I make the same Green Bean Casserole every year for Thanksgiving and I know a lot of you guys have been making it for years as well! I know they say don’t mess with perfection, but I decided to play around with the classic recipe this year and landed on this version. It’s pretty similar to the original, except we’re adding extra onions and getting them nice and caramelized before assembling the casserole. The extra effort results in a delicious upgrade to the classic with melty onions, sharp cheddar cheese and a crunchy topping that will transform the forgotten veggie side into the star of the show!
Ingredients and Substitutions
How to Make It
Storing
Tips
Reasons to Love It
Casserole Recipe
The star of the show, these green beans should be the freshest, plumpest ones you can get your hands on.
Yellow onions caramelize really nicely, so I’d recommend them over sweet or white onions for this recipe.
You might know them as baby bellas, button, or cremini mushrooms. Fresh mushrooms are my version’s swap for the traditional cream of mushroom soup. It still gives it that umami flavor without making it too heavy.
You need something to help thicket the casserole, so I use arrowroot starch or tapioca flour. You could also use 2 tablespoons of all purpose flour as a substitute.
The creamy component comes from half and half, which I like in this casserole instead of heavy cream because it is a little less thick and has a milder flavor.
I use sharp cheddar cheese in this classic green bean casserole, but you could use mild or medium depending on how much of that sharp tang you want.
Panko breadcrumbs make the best topping because they’re light, extra, and extra crunchy. If you don’t have panko, you can use regular bread crumbs or extra fried onions or shallots instead.
With all the chaos of Thanksgiving, it’s definitely easiest to just buy some fried onions at the store when you do your shopping.
Freshly grated parmesan gives the casserole topping a nice crispy, cheesy, salty crust that completes the cheddar in this casserole perfectly.
Rinse green beans, chop ends off and cut in half. Bring about 8 cups of water to a boil, & boil green beans for 8 minutes, until just tender (but not soft!) Drain and set aside.
Melt the butter or oil in a large deep skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 40 minutes or until onions are dark brown and caramelized. Add a splash of water if the onions start sticking to the pan.
Turn the heat to medium and add the mushrooms, stirring occasionally until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and mushrooms and stir to combine. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Stir in the half and half, cheddar cheese, salt, and pepper, and stir until smooth. Once mixture is combined and thickened, add your green beans and stir to combine. Transfer mixture to a lightly greased 9×9-inch casserole dish.
For the topping, melt the butter in a small bowl, then mix in the breadcrumbs, fried onions, parmesan, a pinch of salt, and a few cracks of pepper. Spread on top of the casserole evenly.
Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown. Enjoy!
You can store your leftover green bean casserole in the same dish you baked it in once it’s completely cooled. Simply cover it with foil and store in the fridge for 4-5 days.
The best way to reheat a casserole like this with a crunchy topping is to reheat it in the oven. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Keep the dish loosely covered with foil to keep it from drying out and bake for 15 to 25 minutes until completely warmed through. Remove the foil, add a fresh handful of crispy fried onions, and bake for another 5 minutes or broil on low for 3 minutes until crisp and golden brown again on top. Keep a close eye on the broiler as it will turn quickly.
To make ahead, follow the instructions through step 5. When ready to serve, make the topping and bake.
Hi, I’m Carissa Stanton aka @broccyourbody. I run my food blog full time out of Los Angeles, CA.
