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Homemade Green Bean Casserole

This Green Bean Casserole is filled with fresh green beans, a creamy thyme-spiked white sauce, mushrooms, thick-cut bacon, crispy fried onions, and topped with a bacon Panko topping!
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Author Tawnie Graham of Kroll's Korner

Ingredients

For the green beans

  • 2 lbs. fresh green beans, ends cut off and cut into 2-inch segments
  • 1 Tbsp. kosher salt

For the mushrooms

  • 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
  • 8 oz. white button mushrooms, sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • pinch of kosher salt

For the cream sauce

  • 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 2 Tbsp. Ranch dressing mix
  • 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp. Worcestershire
  • 2 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped
  • 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
  • pepper, to taste

Panko Topping

  • 2 cups French's Fried Onions, divided
  • 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
  • 7 strips bacon, cooked and chopped into little crumbles, divided
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Cook the bacon: Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and top with a cooling rack. Arrange bacon in a single layer on the rack. Bake until golden brown and crispy. ~20 minutes. Let cool then chop into pieces. Set aside.
    7 strips bacon, cooked and chopped into little crumbles, divided
  • Lower the oven temperature down to 350°F.
  • Blanch the green beans: Add salt to a large pot of water and bring the water to a boil. Add the trimmed and cut green beans to the boiling water, and cook for 5-7 minutes or until they are bright green and crisp-tender. While they are cooking, fill a large bowl with ice and water.
    2 lbs. fresh green beans, ends cut off and cut into 2-inch segments, 1 Tbsp. kosher salt
  • Drain the green beans in a colander and then immediately transfer to the water bath until they are cooled. Drain the green beans again, and pat them dry with paper towels. (This will help the creamy sauce stick to the green beans!). Set aside.
  • Saute the mushrooms: In a medium sized skillet, melt the butter and add in the mushrooms, garlic and salt. Cook for 6-8 minutes or until lightly browned and the mushrooms have cooked down. Remove from heat to let cool.
    1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, 8 oz. white button mushrooms, sliced, 3 cloves garlic, minced, pinch of kosher salt
  • Make the cream sauce: Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat and then whisk in the flour until smooth. Whisk for 1-2 minutes to cook out the floury taste. Gradually whisk in the milk and whisk until the sauce has thickened and is bubbly.
    3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, 2 cups whole milk
  • Remove the sauce from heat and pour in the buttermilk. Then add in the Parmesan cheese, ranch dressing mix, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, salt and pepper. Whisk to combine.
    1/2 cup buttermilk, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated, 2 Tbsp. Ranch dressing mix, 2 tsp. Dijon mustard, 1 tsp. Worcestershire, 2 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped, 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, pepper, to taste
  • Toss the mushrooms and green beans into the cream sauce. Then add in about half of the bacon crumbles and 1 cup of the fried onions. Stir.
    2 cups French's Fried Onions, divided
  • Spray a 9x13 oven safe baking dish lightly with cooking spray. Transfer the green beans to the pan. Combine the remaining fried onions, bacon and Panko breadcrumbs together in a bowl. Then sprinkle this panko topping over the green beans.
    1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
  • Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown on top and bubbly. Cover with foil if tops are getting too browned. Serve and enjoy!

Video

Notes

  • Storage: keep in the fridge for up to 4 days.
  • How to make in advance: Assemble the entire casserole as directed but keep the Panko/bacon/fried onion topping on the side. Wrap and refrigerate the casserole. When you're ready to bake, remove from the fridge while the oven preheats. Top the casserole with the Panko mixture and bake until the tops are golden brown and casserole is bubbly and hot.
  • If you don't want to make the homemade cream sauce, use 2 (10.5 oz.) cans of cream of mushroom soup in its place.
  • If using frozen green beans, be sure to thaw and pat dry, so no excess moisture is added to the casserole.