Green Bean Casserole without Mushroom Soup Recipe

Green bean casserole recipe made without mushrooms in a 9 X 13 casserole dish.

Green Bean Casserole without Mushroom Soup Recipe

Making Green Bean Casserole without Mushroom Soup is easy, and let’s face it, it is much healthier because it is made from scratch! Follow our foolproof recipe to make the best homemade green bean casserole and impress your friends with this delicious version of the classic Thanksgiving side dish.

Course Vegetarian Side Dish

Cuisine American

Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 25

Total Time 40

Servings servings

Calories 397kcal

Author Aysegul Sanford

Ingredients

2 pounds fresh green beans* cleaned, ends trimmed, and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon kosher salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter plus more to coat the casserole dish
3 cloves fresh garlic minced
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 ¾ cups vegetable stock or chicken broth
½ cup heavy cream
4 ounces shredded white cheddar cheese approximately 2 cups
2 ounces Parmesan cheese* shredded approximately ¾ cup
1 teaspoon fresh thyme minced
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
1 cup French fried onions 6 ounces

Instructions

To blanch the green beans, place water and a pinch of salt in a large pot over medium-high heat. Bring it to a boil.
Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with ice and water. Set it aside.
Carefully add the green beans to the boiling water. Cook until crisp and tender, 5-7 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon or a spider strainer, transfer the green beans into the ice water. Let them cool to room temperature for about 5 minutes. Drain.
Spread out the blanched green beans on a clean kitchen towel and pat dry as much as you can.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter the casserole dish with a tablespoon of butter and set it aside.
In the large skillet, melt the rest of the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds.
Add the flour and whisk constantly until lightly browned, for about 5 minutes.
While continuously whisking, gradually pour in the stock, followed by the heavy cream (again while gradually pouring), until thickened for about 10 minutes. Adjust the heat as necessary to avoid burning.
Off the heat, whisk in the cheddar cheese, parmesan, thyme, nutmeg, kosher salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes (if using).
Fold in the green beans and toss until they are evenly coated with the sauce.
Transfer the green beans to the prepared casserole dish and spread it out evenly.
Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Then, sprinkle the fried onion rings over the top of the casserole dish and bake for an additional 5 minutes until the fried onion rings are golden brown.
Serve.

Notes

Yields: This homemade green bean casserole makes enough for 6 to 8 side dish servings. The nutritional values below are per serving.
Canned or Frozen Green beans: I recommend using fresh green beans when making this dish because of their crisp, bright taste. However, if desired, you may also prepare frozen or canned green bean casserole. If using canned green beans (or canned French-style green beans), you’ll need three 14.5-ounce cans thoroughly drained and dried. If using frozen green beans, three 10-ounce bags should suffice. However, be sure to increase your casserole’s cooking time to 17-18 minutes to ensure it heats through, given the colder veggies. Furthermore, if you use canned or frozen green beans, you do not need to blanch the veggies before adding them to your casserole, so you can skip those steps.
Heavy cream: You can also use 2% milk for a lighter, low-calorie green bean casserole, though your sauce won’t have the same rich, thick flavors.
Cheese: We found that the addition of parmesan cheese provided the overall dish with the umami flavors it was lacking. However, if you do not have parmesan cheese, you can use more cheddar cheese. Also, you can use sharp yellow cheddar cheese in place of white cheddar.
Fresh mushrooms: Clearly, we wanted to show you how to make green bean casserole without canned mushroom soup in this recipe. However, if you’d like to add fresh mushrooms to the mixture (preferably baby bella mushrooms), you can easily do so in a few basic steps. Simply saute the sliced mushrooms with a tablespoon of butter, remove them from the pan, and prepare your roux. Once you drain your sauteed mushrooms (if necessary), add them to the sauce mixture while adding the green beans, tossing them until thoroughly coated.
Covering the top: During our testing, we did not feel the need to cover the top with foil. However, if you find your topping browns too quickly while baking, cover the casserole with aluminum foil until the baking is nearly complete. Then, uncover the dish for the last few minutes until ready to serve.
Make Ahead: To make it ahead of time, prepare the recipe until the step in which you transfer the green beans to the prepared casserole dish. Then, let the mixture cool down, cover it tightly with aluminum foil, and store it in the refrigerator for up to one day in advance. When ready to eat, bake the dish as directed.
Store: You can store your leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Reheat: To reheat your casserole, place it in a 350-degree F. oven for 7-10 minutes or until heated through.
Freezing: Though technically possible, I don’t recommend freezing green bean casserole without condensed soup, as it will likely come out mushy after thawing.

Nutrition