Easy Classic Green Bean Casserole
One of my favorite Thanksgiving dishes is this green bean casserole, made with a garlic cream sauce and crunchy, fried shallots on top. This is nothing like the stuff made from canned green beans and canned soup, this uses fresh (when you can get them) or frozen green beans and a homemade sauce. A little more work, a lot more flavor.
Green bean casserole is a popular, classic dish served on Thanksgiving. Created in the 1950’s by Dorcas Reilly of Campbell’s Soup, it was created with the intention of using ingredients most homes have on hand, namely Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup, milk, green beans, and French’s Crispy Onions. While I can appreciate the convenience of opening a few cans to make a meal, in my opinion, it will never be as good as something made from scratch using whole foods that are not over processed. Plus, once you learn to make your own bechamel sauce, or cream sauce, you’ll never go back to the can. It’s that good, and so easy to make bechamel sauce.
Ingredients
- Green beans Fresh is best, but if you can’t get fresh, frozen is second best.
- Shallots Love their mild flavor. They go both in the casserole and on top.
- Garlic The garlic flavor is so good in this dish.
- Bacon It’s optional, but you’ll really love it.
- Cheese Another indulgence, but oh so delicious. I recommend something like Gruyere or Parmesan. Don’t use the Parmesan that comes in the garish, green container. Buy a whole chuck and shred it yourself, or you can use Parmesan flakes. Usually these types of cheese are in the Deli area.
- Panko breadcrumbs Used to make the crispy shallots for the topping.
- Bechamel Sauce A delicious, creamy white sauce made with butter, flower, milk and cream.
- *Mushrooms I would be remiss if I left mushrooms off the list. Not because I like them, but because so many other people love mushrooms. I actually despise mushrooms and won’t be putting them in my finished dish. If you’re a mushroom lover, you’ll probably really enjoy them in this dish. They are part of the original recipe.
How to Make Green Bean Casserole
Step One Preheat your oven to 350 F. Get out a 9×13 pan and set aside. If you’re using fresh green beans, you’ll need to parboil them. If you’re using frozen beans, rinse them off in a colander and let them sit to drain while you prepare the rest of the dish.
Parboiling Green Beans
Parboiling just means you are precooking the beans a bit before using them so they will be softer in your dish. To parboil beans, you will need to bring a pot of water to boil, pop the beans in their for 10 minutes, and remove to an ice water bath to stop them from cooking. After a few minutes, drain them and they’ll be ready for your recipe. You’ll want to trim the ends of your beans first, and you can either leave them whole, or cut them to your desired size. You can even ‘French’ them by cutting them down the middle lengthwise.
Step Two Fry the bacon and reserve the grease. (If you want to make this vegetarian, omit the bacon.) Slice the shallots so you get rings. Press the garlic.
Step Three In a large measuring cup, add 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of cream. Set this next to the stove. In a separate, large skillet, melt two tablespoons of butter. Add flour and mix to combine. You’ll have to constantly stir so the flour/butter doesn’t burn. It will be a light brown color when fully mixed. Slowly add the milk into the flour/butter, stirring to combine. It may look a little bit grainy, but as it cooks, it will smooth out.
Step Four Once the milk has been completely stirred in with the flour mixture, add the 1/2 cup of Parmesan flakes and stir until fully incorporated. Stir in the pressed garlic. I like to also add two tablespoons, roughly, of the sliced shallots to the sauce and stir for a minute or so.
Step Five Add the beans to a large mixing bowl. Crumble the bacon into the beans. Pour the cream sauce over all of this. Add the black pepper and cumin. Mix everything together until combined. Pour this mixture evenly into a 9×13 casserole dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.
Step Six While casserole is baking, saute the shallots until soft and translucent. I like them to be a bit blackened and crunchy so I cook them for a bit longer. Combine the shallots with 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs. After 20 minutes baking, remove the casserole from the oven. Remove the foil and spread the shallot/panko mixture evenly over the top of the casserole. Put back in the oven for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Enjoy!
