Green bean casserole with water chestnuts and soy sauce

This Green Bean Casserole recipe is a classic holiday side dish that needs just a few minutes of prep and can be made with fresh, frozen, or canned green beans.

Tender green beans are tossed in a shortcut creamy mushroom sauce with cheese and crispy fried onions. Top this casserole with more crispy onions and bake until bubbly.

This is the perfect side dish to serve along with your roast turkey for the perfect meal!

A Classic Holiday Casserole

I love green bean casserole. This is a version of the Campbells green bean casserole developed by Dorcas Reilley in the test kitchen! Most of us have grown up on a version of this, we had it every Thanksgiving. It reminds me of childhood and I love it, although I do love a from scratch green bean casserole too!

• Super simple prep, about 5 minutes making this the easiest side dish ever.
• Perfect for additions from water chestnuts to garlic or even bacon.
• Can be prepped ahead, placed in a baking dish, and baked just before serving.
• Top with crispy onions or even a buttery Panko topping with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

Ingredients in Green Bean Casserole

GREEN BEANS For this recipe, you can use fresh, frozen, or canned. Canned will provide a softer casserole while fresh or frozen add have a bit more texture (and need more salt added to the recipe). If using fresh or frozen, cook your beans until tender-crisp, about 5 minutes for frozen and 8 minutes for fresh. You can skip the boiling for frozen green beans but I prefer the texture if they’ve cooked a bit first.

MUSHROOM SOUP The addition of the mushroom soup is what makes this recipe so easy (and is the base of the creamy mushroom sauce). If you can’t have mushrooms, any “cream of” soup will work just fine in this recipe or you can use homemade condensed mushroom soup or chicken soup!

CRISPY ONIONS Crispy Fried Onions (or french fried onions) are essential to this recipe (so much that it’s even sometimes known as French’s Green Bean Casserole)! If you’ve never had them, these onions are delish and great on all kinds of casseroles, burgers, and more! They’re added both in and on this casserole!

CHEDDAR CHEESE This is optional but honestly, like most things, this is better with cheese. I highly recommend adding it!

Variations

• Make your own homemade mushroom cream sauce instead of canned.
• Add a clove of minced garlic, some roasted garlic, or a dash garlic powder.
• Simmer the green beans in chicken broth. Reserve the drained chicken broth for making your stuffing!

How To Make Green Bean Casserole

There’s a reason this dish has been around for years, it’s simple. It’s delicious. Perfect in every way.

1. Cook beans if they’re fresh or frozen. (drain them if they’re canned)
2. Mix sauce Combine mushroom soup, milk, soy sauce, and pepper (per recipe below).
3. Toss together with green beans, some crispy onions, and cheese.
4. Top & Bake Top with more crispy onions and bake until golden and bubbly!

Voila!

To Prepare Ahead of Time

This dish can be made up to 48 hours ahead of time. Prepare as directed except leave the crispy onion topping in a separate container so they don’t get soggy. I usually place them in a sealed sandwich bag right in the dish and sprinkle before baking.

Remove the dish from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before baking. If it’s really chilled, you may need to add up to 10 minutes extra cook time.

If you’re heading to someone else’s house for dinner, do everything except the last 10 minutes of baking and bring it along with you covered in tin foil! Top with crispy onions and bake until hot and bubbly!

How Long To Cook Green Bean Casserole

Green bean casserole only takes about 40 minutes and only 5 of that is prep! You can make green bean casserole up to a day in advance and keep it in the fridge until you bake it, saving you precious time during the rest of dinner prep. Keep in mind if your green bean casserole has been in the fridge, you will likely need to add some extra time!

While I do sometimes take the time to make a Fresh Green Bean Casserole from scratch, I have to admit, this recipe takes me back to childhood. I love the flavors and the simplicity!

More Turkey Dinner Sides

• Sweet Potato Casserole – Classic casserole recipe!
• Easy Stuffing Recipe
• Corn Casserole – Easy favorite!
• Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Bacon
• Glazed Carrots
• The Best Mashed Potatoes – Turkey Day Staple!

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

Top 6 green bean casserole with water chestnuts and soy sauce edited by Family Cuisine