Classic Green Bean Casserole

5 from 59 votes

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By: Jill Mills Updated: Dec 31, 2024

Made with canned green beans, cream of mushroom soup, and fried onions, this Classic Green Bean Casserole is always a hit on the holiday table. Ready in 30 minutes, with just 5 minutes of prep!

I can’t remember a Thanksgiving dinner that didn’t feature this classic green bean casserole. It even makes the Christmas and Easter dinner tables most of the time too!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Easy. While there are many different green bean casserole recipes out there, this one is my favorite because it’s quick and easy. It takes practically no effort to put this recipe together.
• Uses canned beans. I use canned green beans because a) it’s easier and b) it reduces the cook time.
• Perfect for busy cooking days. When it’s Thanksgiving Day and I’m trying to cook 10 dishes at once…well, anything that is easy and doesn’t take up the oven all day is a win in my book!
• You only need one dish! But my favorite part of this recipe? The only dish you need to dirty is the baking dish. I mix everything right in the baking dish, spread it all out, and pop it in the oven.

What You’ll Need

This easy green bean casserole recipe is made with just 5 ingredients. Here’s a quick look at what you’ll need. Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for a printable list.

• Cream of mushroom soup – Cream of chicken or really any “cream of” soup will work as well.
• Milk – Whatever milk you have on hand will work just fine.
• Soy sauce – This is my secret ingredient that adds just a bit of saltiness and enhances the savory flavor.
• Black pepper – To taste. Note that since the soy sauce and canned green beans are a bit salty, I don’t add additional salt and recommend giving it a taste test before you do as well.
• Green beans – I used canned green beans for this recipe. See below for options on frozen and fresh beans.
• Fried onions – I used French’s fried onions but any brand of crispy fried onions works just fine.

Can I Use Fresh or Frozen Green Beans Instead?

I like to use canned green beans in this recipe because it’s faster and easier. But, if you prefer your green bean casserole with fresh green beans or have some frozen ones you’d like to use, you definitely can.

To use fresh or frozen green beans in this recipe, you’ll need to blanch them first. To do this, drop them into boiling water for about 3 minutes until just slightly tender. Drain and transfer to an ice bath, then drain and dry off any excess water before continuing with the recipe.

You will also need to increase the bake time to 30-40 minutes, to ensure the beans fully cook.

Topping Variations

Everyone who loves a classic green bean casserole knows the most common topping is French’s Fried Onions. The crunchy texture and great flavor has almost become synonymous with the dish. However, there are a few other options you can try if anyone in your family isn’t a big fan of fried onions (AKA my children).

Here are a few other tasty topping options for your green bean casserole:

• Crushed Ritz Crackers
• Panko Bread Crumbs
• Parmesan + Bread Crumbs

You may lose the onion flavor but you’ll still get the crunchy topping from all of these!

Can I Make This Green Bean Casserole in Advance?

Absolutely, it’s one of the best things about this dish! You can prepare your green bean casserole up to 1 day in advance. Just combine the ingredients, add them to the baking dish, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. Allow it to sit on the counter for 20 minutes or so before baking, to bring it to room temperature, or you may need to add a few extra minutes to the baking time.

Serving Suggestions

This holiday staple and always goes well next to a Thanksgiving turkey or Christmas ham. That said, don’t limit yourself to the holidays! You can definitely enjoy this with steak or chicken breast throughout the year.

This also goes well with other holiday sides, like sweet potato casserole and biscuits. I love using biscuits or dinner rolls to soak up every bit of the creamy soup mixture left on my plate.

How to Store & Reheat Extras

• Store in the fridge: Leftovers can be covered tightly and refrigerated for up to 3 days.
• Can I freeze it? Green bean casserole can also be frozen, though it’s best to do it so without the onions. Wrap tightly with plastic and foil, then freeze for 2 months. Thaw overnight then reheat in the oven.
• To reheat the entire pan: Cover with foil and place in the oven at 350F. It usually takes about 20 minutes to reheat completely. Add more onions if desired.
• Reheating individual servings: Individual servings can be reheated in the microwave.

More Thanksgiving Side Dishes:

• Honey Butter Skillet Corn
• Instant Pot Cranberry Butter 
• Cornbread Dressing 
• Crockpot Mashed Potatoes 
• Baked Mac and Cheese

5 from 59 votes

Classic Green Bean Casserole

Made with canned green beans, cream of mushroom soup, and fried onions, this Classic Green Bean Casserole is always a hit on the holiday table. Ready in 30 minutes, with just 5 minutes of prep!

Servings: 12 servings

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 30 minutes mins

Total: 40 minutes mins

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Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 10.5 ounce cans cream of mushroom soup (cream of chicken works well too!)
• ▢ 1 cup milk
• ▢ 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• ▢ black pepper to taste
• ▢ 5 14.5 ounce cans of green beans drained
• ▢ 2-3 cups french fried onions such as French’s

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350F.
• In a 13×9″ baking dish, combine the cream of mushrooms soup, milk, soy sauce, pepper, and green beans.
• Bake for 25 minutes.
• Top with the fried onions and bake an additional 5 minutes.

Last Step:

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Nutrition

Calories: 115kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 296mg | Potassium: 297mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 795IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 1mg

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