Why I Love This Recipe
Taste? The garlic, the cheese, the creamy sauce. What better way to eat green beans than smothered in a creamy cheese sauce bursting with garlic flavor. And the bacon! I could eat this all year.
Smell? While it doesn’t really have a strong smell while cooking, you can definitely smell it once it’s come out of the oven, and believe me, you’ll be tempted to sneak a bite before it hits the table.
Is it easy to make? This dish is pretty easy to make. There’s a bit more to it than just opening a few cans, but it’s not as hard as you would think. Go ahead and pat yourself on the back for a job well done.
Would I make it again? Yes, over and over again. I won’t wait until the holidays, either!
Frequently Asked Questions
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
I do not recommend freezing green bean casserole. Because of the cream base, it just won’t freeze well. You could easily make this the day of your event. Or, you could make the green bean mixture the day before, store it in the fridge overnight, then add it to the casserole dish the next day, make the shallot topping and then bake it according to the instructions.
Fresh green beans are best in this dish, though they are hard to come by this time of year. The ones I found in my grocery store were, lacking, to say the least. If you can find some great, fresh green beans, do so. Next best is frozen green beans. Frozen green beans are usually frozen right after picking, and are not processed like canned green beans are. I would not use canned green beans in this dish. They are over processed, include high amounts of sodium, and will be very mushy in this dish.
Other Recipes to Try
- Easy One Pot Chili with Black Beans
- Easy One Pot Leftover Carnitas Soup
- Salmon One Pan Meal with Sweet Potatoes and Asparagus
- Easy Roasted Garlic Artichoke Dip
- Easy Baked Brie with Garlic and Shallots
Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients
- 24 ounces green beans, fresh or frozen
- 5 strips bacon
- 3 cloves garlic
- 3 shallots
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup Parmesan flakes, plus some for sprinkling
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cumin
Instructions
- Make sure a rack is placed in the bottom of the oven. Preheat to 350 F. Get a 9×13 baking dish out and set aside. If you're using fresh green beans, you'll need to parboil them before using. If you're using frozen green beans, rinse them off in a colander and set aside to drain.
- In a medium saute pan, cook the bacon. Reserve the grease to cook the shallots in. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Chop the shallots into circles and press the garlic while the bacon is cooking.
- Pour 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of heavy cream into a large, glass measuring cup and set aside. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Once melted, add 2 tablespoons of flour and stir to combine. The flour/butter mixture will be light brown once mixed together. Stir frequently to be sure it does not stick to the pan.
- Pour the milk mixture into the pan with the flour/butter mixture in small additions, stirring together completely before adding more in. It will look lumpy but will smooth out as you keep stirring and cooking it.
- Once the sauce has smoothed out, add the 1/2 cup Parmesan flakes and stir until combined. Add in the pressed garlic and stir to combine.
- Add the green beans into a large mixing bowl. Add the sauce and crumbled bacon and mix to combine everything. Pour this mixture into the 9×13 casserole dish. Cover with aluminum foil and set on the middle rack in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes.
- Reserve some fresh shallots, about 2 tablespoons, and saute the rest of the shallots in the bacon grease until soft and translucent. Some of the smaller pieces will get a little crunchy, this is fine. Remove shallots onto a paper towel-lined plate to drain the grease.
- Combine the shallots with 1/2 cup of panko breadcrumbs. After 20 minutes, remove the casserole from the oven and remove the aluminum foil. Sprinkle the shallot mixture on top of the casserole and return to the oven. Bake for another 10 minutes.
- The casserole should be nice and bubbly at this point. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes. This is meant to be a side dish, but honestly, I could eat this all by itself.
Notes
- Fresh beans are my first choice for this dish. If you can’t get your hands on fresh beans, frozen will work as well. I do not recommend using canned beans.
- Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to four days.
- You can make this dish a day ahead of time and store covered in the fridge. Make the shallot topping the day you are serving the casserole.
- To parboil beans, first trim the edges and slice them to your desired length. You could also leave them whole. Then, bring a pot of water to boil, add the beans, and boil for 10 minutes. Remove the beans to an ice water bath to stop the cooking. After a few minutes, drain the beans and they are ready for your recipe.
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