Almost Homemade Green Bean Casserole
This delicious green bean casserole recipe is loaded with fresh green beans and mushrooms (no canned ingredients here). It's gluten free, too!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on September 5, 2024
Did you grow up with green bean casserole on your Thanksgiving table? I actually did not. If we were at Grandmaโs house, she made her usual green bean side with home-grown green beans, bacon and onions, which I refused to eat because I only liked canned green beans. Cโmon, little Kate. If we were at our house, Mom heated up canned green beans with nothing else, which was exactly how I liked them.
Turkey and Great Grandmother Lucilleโs twice-baked cream cheese mashed potatoes recipe were constants either way. I really need to figure out a more redeeming version of that recipe, because it puts all other mashed potatoes to shame.
My first experience making green bean casserole was in college when I signed up to make it on our Friendsgiving menu list, for reasons that I still canโt explain. This was before I knew how to cook, so I Googled the recipe and went with one of the top picks.
Canned mushroom soup, canned green beans, canned fried onions. Easy enough to manage, but I was put off by the canned mushroom soup. I didnโt like the final result much, but my friends did, probably because thatโs what they had grown up eating.
Thatโs the extent of my green bean casserole story, until now! I have a mostly homemade green bean casserole recipe for you thatโs made with fresh green beans and mushrooms (over 2 pounds of them). I love it. The rich mushroom flavor really shines through and makes this vegetarian casserole dish taste spectacular.
I used one shortcut, which might sound a little crazy, but hear me out. I used crushed potato chips instead of homemade or store-bought fried onions, for several reasons.
For one, homemade fried onions are tricky. You have to either deep-fry them, which uses a ton of oil and makes your entire house smell like fast-food onion rings for days. Or, you can attempt one of the baked โfriedโ onion options, which produce inconsistent and not-quite-awesome results.
Store-bought fried onions tend to contain some suspect ingredients, as well as flour, which means that theyโre not gluten free. Iโm not a gluten-free eater myself, but several of my closest friends are, so the wheat in the store-bought option was problematic for Friendsgiving.
I used Kettle Brand Chipsโ amazing organic sea salt chips, which are made of organic potatoes, organic vegetable oil (safflower and/or sunflower oil) and sea salt. Man alive, theyโre so good. Donโt get me going about the necessity of air pockets in chips; Kettle Brand Chips have lots of them.
To make up for the missing onion flavor in the topping, I cooked the mushrooms with lots of chopped shallot. I used just half the amount of half-and-half that most other recipes call for, too, so the flavors really shine through. (See my recipe notes for dairy-free alternatives.) Most of the creaminess of the mushroom mixture comes from the roux, anyway, which is formed when you cook the flour in butter and add liquid.
In the making of this recipe, I learned a few tricks to making epic green bean casserole. For starters, you have to use fresh green beans. Even the pre-trimmed varieties might have some stringy bits attached, so be sure to trim those off yourself. Then, cut the green beans in half so you donโt have any extra-long green beans poking out of the casserole.
Youโll need to blanch the green beans for a few minutes before you mix them into the mushroom mixture (this step is super easy). Otherwise, your green beans will still be tough by the time the rest of the casserole is finished baking.
Another key is to lightly brown the mushrooms when you add them to the pan. That coaxes tons of savory flavor from your average grocery store baby bellas. Medium-high heat does a good job of browning the mushrooms, but soon the pan starts smoking, so just under medium-high heat is the way to go.
As weโre entering an especially indulgent season, and in light of last weekโs events, Iโve been pondering how to give back more. This year, maybe Friendsgiving can help feed kids in need.
Join Kettle Brand and sign up to host a Friendsgiving for No Kid Hungry and you can do some serious good this holiday season. I was too late to sign up our own Friendsgiving, but itโs never too late to donate. I just did, and hope youโll join me!
Almost Homemade Green Bean Casserole
This delicious green bean casserole is loaded with fresh green beans and mushrooms (no canned ingredients here). I took one shortcut with the topping and used crushed high-quality potato chips instead of fried onions. That means this recipe is significantly easier to make than home-fried onions, and itโs easy to make it gluten free. Recipe yields 6 to 8 side servings.
