Made with just five main ingredients, this Campbell’s green bean casserole recipe is a flavorful side dish for your holiday table. It only takes 30 minutes to deliver delicious creamy vegetables that your guests will devour!
Are you feeling ambitious? Try making an entire green bean casserole from scratch.
Recipe Science
- The creamy mushroom soup base in Campbell’s Green Bean Casserole acts as both a binder and flavor enhancer, evenly coating the green beans and providing a rich, savory foundation.
- Mixing the green beans with the soup allows the beans to absorb moisture and flavor during baking, ensuring they stay tender while maintaining a cohesive texture.
- The crispy fried onions on top add a contrasting texture and flavor, becoming even more golden and flavorful as they bake, creating a satisfying crunchy topping through the Maillard reaction.
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“Great flavor, nice fresh taste. Love it.”—Pat
Why It Works
This classic casserole is a must-have for your Thanksgiving feast! It’s inspired by the popular Campbell’s green bean casserole recipe but with fresh vegetables. Don’t worry. It only takes a few extra minutes of cooking time for a much better texture. If you are short on time, I’ll provide plenty of quick swaps to make preparation easy.
For my version, I use a mix of convenience products to achieve a rich and creamy sauce, plus crispy fried onions for crunch. Simply blanch the beans, combine them with the flavorful ingredients, then bake until hot and bubbly. This dish will become a holiday tradition!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Green Beans: Purchase 1 ½ pounds of fresh beans. Canned or frozen green beans that have been thawed can be used. However, the final texture will be much softer.
- Mushroom Soup: The iconic Cambell’s green bean casserole recipe uses a can of condensed cream of mushroom soup. It already contains thickening agents like cornstarch and flour, plus savory seasonings to bump up the mushroom flavor. You’ll need a 10.5-ounce can.
- Milk: Use whole milk to dilute the thick cream of mushroom soup. This ensures that the sauce has a velvety consistency. For a richer texture, use heavy whipping cream or half-and-half instead.
- Seasoning: I add soy sauce to enhance the savory, umami taste of the creamy mushroom sauce. Salt and pepper further season the dish.
- Onion Topping: For convenience, purchase a container of crispy fried onions. I use French’s brand. A portion gets mixed into the bean mixture, and then more is added on top for a crunchy topping.
See the recipe card below for all ingredients and measurements (US and metric).
Ingredient Substitutions
It’s straightforward to customize this green bean casserole! Try these tasty additions to your next batch:
- Mushrooms: This recipe uses cream of mushroom soup for the base. To bump up the flavor and add a meaty texture, saute sliced white or brown mushrooms and add them to the green bean mixture.
- Alliums: Add sauteed, diced white or yellow onion and minced garlic to enhance the taste of the fried onions. Caramelized onions add extra sweetness to the dish. Add dried onion or garlic powder for an intense roasted allium taste.
- Cheese: For a gooey melt, add ½ cup of shredded cheddar cheese, mozzarella, gruyere, parmesan, or gouda. Sprinkle on top of the bean mixture before adding the onion topping.
- Herbs: Add fresh or dried thyme, tarragon, chives, green onions, or rosemary.
- Toppings: For a gourmet dish, add toasted breadcrumbs, almonds, or pecans instead of the onions. Make fresh onion rings instead of the pre-made onion topping.
How to Make Campbell’s Green Bean Casserole
Step 1: Preheat the Oven
Set the oven rack to the center position and the temperature to 350ºF (177ºC).
Step 2: Cook the Beans
I prefer fresh green beans because they have a crisp-tender texture and slightly sweet taste. For quick cooking and easy eating, cut them into 2-inch long pieces. Blanch in salted water until bright green and crisp-tender, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Pro Tip: Check out my guide on how long to cook green beans.
