Ready for the best green bean casserole? After moving to Indiana, I feel in love with this holiday classic: canned green beans, cream of mushroom soup, and french fried onions. It has this cozy, comforting quality like all great dishes of the 1950’s (right?). But after transitioning to eating less processed foods, Alex and I wondered: could there be a fresh, whole food take on the green bean casserole? So we set about to making a “from scratch” green bean casserole…and added a few innovations of our own. Got an Instant Pot? Go to Instant Pot Green Bean Casserole.
Why it’s the best green bean casserole?
What makes this the best green bean casserole, in our opinion? First, let us get this out of the way: if you’re looking for the 100% classic, cream of mushroom soup plus canned green beans recipe, this isn’t the recipe for you! But if you’re up for a gourmet from scratch spin, this is where it’s at. Here are the features that make it the best, in our opinion:
What people are saying about this green bean casserole
This green bean casserole gets rave reviews! Here’s what a few readers had to say:
“It’s better than I expected! I’m used to the can of soup type of green bean casserole, so I wasn’t sure this would be as flavorful or rich. But it’s even more so! I will be making this for Thanksgiving for years to come!” -Kristi“This was hands down the best green bean casserole I’ve ever had. I wouldn’t even put it in the same category as the old fashioned kind! It also made for really tasty leftovers.” -Lisa
How to trim green beans…fast.
The only part of many green bean recipes where you might get stuck is trimming the green beans! This recipe calls for two pounds, which is a hefty chunk. If you snap off each of the ends with your fingers like the traditional method, it might take ages! Lucky for you, Alex and I found a time saving trick for how to trim green beans! Go to How to Trim Green Beans…Fast!
Where did green bean casserole come from, anyway?
This is what we were wondering as we made this recipe. Did you know green bean casserole was actually an invention by Campbell’s Soup? (I had no idea.) It was invented to use their cream of mushroom soup, and paired it with canned green beans and crunchy french fried onions. It’s an odd combination, but somehow it works! Americans have been making it ever since, mostly for Thanksgiving and other holidays.
Want a few more Thanksgiving (or Friendsgiving) recipes?
Alex and I made this green bean casserole for a virtual Friendsgiving with two of our dear friends! We teamed up with Erin of Well Plated and Becky of The Cookie Rookie to make a few Thanksgiving recipes that all paired well together. Erin and Becky were so kind as to make vegetarian recipes they knew would please all of you dear readers! Here are their drool-worthy recipes (not kidding, we are drooling over here…). Becky hit it out of the park with this Cheesy cauliflower au gratin! Don’t you want to jump into this bowl? On, Erin’s pecan pie cobbler is genius! It’s less effort than pie, and looks even more delicious (to us).
This best green bean casserole recipe is…
Vegetarian and gluten free.
More Thanksgiving resources
Here are a few more resources for Thanksgiving planning: No reviews **Of course if you must, feel free to substitute the traditional french fried onions! We won’t judge.
Looking for main dishes? Here are our favorite Vegetarian Thanksgiving Main Dishes.Want more sides? We’ve got you covered. Here are our Top Thanksgiving Side Dishes.Got an Instant Pot? It’s perfect for the holidays because it frees up valuable oven and stove space. Here are all our Instant Pot Thanksgiving Recipes. Eat vegan? Here are lots of delicious Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes.
