Top With Crispy or Caramelized Onions
Whether you make your green bean casserole with fresh green beans, frozen or canned, and with store-bought crispy onions or homemade caramelized onions, the green bean casserole is a winner.
Many potlucks or family gatherings aren’t complete without an old favorite, the green bean casserole. But whether it’s for your mid-week family dinner, or a gathering, this classic green bean casserole recipe originated in the Campbell’s Soup company kitchen and used canned green beans.
We have a garden so prefer fresh vegetables whenever possible, so we’ve create this green bean casserole with fresh green beans.
For many families the green bean casserole is a part of their traditional Thanksgiving dinner along with turkey and mashed potatoes. Gardeners love it for a great way to make good use of fresh beans when the bean harvest starts rolling in.
It’s a delicious way to cook all kinds of string beans. While writing this we’re actually having it today using a collection of various beans fresh from our garden… from garden to table.
What Size Dish?
Since green bean casseroles are often a potluck favorite, our recipe here is for a large 9″ x 13″ casserole dish for 12 side-dish servings. If you’re vegetarian and plan to use this as a main course meal, it’s probably closer to 6 servings.
Update
We originally started with eight cups of fresh green beans, however these do cook down and ours green bean casserole with fresh beans was gone in no time, so now we double this recipe. Sixteen cups of beans sounds like a lot, but if you’re making it for a crowd, or just want some “planned-overs” for the family to enjoy throughout the week, you might consider doubling it.
Quick and Easy Green Bean Casserole
If you’re short on time or fresh green beans, you can substitute fresh ingredients for canned options, more like the traditional green bean casserole recipe.
Substitutions for Fresh Green Bean Casserole Ingredients
Our Recipe
- Butter & olive oil
- 8 cups fresh green beans
- 2 cups Chanterelle Mushrooms
- 2 Tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
- 2 Tablespoons fresh sage, chopped
- 2 cups fresh grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- 2 cups sauteed or caramelized onions
Shortcuts & Substitutions
- Bacon grease (for any or all of the butter & oil)
- 6 cans green beans
- 2 cups canned sliced mushrooms
- 1 Tbsp. dried rosemary
- 1 Tbsp. dried sage
- 2 cups grated Parmesan or other Italian cheese
- 2 cups onion rings or canned French fried onions
Additional Variations
We also love this with roasted seasoned nuts, such as sweet and spicy nuts with rosemary, or nuts toasted with a little olive oil, Braggs (or coconut aminos if you’re allergic to soy), salt and pepper. Here, they’re listed in our order of preference though we enjoy them all.
- Walnuts
- Pecans
- Pine nuts
- Pumpkin seeds
- Sunflower Seeds
Serving Ideas Green Bean Casserole With Fresh Green Beans
- Thanksgiving meals and all the usual favorites
- Meatloaf
- Grilled meats
- Roasted chicken
- Veggie burgers or patties
- Salmon and mashed potatoes
- Baked potatoes
- Wild rice
- Corn on the cob
- Black eyed peas and roasted vegetables
Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients
- 8 cups Romano Beans or any fresh string beans, washed, trimmed, cut bite-sized pieces
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1 Tablespoon Olive oil
- 2 cups Chanterelle Mushrooms (or other favorite) cleaned and sliced
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 1/4 cup Dry white wine or sherry
- 1/2 cup Heavy cream
- 2 Tablespoons fresh rosemary chopped (or 1 Tbsp. dried)
- 2 Tablespoons fresh sage chopped (or 1 Tbsp. dried)
- 1/2 Tablespoon salt or to taste
- 1 teaspoon pepper or to taste
- 2 cups Pecorino Romano cheese fresh grated (or sub. with grated Parmesan)
- 2 cups Roasted onions optional or store-bought French fried onions
Instructions
- STEAM OR BOIL cut green beans in boiling water for several minutes until almost tender. Drain and set aside.
NOTE: Larger string beans that are longer and wider will take longer. - SAUTE´ MUSHROOMS in butter and olive oil over medium-high heat for ~5 minutes. Stir occasionally, until mushrooms turn golden-brown and the liquid has evaporated.
- ADD SEASONING:
3a. minced garlic and cook 2 minutes more.
3b. white wine (or sherry) and cook, stirring, until it evaporates. - ADD HEAVY CREAM into the mushrooms mix and cook, stirring, until it has reduced slightly and has nicely coated the mushrooms. Stir in chopped fresh sage and rosemary.
- PREHEAT OVEN TO 350°F/180°C
- SEASON with salt and pepper to taste
- ADD BEANS to the pan and stir into mushrooms mixture until beans are evenly coated with the cream sauce.
- SPREAD INTO 9" x 13" CASSEROLE DISH. You don’t need to coat the bottom of the pan unless you prefer to, but it’s not likely to stick to the bottom. Top evenly with grated cheese.
- ONION LAYER – If using:
10a. Store bought French fried onions, layer on top.
10b. Homemade French fried onions, here’s a recipe.
10c. Air fryer onions – you can use this air fryer zucchini recipe, but substitute onions for the zucchini.
10D. Homemade roasted onions, you can place the casserole in oven to cook while making roasted onion topping. You can add them to the casserole when onions are done, then return to oven to finish cooking until done. - BAKE green bean casserole at 350°F/180°C for about 20 minutes or until heated through and top is golden brown.
Notes
- When using garden fresh beans, this will naturally take longer to wash, de-string and chop the string beans. Less time if your fresh beans are the no-string kind.