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Sides · American

Green Bean Casserole

Creamy beans, crunchy onions, five ingredients. Save half the onions for the top!

Hands-on
10 min
Hands-off
40 min
Oven preheat
15 min
Total
50 min
Makes
6 servings
Serves
6

With canned beans. Cooking fresh beans first adds about 15 minutes. Preheat runs alongside prep.

Oven 180 °C · 160 °C fan (350 °F)

Pan 1.4 L (1½-quart) baking dish (US: 1½-quart baking dish)

  • easy
  • thanksgiving
  • holiday
  • easy
  • make-ahead

Verified against at least two trusted test kitchens or food-safety guides · Last checked · What this means

Illustration of Green Bean Casserole
Amount
Units
Oven

Ingredients

You need: 1.5-quart (about 1.4 L) baking dish · spoon · can opener · colander · oven mitts · pot and bowl of ice water (only for fresh beans)

Contains: milk · wheat · soy

Method

  1. Cook fresh beans (if using)

    Using fresh beans? Trim about 680 g (1½ lb), boil them in salted water for 5-7 minutes, then plunge them into ice water and drain well.

    Ready when: The beans are bright green and only just tender.

  2. Heat the oven

    Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan, gas 4, 350°F).

    Ready when: The oven has reached 180°C (350°F).

  3. Mix in the dish

    In the baking dish, stir together the soup, 180 ml (¾ cup) milk and ⅛ tsp pepper. Stir in the drained beans and ⅔ cup of the fried onions.

    Otto tried this firstOtto dumps every last onion into the mix, and by the end they're soggy. Half go in now and half go on top at the end.

  4. Bake and stir

    Bake for 30 minutes, then stir.

    Ready when: Hot and bubbling at the edges, and the centre reads at least 74°C (165°F).

  5. Top and finish

    Scatter the remaining ⅔ cup onions over the top and bake 5 minutes more. Let it stand a few minutes before serving.

    Ready when: The onions on top are golden brown.

Swaps

  • Instead of canned green beans: 4 cups cooked fresh, or thawed frozen, green beans pat frozen beans dry
  • Instead of condensed cream of mushroom soup: condensed cream of celery soup, or the unsalted cream of mushroom (add about ¼ tsp salt)
  • Instead of ground pepper only: 1 tsp soy sauce and ½ cup (120 ml) milk instead of ¾ cup a tested variation; adds soy

Make ahead, store & reheat

Make ahead
Mix the casserole without the topping, cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Add the onion topping just before baking; straight from the fridge it may need 5-10 extra minutes, so check the centre reaches 74°C (165°F). To freeze, wrap the unbaked, un-topped dish in plastic wrap and heavy foil, thaw it overnight in the fridge, then bake. The sauce can turn slightly grainy after freezing.
Storage
Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours, ideally in an oven-safe dish so you can reheat them in it. Eat within 2 days.
Reheat
Reheat until steaming hot all the way through, 74°C (165°F).

If something goes wrong

  • Watery casserole
    Drain canned beans really well and pat thawed frozen beans dry before mixing.
  • Soggy topping
    Hold back half the onions and add them only for the last 5 minutes. When making ahead, add the topping right before baking.

Good to know

  • For a crunchier top, add ¼ cup toasted sliced almonds to the onion topping (adds a tree-nut allergen).

Safety

  • Allergens are based on typical condensed cream of mushroom soup (contains wheat, milk, soy) and store-bought crispy fried onions (contain wheat). Brands differ, so check your labels.
  • The dish and bubbling sauce are very hot. Use oven mitts, and let kids do the stirring before it goes in the oven, not after.