Green Bean Casserole

Here at Delish, we believe our Thanksgiving dinner isn’t complete without green bean casserole. We have plenty of versions of this classic casserole, including a gluten-free version, a slow-cooker version, and even a vegan version. This tried-and-tested recipe is our most classic version of the Thanksgiving side. We ditched the cream of mushroom soup for a homemade cream sauce and fresh sautéed mushrooms, but don’t worry—this dish is still super-simple to make. You only need 8 ingredients and a little over an hour to make it. Keep reading on for our top tips to make this classic side dish the best it can be:

Fresh, frozen, or canned green beans work:
Green beans aren't in season during November, so if you're more into using frozen, go for it. Frozen green beans have been preserved at their peak, so they taste very comparable to fresh. You can blanch frozen or fresh ones to get them tender; if you're using canned green beans, it's not our first choice, but no need to blanch them.

Make your own cream sauce:
This sounds fancy, but it's seriously just melting butter, whisking in a little flour, and pouring over milk. DONE. Let that mixture simmer and thicken on your stovetop to have that creamy element of green bean casserole you know and love—no gloppy texture allowed.

The biggest reason we didn’t use canned cream of mushroom soup for this recipe is because of its lack of a strong mushroom taste. By sautéing mushrooms (you can choose whichever variety you like most!) with thinly sliced onion in butter, you can build a base with some serious depth of flavor. Cook them until they get a little caramelized for that strong, rich mushroom flavor to really come through.

Never skip the fried onions:
Fried onion pieces are salty, crunchy, and absolutely mandatory for green bean casserole. If you want to keep this dish entirely homemade, make your own fried onions (bonus: homemade is available year-round 😉) or go for classic store-bought French's.

Make it ahead:
Save some time (and oven space) on the busy holiday by making this Thanksgiving side ahead of time. Simply assemble the casserole, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until you're ready to bake! Some tips: Make sure to let it cool to room temp before baking, or add a couple minutes to your timer to adjust to the colder temp. Whatever you do, DON'T forget to add the fried onions until after the first round of baking. If they're added before refrigerating, they'll get soggy instead of having that signature crispy crunch.

Storage:
Store any leftovers in an airtight container (or cover your casserole dish with storage wrap) before refrigerating. This side will last up to 3 to 4 days refrigerated (look through our Thanksgiving leftovers ideas for some creative inspo for what to do with them), and leftovers can be reheated in the microwave or oven.

Made this recipe? Let us know how it went in the comments below!