Ingredients
- 2 ยฝ teaspoons salt, divided
- 1 ยฝ pounds fresh green beans, rinsed, trimmed and halved
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter or olive oil
- ยพ cup chopped shallot (2 to 3 medium shallots)
- 12 ounces cremini (baby bella) mushrooms, rinsed free of debris, trimmed and cut into ยฝ-inch pieces
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- ยผ teaspoon dried thyme
- 3 tablespoons flour (I used whole wheat, use all-purpose gluten-free flour for gluten-free casserole)
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- ยฝ cup half-and-half
- 1 to 1 ยฝ cups crushed Kettle Brand Organic Potato Chips with Sea Salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Fill a large bowl with ice and water for when youโre done blanching the green beans.
- Bring a large (large!) pot of water to boil, with enough room to add the green beans. Add the green beans and 2 teaspoons of the salt. Once the mixture comes back to a boil, let the beans boil for 5 minutes. Drain the beans in a colander and immediately pour them into the bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Then, drain the beans again in your colander, and set aside to drip-dry while you prepare the rest.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter in a 12-inch cast iron skillet* set between medium and medium-high heat. Once the butter has melted and is starting to turn golden brown in places, add the shallots and mushrooms. (If using olive oil instead of butter, wait until the oil sizzles when you add a piece of mushroom.)
- Add the remaining ยฝ teaspoon salt and about 15 twists of black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to release some liquid and turn brown on the edges, about 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, while stirring constantly. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute, while stirring constantly.
- Slowly pour in the broth, while using your spoon or spatula to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 1 minute, then decrease the heat to medium-low. Add the half-and-half and cook until the mixture thickens, stirring occasionally, about 6 to 8 minutes.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the drained green beans. Evenly sprinkle the mixture with crushed chips. Bake until the edges are nice and bubbly, about 15 minutes. Serve promptly.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionistโs advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
This post was created in partnership with Kettle Brand Chips. Opinions are my own, always. Thank you for supporting the sponsors who support C+K!
This recipe is fantastic! Iโve never liked green bean casserole which is a staple at my southern holiday dinners. But this fresh take is awesome. I didnโt have any gluten free flour in the pantry so I used corn starch and it worked great. I will definitely make this again. Thank you Kate!
Iโve made this dish for multiple friendsgiving events and have had people tell me that they loved this dish, even though they thought they didnโt like green bean casserole before! Itโs delicious and the recipe is straightforward. I first made it when I was 23 and not a very strong cook, and it was very successful!
Hooray! Iโm happy to hear it. Thank you for sharing, Emma.
This casserole is delicious. Made it Christmas Eve for cChristmas day.
I canโt seem to find the recipe note for dairy free. W what do you use instead of half and half?
Hi Gina, This recipe is a few years old and unfortunately I havenโt made it through all recipes to update alternative options in a notes section. But yes, a non-dairy milk should work for this as well.
Just made this last night. I like that the ingredients are simple and fresh but the potato chips came out soggy with a weird texture when eating. I did miss the fried onions and would incorporate it next time.
In the end I added some non baked chips on top of my dish for some crunch!
Iโm sorry to hear that. Iโm glad you were able to add some crunch at the end, Joy!
Can we use something other than cream as we have some dairy free people coming to dinner.
I prefer this recipe is written. You could try with a dairy substitute, but I havenโt tried it so I canโt say for sure.
Delicious! Big hit at Thanksgiving, the flavor of the shrooms in the sauce is perfect.
Is it possible to make ahead of time and then bake on Thanksgiving?
I havenโt tried it, sorry!
I tried this recipe last night for thanksgiving dinner and it came out fantastic! Thanks Kate for all your delicious recipes. I am a big fan.
Youโre welcome, Shilpa! Thank you for your review.
Thanks for this recipe. I wanted to use green beans and mushrooms I have, and not have to make a mushroom soup separate. I used soy milk instad of 12 and 1/2. Came out tasty
I substituted canned coconut milk for the cream and tarragon for the thyme. Served at a potluck and got great reviews.
I canโt locate the dairy free recommended alternatives. Can you please share? Thanks.
I donโt have one, sorry! You could try a dairy free milk but, I donโt know how that would impact taste and texture.
Wondering if I can use frozen green bea?Can it be made ahead and the chips added when it is to go into the oven?