Grandma’s Green Bean Casserole

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With crunchy onions, colorful green beans, and gooey cheese topped with breadcrumbs, Grandma’s Green Bean Casserole is a delicious twist on a classic side dish.

scoop of casserole in a white dish with a red napkin

Grandma’s Green Bean Casserole Recipe

Perfect for a weeknight dinner or a holiday side dish, this is the best green bean casserole to make if you want an original recipe that packs in the flavor (without the cream of mushroom soup).

The buttery cracker topping sprinkled over the cheese seals in the rich and savory flavor of the green beans below it.

Although there are a lot of similar recipes out there, this one is unique in that it’s fast to make and even if it’s the first time, second time, or twentieth time you’re making it, your family will never get sick of it!

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individual bowls with ingredients in them

Ingredients Needed

  • Sweet onion – In this onion version, I chose fresh onion over fried onion rings. Swap out for white or yellow onion if needed.
  • Mushrooms – Most recipes call for the standard mushroom soup, but I prefer the taste of fresh mushrooms. Can substitute canned, sliced mushrooms.
  • Sour cream – Substitute for plain Greek yogurt if needed.
  • Worcestershire sauce – You can create a replacement sauce with soy sauce, white wine vinegar, and ketchup if you need to. 
  • Cut green beans – Although the recipe calls for cans of green beans, you can choose fresh green beans, or substitute with the frozen equivalent.
  • Sharp cheddar cheese – Substitute with Swiss cheese if you can’t find cheddar. 
  • Ritz crackers – If necessary, melt butter and mix with bread crumbs or panko instead.
  • Kitchen Staples – Butter, all purpose flour, black pepper, garlic powder, milk.

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How to Make Grandma’s Green Bean Casserole

  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray quart casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. 
  2. Melt a tablespoon of butter in large skillet over medium heat. Increase to medium-high heat, saute a cup onion and mushrooms in butter until tender.
  3. Stir in flour and stir for 2-3 minutes to coat, until raw flour taste is gone. Pour in milk and stir until thickened. Reduce to low heat and simmer, stirring the sour cream, spices, and Worcestershire sauce into the mixture of flour until smooth and cook for 1-2 minutes more.
  1. Add in green beans and stir until coated.  Move green bean mixture into a prepared baking dish. Top with cheddar cheese.
  2. Melt remaining butter in a small bowl, toss together cracker crumbs in a small bowl until coated. Cover cheese with buttery crumbs. 
  3. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes or until cheese has melted and butter crackers are golden brown.
  4. Remove and let sit for 2-3 minutes. Serve warm and have guests add a teaspoon salt or pepper to taste!

For the full recipe and detailed baking instructions, please see the recipe card at the end of this post.

baked green bean casserole in a white rectangle dish

Can I make it ahead of time?

Yes, this green bean casserole can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container.

Leave off the cracker crumbs, and add to the top when you reheat it according to the directions.

If it gets a little dry, add in some chicken broth to help rehydrate it before putting it in the oven or microwave.

Can I freeze it?

Store in the freezer for up to 6 months, and thaw in the refrigerator until the next day when ready to eat.

Reheat according to the instructions in the recipe card.

scoop of casserole with silver spoon

Serving Suggestions

Since this is a Thanksgiving style meal, it goes well with any sides that you’d typically find on the table – from turkey and cranberry sauce to mashed potatoes and biscuits!

Thanksgiving won’t be complete without the cranberry somewhere. How about skipping the can poured out into a dish and make this cranberry casserole.

And the other delicious parts of this holiday are the amazing desserts. I love a simple bundt cake slathered with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting. You can’t go wrong with this!

How do I keep green bean casserole from getting soggy?

It’s best to drain the beans as best you can. And start with just lightly blanched beans that are still crisp tender.

fork of grandma's green bean casserole over a plate

Tips for the Best Casserole

  • If you’re a cheese lover, the only things that you need to mix are your cracker crumbs with some parmesan cheese for an extra gooey topping! 
  • For more crunch on top of your casserole, you can add french-fried onions to the topping. 
  • Choose green beans that are french cut if possible. If canned, choose cans of french style green beans. 
  • To prep your fresh green beans, boil them for around 6 minutes before transferring them to an ice bath using a slotted spoon. 
  • Allow guests to add a teaspoon of salt or pepper to taste.
  • If you prefer more crunch, swap out the breadcrumb topping for Crunchy French’s onions.

Green Bean Casserole Recipes

I can eat green bean casserole all the time and even thought I love it so, I do like to add some extras to it to shake things up a bit. Some of my favorite twists is this green bean bundle casserole, this copycat Magnolia Table green bean casserole, and this cracked green bean recipe in casserole form.

If you love this recipe as much as I do, pin this to your favorite casserole Pinterest board and share it on your favorite social media channels!

grandma's green bean casserole collage

This recipe is not your mother’s green bean casserole – it’s your grandmother’s! With savory green beans, crunchy onions, and loaded with cheese, this recipe has a little bit of something for everyone, and kids of all ages. Grandma’s green bean casserole is easy to make and bound to be a hit!

scoop of grandma's green bean casserole

Grandma’s Green Bean Casserole

Grandma's Green Bean Casserole is full of crunchy onions, colorful green beans, and gooey cheese topped with breadcrumbs!
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Course: Vegetarian
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 9 servings
Calories: 252kcal
Author: Jennifer Stewart

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup butter
  • 1 small sweet onion (about ¾ cup) peeled and sliced
  • 8 ounces fresh mushrooms sliced
  • 3 Tablespoons all purpose flour
  • cup milk
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 3 cans cut green beans (14.5 ounces each) rinsed and drained (Or frozen equivalent)
  • 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
  • 3 tablespoons butter melted
  • 1 sleeve Ritz crackers (roughly 30 crackers) smashed into crumbs

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray.
  • In a large skillet, melt the 1/4 cup butter. Saute the onion and mushrooms until soft and tender.
  • Sprinkle in the flour and stir to coat. Cook, stirring for 2-3 minutes until the raw flour taste is gone.
  • Pour in the milk and stir until it starts to thicken.
  • Reduce the heat to a simmer and stir in the sour cream, spices, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to combine.
  • Stir in the green beans and stir until they are coated.
  • Pour the green bean mixture into the prepared baking dish.
  • Top with shredded cheese.
  • Combine the remaining 3 tablespoons melted butter and cracker crumbs in a bowl. Toss to coat.
  • Sprinkle the buttery crumbs over the cheese.
  • Bake the dish for 30 minutes or until bubbly, the cheese is melted, and the cracker topping is a golden brown.
  • Remove and let sit for 2-3 minutes for the juices to set.
  • Serve warm!

Notes

  • If you’re a cheese lover, the only things that you need to mix are your cracker crumbs with some parmesan cheese for an extra gooey topping! 
  • For more crunch on top of your casserole, you can add french-fried onions to the topping. 
  • Choose green beans that are french cut if possible. If canned, choose cans of french style green beans. 
  • To prep your fresh green beans, boil them for around 6 minutes before transferring them to an ice bath using a slotted spoon. 
  • Allow guests to add a teaspoon of salt or pepper to taste.
  • If you prefer more crunch, swap out the breadcrumb topping for Crunchy French's onions.
  • Nutrition

    Serving: 1g | Calories: 252kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 59mg | Sodium: 236mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g

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    2 Comments

    1. Joan brown says:

      can this casserole be made ahead of time and be frozen and then baked?

      1. It sure can! I like to prep and then freeze. But I leave off the cracker topping. It can get soggy in the freezing and thawing. I would leave it off until you are ready to bake it.

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