Green bean casserole never graced the Thanksgiving table of my youth. It was one of those things I only ever had at other peoples houses and gatherings. At it’s simplest and most processed, it’s a mix of canned soup, green beans, and canned fried onions…and, I loved it.
Fast forward to adulthood, and I can’t really get with canned, cream-of-whatever soups anymore. They just don’t do it for me–too bland, yet somehow too salty, as well. I can, however, get with those crazy fried onion dudes…so, I made the soup and stuck with the store-bought, french-fried alliums*, and ditched the canned beans for fresh ones.
The soup starts with mushrooms, plus some shallot and garlic for flavor, and is finished with an odd-yet-totally appropriate mix of chicken stock, fish sauce, and a little half & half. I first sweat, then caramelize the mushrooms–which seems counterintuitive, but it makes for little nubs of mushroom that are super nutty and flavorful. The fish sauce adds savory depth and zero fishy-weirdness.
This casserole is a nod toward the original, but with better flavor, layered richness, and a fresher, more vegetal profile from the fresh beans and homemade mushroom soup. The crunchy topping is everything you remember (and love) of the classic version, with a little bit of an update underneath.
*You can go with the OG French’s brand of onions, but there are a number of store-brand options out there. I have, personally, had good luck with the Trader Joe’s version.
Updated Green Bean Casserole
Since the soup part of the original casserole is the sodium-flavored-condensed-variety, I wanted the soup base for this to be super flavorful. My secret addition is a bit of fish sauce for another layer of savoriness–you can leave it out (along with subbing veg stock for chicken) if you want to go vegetarian or don’t have fish sauce on hand. I like to keep a bottle on hand in the refrigerator for asian dishes–a little goes a long way and it keeps well. I also added turmeric–I add it to a lot of things since it’s good for the brain, it just adds a warm color to the sauce and the faintest earthiness, but it’s totally optional here.
“Condensed” Creamy Mushroom Soup:
2 teaspoons olive oil
8 ounces cremini (brown) mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
1 large shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons butter, unsalted
2 Tablespoons flour
1/8 teaspoon turmeric
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
salt
pepper
2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon fish sauce (optional)
1 Tablespoon half and half
Casserole:
1 lb. green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 recipe creamy mushroom soup
1 1/4 cups french fried onions
In a medium to large saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chopped mushrooms to the pan and season lightly with salt–the mushrooms should release a good amount of liquid after salting–continue to cook until the mushroom liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms bits begin to take on some caramelized color and turn fragrant, stirring occasionally. Add the shallot and stir, cook until shallot is translucent and beginning to soften. Add the garlic, stir, and cook about 1 minute. Add the butter to the pan to melt, stir in the flour, along with turmeric and cayenne (if using), to make a roux. Cook for 1-2 minutes to cook out the raw-flour flavor. Stir together the chicken stock, fish sauce (if using), and half & half. Begin adding the chicken stock mixture to the mushroom-roux mixture, stirring out any lumps, until all of the liquid is incorporated. Taste and season accordingly with salt and pepper. Continue cooking the soup base until it begins to bubble and has thickened a bit. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a large pot of salted, boiling water, cook green beans for about 2-3 minutes, until just tender. Drain the beans and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350*F.
In a large mixing bowl, combine green beans with the soup base, mix to coat well. Add about 1/4 cup crushed, french fried onions, and mix to combine. Pour the green bean mixture into a baking dish and bake for 30 minutes, until the casserole is bubbling. Remove from oven, top with remaining french fried onions, and continue to bake another 5 minutes until the topping is crisp and golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool 5-10 minutes before serving.
Megan
This looks super good. Nothing’s scarier than the gray canned variety of cream of mushroom soup!
cindy
the horror!
Abby@ The Frosted Vegan
Just the idea of that cream of mushroom soup makes me cringe! This looks sooo much more flavorful than that blob of goop!
cindy
agreed! I’m glad you think so, too 🙂
jenny
oh wow. this looks about a thousand times more delicious than the original gloppy, gelatinous casserole with mushy, mealy green beans. (I always avoided that stuff, though I did like to pick the crispy onions off the top.) now the only question will be whether I can find decent enough green beans to make this happen. yummy!
cindy
thanks, Jenny! I ended up using a package of haricots verts, as the bulk green beans at the store were looking sad.
Rachel (Two Healthy Plates)
Green bean casserole was never a staple in my house when I was growing up. I’ve had it a few times as an adult but this version looks soooo much better! Those fried onions are the best part =)
cindy
the onions really are the best part! thanks, Rachel!
phoebe
the old school recipe is my husbands favorite and I’ll be sure to try and sneak this recipe past him! yum
cindy
yes! I hope you do!
tara
Oh my god I love green bean casserole! Thank you for this recipe!
cindy
yay! Thank YOU!
Vanessa Vancour
Yum! I’m going to try this for Thanksgiving this year. Thanks!
cindy
yay! let me know 🙂
Laura Dembowski
Homemade green bean casserole sounds wonderful! I bet that would fly off the table st any Thanksgiving.
cindy
Thanks, Laura!
Jessica
um, could your pictures BE any more gorgeous!! this looks phenomenal. love love love.
cindy
yay! Thank you, Jessica!
NicoleD
This sounds so good, Cindy! Your soup is such a pretty brown instead of that gray weirdness. Good call on this update 🙂
natalie @ The SoHo
I love that you turned this dish into something I actually want to eat. Yum!
cindy
yes! this is the best comment! Thanks, Natalie!
Averie @ Averie Cooks
Now this is a pretty, fun, fresh green bean casserole!
cindy
Thank you, Averie!
Katie @ Blonde Ambition
My mom is famous for her green bean casserole, which is the standard green beans + cream of mushroom soup + French fried onions. I have always hated canned green beans, and always ask her to use fresh ones. Just using fresh ones makes the dish so much better. I bet the homemade soup puts it over the top!
cindy
my mom is the same way about things…sometimes you just have to let it go, haha! thanks, Katie!
Lexie
Thank you for this recipe, we all enjoyed this version!
cindy
great! I am so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for letting me know Lexie!