Fresh Green Bean Casserole From Scratch (no soup)
Green bean casserole from scratch is a holiday classic made fresh. Fresh green beans give it a much more lively pop of fresh vegetable flavor. The mushroom sauce/soup lets you control the salt and herb additions from scratch.
Why You’ll Love This
Green bean casserole is required to be on our table for every holiday. We have always made the original green bean casserole recipe from the cans.
I wanted to make it with a little fewer processed ingredients. This recipe was a perfect fresh replacement for truly homemade green bean casserole!
Creamy, delicious, and full of traditional flavors and completely from scratch! Well, with the exception of the fried onions.
- It uses fresh ingredients.
- No mushy canned green beans!
- It does not use cans of condensed cream of mushroom soup. This recipe makes homemade cream of mushroom soup (sauce).
- You control the amount of salt and the texture of the green beans.
- Better tasting and better for you.
- Simple and easy to make.
As mentioned before the green bean casserole is a requirement on our Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner table as is the dry brined turkey, sweet potato casserole, broccoli rice and cheese casserole, and creamy carrot souffle.
How To Make Green Bean Casserole From Scratch
Cook the green beans in salted water for 5-7 minutes. Remove to an ice water bath, cool, and drain.
Blanching for a minute or two doesn’t cook them long enough for our taste. If you prefer them still to be crunchy, then by all means, just blanch for about 2 minutes.
No canned cream of mushroom soup here!
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Saute the onions until soft, add garlic and saute another minute. Add the mushrooms and continue sauteing until some of the moisture is released for about 5 minutes.
Sprinkle the flour on top, stir and cook for another 1-2 minutes to cook out the flour taste.
Add the stock, fresh thyme, bay leaf, Worcestershire, salt, and black pepper. Simmer for about 3 minutes.
Reduce the heat, add the heavy cream, stir and continue simmering until the sauce thickens to your desired consistency. Stirring occasionally. Usually 10-15 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if desired.
Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs from the sauce. Pour the sauce over the green beans, and stir to coat evenly.
Pour the green bean mixture into a 9×13 baking dish. Sprinkle the French fried onions over the top and bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.
Let rest about 5-10 minutes before serving this fresh Thanksgiving side dish.
Serve and enjoy the holiday dinner with your friends and family!
Tips
- If you don’t like mushrooms just skip adding them and move on to adding the flour.
- To make it vegetarian use vegetable stock.
FAQ
Yes. Prepare the green bean casserole as instructed up to baking without the onions added. Allow to cool then store refrigerated. The next day set out for an hour. Add the onions as instructed, then bake at 350 degrees F. for 15-20 minutes until bubbling and golden brown.
Let the green bean casserole cool to room temperature, cover tightly, or place in an air-tight container, and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
You can freeze the casserole with or without (I suggest without) the fried onions on top for up to 3 months. Prepare the recipe as directed, allow to cool to room temperature, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to bake thaw overnight in the refrigerator, add the onions, and bake as directed.
Crushed-up Ritz© crackers or breadcrumbs mixed with butter make a great substitute.
Other Delicious Traditional Holiday Side Dishes
Best Green Bean Casserole From Scratch Recipe (no soup)
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh green beans rinsed, trimmed and snapped
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 medium onion
- 8 oz Baby Bella mushrooms cleaned and sliced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven 350 degrees.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add salt and green beans. Cook 5-7 minutes. Remove to an ice bath. Cool, drain thoroughly.
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter, add the onions and saute until soft, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and saute another minute.
- Add the mushrooms, saute until moisture is releasing about 4-5 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over and stir, cook another 1-2 minutes to remove the flour taste.
- Add the stock, fresh thyme, bay leaf, Worcestershire, salt, and pepper. Simmer for about 3 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the heavy cream, stir and continue simmering until the sauce thickens to your desired consistency. Usually 10-15 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs from the sauce.
- Pour the sauce over the green beans, stir to evenly coat. Pour into a 9×13 baking dish. Sprinkle the French fried onions over the top evenly.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, until browned and bubbling.
- Let rest at least 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe inspired by TheLocalPalate
I hated green bean casserole growing up because it just tasted like cream of mushroom soup. Love cream. Love mushrooms. But not a fan of the canned soup version. This looks delicious!! Yum, who wouldn’t want this creamy goodness???
I hope you try and enjoy this fresh version of the classic. Thanks for coming by, Maria!