A holiday staple, green bean casserole is a must have side dish for any traditional American Thanksgiving dinner. Not only is it a popular and delicious side perfect for turkey, pork, or any meat you serve, it is also extremely easy. In fact, this recipe only needs 6 ingredients!

Casseroles are a great way to make a large amount of food to serve a crowd. That’s probably why they are so popular as holiday dishes. Casseroles also make great housewarming presents (after all, someone who just moved into a new home might not have all appliances set up yet).
This fairly traditional recipe for a green bean casserole can be whipped up in less than 30 minutes, although I do a few things myself to elevate the dish, such as using homemade cream of mushroom soup and frying shallots instead of using a can of fried onions.
What Is Green Bean Casserole?

Green Bean Casserole is a recipe invented in the mid-20th century by an employee at Campbell’s Soups. Back then many packaged food companies employed recipe developers so that homemakers had more of a reason to buy their goods. While most corporate recipes have not stood the test of time, the famous Green Bean Casserole – made with Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup – remains as popular as ever.
How To Make A Green Bean Casserole 2-Ways

In this recipe guide I am going to show you two different ways to make a green bean casserole. The first being the most common, using plenty of store-bought packaged goods. The second way is to make things from scratch. It takes more time, but in my opinion the effort is worth it.
Ingredients (Easy Version)
- 1 can Campbells’ Cream of Mushroom Soup – you can use another brand if you prefer, but the original is still popular and works well for a more traditional recipe.
- 200 grams Green Beans – basically just two large handfulls, fresh or frozen both work. They will fully cook in the casserole.
- 1 teaspoon Soy Sauce
- 1 can French’s Fried Onions
Ingredients (Elevated Version)
- 2 cups Homemade Cream Of Mushroom Soup – by using homemade soup this dish will obviously take longer, but in my opinion it is worth it. Plus my recipe makes enough for not just this green bean casserole, but other dishes like chicken and veggie casserole or just eaten on its own.
- 250 grams Green Beans – basically just two large handfulls, fresh or frozen both work. They will fully cook in the casserole.
- 1 teaspoon Soy Sauce
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 9-12 Shallots – peeled and thickly sliced into rounds
- 1 cup Oil – or as much is needed depending on your pan
For the easy version, just mix all the ingredients together (reserve some fried onion), pop in an oven at 175C or 350F, and bake for 25 minutes. Top with remaining fried onion and serve!

For the elevated homemade version, begin by making your soup. If you have a favorite homemade cream of mushroom soup then you can use that, otherwise I think mine is quite good.
Once you soup is made you can get started on the rest. Peel your shallots and slice them quite thickly. Pop them apart into rounds and place in a bowl while you heat up the oil.


Add the sliced shallots into a pan of hot oil. Make sure they are separated. Fry them until they get lightly golden brown – about 5 minutes. If your oil is too hot they will fry faster to keep an eye on them. Once they are fried, remove them to a paper towel lined bowl or plate.

Now you can add all the ingredients except for half the fried shallots to a bowl and give everything a good mix. Feel free to add other spices and seasonings if you wish. Things like fresh herbs can go well in here, as well as paprika, garlic powder, coriander, and more. Work this recipe until you find a version you are most satisfied with for your family – after all, everyone has a ‘secret’ ingredient do they not?

Fill your casserole dishes with the mixture. I use two smaller casserole dishes so I can put each at different ends of the table so people don’t have to reach or pass dishes all the way down, but you can do this in one large dish as well.
Place them into the oven at 175C or 350F for 25 minutes, then remove and garnish with the rest of the fried shallots. Serve and enjoy!

How To Customize A Green Bean Casserole?
- Add your own favorite seasonings or spices. I love when I try someone’s delicious green bean casserole and try to guess what they added to make it so good. Hint: I personally think hot tarragon oil is a A+ addition that nearly no one ever guesses.
- Go hot! A few dashes of hot sauce can easily elevate a standard recipe. I love to add a few drops of my homemade carolina reaper hot sauce to creamy recipes. Although if that is too much heat for you I have a guide to make your own hot sauce so you can use whatever spice level you want!
- Change up the soup? Okay, this might be making a completely new recipe, but you don’t HAVE to use cream of mushroom. Any ‘cream of’ soup will work to keep the consistency right. You just have to make sure that the flavor meshes well with green beans – otherwise you are just getting crazy!

Green Bean Casserole
Equipment
- 1 Casserole Dish | or smaller personal sized dishes
- 1 Oven
- 1 Bowl
Ingredients
- 2 cups Homemade Cream Of Mushroom Soup by using homemade soup this dish will obviously take longer but in my opinion it is worth it. Plus my recipe makes enough for not just this green bean casserole, but other dishes like chicken and veggie casserole or just eaten on its own.
- 250 grams Green Beans basically just two large handfuls fresh or frozen both work. They will fully cook in the casserole.
- 1 teaspoon Soy Sauce
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 9-12 Shallots peeled and thickly sliced into rounds
- 1 cup Oil or as much is needed depending on your pan
Instructions
- Start by making a homemade cream of mushroom soup. You can use any recipe you prefer, but if you don't have one I think my recipe is pretty good.
- Peel and thickly slice your shallots. Then heat up the oil in a pan. Fry the shallots until golden brown, then remove to a paper towel lined bowl to drain.
- In a bowl mix the rest of the ingredients together but reserve half of the fried shallots. Portion the mix into one large or a couple smaller casserole baking dishes.
- Place the dishes in an oven preheated to 175C or 350F and bake for 25 minutes. Remove, garnish with the other half of the fried shallots, and serve. Enjoy!
