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Baked GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE

Course Crock Pot, Vegetables
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 6 to 12 people

Ingredients

GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE

  • 2 lb green beans fresh, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 batch mushroom alfredo sauce (see below)
  • 1 batch crispy onion topping (see below)

CRISPY ONION TOPPING

  • 1 tbs butter or olive oil, divided
  • 1 medium red onion peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese freshly grated
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper freshly ground

MUSHROOM ALFREDO SAUCE

  • 2 tbs butter or olive oil
  • 8 oz baby bella mushrooms thinly sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced or pressed
  • 3 tbs all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup milk (I used 2%, but any milk will do)
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt fine
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper freshly ground

Instructions

  • Preheat oven. Heat oven to 375°F.
  • Trim, cut and briefly boil the green beans. Heat a large stockpot of water over high-heat until boiling. Meanwhile, trim and cut the green beans. Then add the beans to the boiling water and cook for 3-5 minutes, depending on how crispy you like your green beans. (Keep in mind that the beans will cook more in the oven, so err on the side of undercooking them to your taste during this step.) Then use a slotted spoon or large strainer to transfer the beans immediately into a large bowl of ice water, and give them a quick stir. This will prevent them from cooking longer. Set aside.
  • Prepare your crispy onion topping. Melt 1/2 tablespoon butter (or olive oil) in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is partially cooked but still holds its shape. (You don’t want the onion to get too soft.) Transfer the onion to a clean bowl. Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter to the sauté pan, along with the panko, and stir to combine. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly until the panko is lightly golden. Remove from heat, and transfer the panko to the bowl with the onions. Add in the Parmesan, salt, and pepper, and toss the onion mixture until evenly combined. Set aside.
  • Prepare your mushroom alfredo sauce. Briefly rinse and dry the sauté pan. Then return it to the stove. Melt the butter over medium-high heat. Then add the mushrooms and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and soft. Add the garlic and sauté for 1-2 more minutes, stirring occasionally, until fragrant. Stir in the flour and sauté for 1 more minute, stirring occasionally. Then add in the vegetable stock, and stir until the flour is evenly dissolved. Add the milk and Parmesan, and stir to combine. Continue cooking the sauce until it reaches a simmer and thickens. Then remove from heat, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Put it all together! Combine the green beans and mushroom alfredo sauce in the stockpot, and stir the green bean mixture until evenly combined. Transfer to a 9 x 13-inch baking dish, and spread the green bean mixture out in an even layer. Sprinkle evenly with the crispy onion topping mixture.
  • Bake. Then bake for about 25 minutes, or until the crispy onion topping is golden and crispy. (Keep an eye on it so that it does not burn. If it does start to char, simply lay a piece of aluminum foil on top of the casserole.)
  • Serve warm. Remove from the oven and serve warm, garnished with extra freshly-cracked black pepper (plus maybe some parsley) if you’d like.

Notes

 GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE

This easy Green Bean Casserole recipe is made from scratch with lightened-up ingredients, it’s nice and fresh and crispy, and it is full of the absolute best flavors.  Always a crowd fave!
Best Green Bean Casserole Recipe
POSSIBLE VARIATIONS:
There all sorts of ways that you can customize this fresh green bean casserole recipe.  For example, feel free to:
  • Make it gluten-free. To make gluten-free green bean casserole, be sure to use certified gluten-free panko breadcrumbs.  And in place of the all-purpose flour, use a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend.
  • Make it vegan.  To make vegan green bean casserole, use olive oil or vegan butter (in place of butter) and plain plant-based milk (instead of cow’s milk).  Then you can either omit the Parmesan altogether, sub vegan cheese in its place, or sprinkle in some nutritional yeast to taste.
  • Add a kick.  Want to add a little heat to this casserole?  I love adding a finely-diced jalapeño to the onion topping.  Or you can just sprinkle some crushed red pepper flakes into the mushroom sauce.
  • Add bacon.  I mean, I’m never going to turn down a green bean casserole with bacon.  ;)  Feel free to dice and fry up some bacon to add to this casserole if you would like.  And for extra flavor, use the leftover bacon grease to sauté the onions and mushrooms.
  • Add extra cheese.  For extra flavor, feel free to stir some cheese (such as smoked gouda, cheddar, feta, blue, or goat cheese) into the green bean filling.
  • Add Cajun seasoning.  I also really love adding in a few teaspoons of Cajun seasoning (or Old Bay seasoning) to the Alfredo sauce too.  It adds a nice extra kick and pairs well with all of the other flavors in this casserole.
Many of you have also asked in the past for a CrockPot green bean casserole recipe.  And unfortunately, I just don’t think that this one translates very well to the slow cooker.  (The cream sauce needs to be cooked on the stove, and the onion topping really needs to be crisped up in the oven.)  So I vote to go the traditional route with this one.
HOW TO MAKE AHEAD OR STORE GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE:
Make-Ahead Instructions: If you happen to be making this easy green bean casserole recipe for Thanksgiving — or any day of the year — and would like to prep it ahead of time, no problem!  Just follow the recipe until you get to the baking step.  And instead of placing the baking dish in the oven, cover it tightly with foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.  Then once you are ready to bake the casserole, uncover and bake as directed.
How To Refrigerate: If you have leftovers after the casserole has already been baked, just refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.  (Unfortunately., the alfredo sauce does not freeze well, so I do not recommend freezing this casserole.)
How To Reheat: Then to reheat this cooked casserole, just pop it back in the oven at 350°F until heated through, about 15-20 minutes.  (Keep an eye on the casserole, and if the topping starts to get too toasty, just lay a piece of aluminum foil lightly over the top of the casserole.)