–20 minutes longer. Top with ¾ cup French’s fried onions and continue to bake just until onions are slightly darker and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Let sit 10 minutes to set before serving.
Editor’s note: This recipe was first printed in November 2016. Head this way for more of our best Thanksgiving dinner recipes →
Leave a Review
Reviews (189)
Back to TopGreat recipe! Followed the suggestion of adding mustard to bechamel. Not bland at all!
Natalie LeGrande
Portland, OR
12/24/2023
Great recipe overall. Definitely salt the water well for boiling as others suggested. I might keep the unsalted butter for sautéing mushrooms (mushrooms can get rubbery if you salt too early). The rest I would use salted butter. Then see at the end how much salt you need to add after Parmesan. I had to add so much salt back in at the end for it to be decent & we were still salting a little at the time of reheating. The mustard addition I might try next time. I might also be really weird and bake the onions separately so I can add them each time I have leftovers so they’ll still be crunchy. I’ve never been a green bean casserole person until this recipe so it really is lovely.
WhitneyIsh
Colorado
11/28/2023
God, I love this green bean casserole recipe. It’s truly the green bean casserole to end all other green bean casseroles. My only recommendation is to give the green beans a nice little ice bath after cooking, I find it maintains the texture of the beans better, but I’m very much against soft green beans.
Britney
Seattle, WA
11/22/2023
While I have not made this particular recipe, for years I have made a fresh green bean and fresh mushroom casserole for Thanksgiving. I make a bechamel sauce with dashes of worcestershire to liven it up. It never occurred to me to add parmesan! I always use French's Onions in the can. Attempts to frizzle leeks or fry my own onions were disasters. Salt the water you cook your beans in! I cannot wait to make this dish in a few weeks, following this recipe to the letter.
Judith
Sonoma, CA
11/2/2023
This is worth the time and effort even in the Spring. If you don't have dried onions, you can caramelise onions and use them instead. It's a great recipe and one I will keep coming back to.
BD
Vienna, Austria
4/1/2023
Amazing! I used wild mushrooms and could hardly stop tasting before baking this dish. Definitely a winner!
Lindw
Oregon
12/25/2022
I made this for our guests at Thanksgiving; they noticed the flavors at first bite. One guest said whatever you did to these greenbeans i want more and the recipe, my husband's wants a repeat for Christmas.
Claudia
Algonac, MI
12/22/2022
Made this for Thanksgiving. It’s a keeper for sure.
Joann
Boise, ID
12/4/2022
I made it twice this year and both times the dish was empty before the end of the night! I love the flavor of sautéed mushroom and the idea of using béchamel sauce instead of mushroom soup was genius. The food was flavorful. If food comes out bland I can probably think of a couple of reasons: 1. Remember to use salt water to boil green beans. Since no salt will be added directly to green beans you want to make sure the green beans have some salt on before they get mixed with the mushroom and the sauce. 2. Remember to season generously on the béchamel sauce and only season after you put in parmesan sauce, since parmesan cheese already carries a little bit of salt. You want to taste the béchamel sauce and make sure it doesn't taste bland before you pour the sauce on top of the green beans
Anonymous
Los Angeles
11/29/2022
This did not taste great. At. All.
Anonymous
Los Angeles, CA
11/29/2022
This recipe is really good! I made it this Thanksgiving and my whole family enjoyed it. It was simple yet tasty for someone who doesn’t cook as much. Highly recommend this recipe!
Anonymous
MN
11/29/2022
Best green bean casserole ever; the family loved it and wants it again. I used a mix of mushrooms - portabella, oyster, and shitake, and salted and peppered them as they cooked. I added a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce, and because I didn't have any parmesan, I used a hard cheese I had on hand. It was honestly easy and so much better than canned soup version
Cara F
Indianapolis IN
11/27/2022
First time making green bean casserole and I found the flavor bland and the texture soggy. Maybe more an issue with the dish than the recipe but we'll probably skip this for Thanksgiving going forward.
Joe
Chicago
11/27/2022
What a great recipe! I am looking forward to making this and may make one slight ingredient change--fresh asparagus (either with or without the green beans). My whole family loves asparagus as well as most of my friends.
Dave Fischer
Southern Illinois
11/27/2022
Suspicious the reviews were so low and couldn’t find a pandemic can of mushroom soup anywhere so tried this. No fresh green beans so used 2 bags of french cut frozen. Skipped the parmesan and cut the fat in 1/2. Turned out perfect! Well - pandemic perfect!
rakshashi
Albuquerque
11/26/2022