Step 3: Chill the Beans
To stop the cooking process, immediately add them to a bowl of ice water for 5 minutes. This preserves the color and crunchy texture. They will continue to cook in the oven, so this prevents mushiness. This is a great point to stop if you want to meal prep and make parts of the dish in advance. The beans can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Step 4: Mix the Casserole
Now that the beans have been prepared, the rest is easy! Combine the cooked green beans, cream of mushroom soup, milk, soy sauce, 2/3 cup of the fried onions, and pepper.
Stir the bean mixture to combine everything. Transfer to an 8-inch baking dish, spreading it into an even layer.
Step 5: Bake the Casserole
Bake at 350 degrees until the sauce gets bubbly along the sides and the beans are hot. The process takes about 25 minutes. For a flavorful and crunchy crust, sprinkle on more of the fried onions on top. Bake until the onions are golden brown, about 5 to 10 minutes.
Step 6: Ready to Serve
It’s best to serve while hot and the onions are crunchy. Whenever I pull the casserole out of the oven, my hungry guests scoop it up quickly!
Frequently Asked Questions
To substitute 4 cups (about 1 ½ pounds) of fresh green beans, use 2 (14.5 ounces) drained canned green beans or 14 ounces frozen.
For a richer consistency, use half-and-half or heavy whipping cream. For a dairy-free option, use coconut cream or milk, cashew, almond, rice, or soy milk.
No! The condensed cream of mushroom soup combined with ½ cup of milk should coat the beans. Cooking will release some moisture from the beans but also concentrate the sauce. Stir it to coat if needed after baking the first 20 to 25 minutes before adding the final onion topping.
If fresh beans are not used for the casserole, then frozen beans are the second best option. They have already been par-cooked, so you need to defrost them, mix them with the sauce ingredients, and bake. There are fresh canned green beans, but they will have a mushier texture and saltier flavor. They are fully cooked and have been high-temperature processed in a retort, which will make them much softer. You’ll need 4 cups of frozen or canned for the recipe.
Serve This With
If you tried this Campbell’s Green Bean Casserole recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
Campbell’s Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients
- 3 quarts water
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
- 1 ½ pounds fresh green beans, cut into 2" pieces
- 10 ½ ounces condensed cream of mushroom soup
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 ⅓ cups crispy fried onions, divided
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Heat the Oven – Set the oven rack to the center position. Heat to 350ºF (177ºC).
- Cook the Beans – In a large pot, bring 3 quarts of water to a boil over high heat. Add in 1 teaspoon of salt and stir to dissolve. Add the cut green beans to the boiling water and cook until crisp-tender, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Chill the Beans – Drain the beans. Transfer them to a large bowl filled with ice water. Chill until the vegetables are cool, about 5 minutes, then drain well.
- Mix the Casserole – In a large bowl, combine 4 cups chilled green beans, cream of mushroom soup, milk, soy sauce, ⅔ cups fried onions, and black pepper. Season with more salt and pepper to taste. In an 8-inch or 1 ½ quart casserole dish, spread the mixture evenly in the pan.
- Bake – Bake until the sauce is bubbly, and the beans are hot, about 20 to 25 minutes. Stir the bean mixture. Evenly sprinkle the remaining fried onions on top. Bake until golden brown, about 5 to 10 minutes.
- To Serve – Serve immediately while hot and the onions are crispy.
Notes
- Recipe Yield: About 6 cups
- Serving Size: About 1 cup
- Make Ahead: The beans or entire casserole can be assembled and refrigerated 3 days before. Add more bake time if needed until the sauce is hot and bubbly.
- Storing: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Using Canned Beans: Use two 14.5-ounce cans of cut green beans. Drain and add them directly to the sauce.
- Using Frozen Beans: Use 24 ounces (1 ½ pounds) of frozen green beans. Defrost before mixing with sauce ingredients.
Nutrition Facts
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000-calorie diet. All nutritional information is based on estimated third-party calculations. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.
Pat says
Great flavor, nice fresh taste. Love it.
Jessica Gavin says
Thanks, Pat!