Ina Garten Green Bean Casserole

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We can all agree that Ina Garten’s Green Bean Casserole is the best side dish ever. This rich and satisfying dish may end up stealing the spotlight from the turkey. It’s the ideal complement to any tasty holiday meal. It goes well with honey-glazed ham, prime rib marinated in garlic butter, and turkey roasted with herbs.

Why This Recipe Is Best:

Even when I was a kid, I didn’t particularly enjoy green bean casserole. When mashed potatoes and sweet potato casserole are on the menu, green beans are often forgotten. Green bean casserole, with its velvety mushroom soup and golden fried onions, has quickly become one of my go-to dishes as an adult.

This holiday season, I urge you to try the classic Ina Garten Green Bean Casserole recipe you’ve been avoiding as long as I have.

Ingredients That You’ll Need:

There are a few fresh ingredients in this recipe that take this casserole to the next level! See the recipe card below for exact measurements.

Butter: Because I used unsalted butter, I didn’t need to add any additional salt to the recipe for green bean casserole.
Garlic cloves: If you don’t have any fresh garlic cloves, use the minced garlic you already have in the fridge. One clove is equivalent to about 0.5 teaspoons.
Onion: This should be finely chopped.
Button mushrooms: You can do without them if you like. If you don’t care for mushrooms, feel free to leave them out.
Fresh green beans: Once you’ve removed the ends, cut each green bean in half lengthwise.
Chicken broth: Chicken broth gives the dish a slight boost of flavor.
Cream of mushroom soup: It is important to use low sodium cream of mushroom soup in this Ina Garten Green Bean Casserole recipe.
Parmesan cheese: This can be finely grated and added to the recipe!
Salt: It enhances all of the delicious flavors!
Black pepper: This won’t give you any heat, just the right amount of flavor.
Crispy onion strings: You get that perfect crunch from these.

How To Make Ina Garten Green Bean Casserole?

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat.
Sauté diced onions and mushrooms until just tender, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook for another 1–2 minutes, then remove from heat and set aside.
In a medium saucepan, combine green beans with chicken broth. Bring to a boil.
Continue cooking for about 8 minutes, until beans are crisp-tender. Drain the green beans thoroughly and set aside.
Prepare a 2-quart baking dish by spraying it with cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine the soup, mushroom mixture, green beans, Parmesan, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. The cream of mushroom soup and Parmesan will thicken the casserole as it bakes, so no additional thickener is required.
Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish and top with crispy onion strings.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until the casserole is heated through.

How To Make Homemade Creamy Mushroom Soup?

Everything you need to make your own creamy mushroom soup is listed below.

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
12 oz sliced mushrooms
1 cup whole milk
4 ounces cream cheese

Soften butter in a sizable pot set over medium heat. The mushrooms should be added to the pan and sautéed until browned, with constant stirring. Next, pour in the milk and cream cheese and stir until the sauce is thick and cohesive. Prepare as directed in Ina Garten’s Green Bean Casserole.

Recipe Variations

Make it extra crispy – Mix breadcrumbs with fried onions to enhance the topping’s crunch.
Make it vegan – You can make vegan green bean casserole by using olive oil or vegan butter (instead of butter) and plain plant-based milk. You can either omit the Parmesan altogether, substitute vegan cheese, or sprinkle in nutritional yeast to taste.
Add bacon – There’s no way I’m going to pass up an Ina Garten Green Bean Casserole with bacon. You are welcome to dice and fry up some bacon to add to this casserole if you like. To add extra flavor, sauté the onions and mushrooms in the leftover bacon grease.
Add in extra cheese – Feel free to add cheese (such as smoked gouda, cheddar, feta, blue, or goat cheese) to the green bean filling to make it extra cheesy.
Add Cajun seasoning – I also like to add a few teaspoons of Cajun seasoning (or Old Bay seasoning) to the Alfredo sauce. This seasoning adds an extra kick to Ina Garten Green Bean Casserole and goes well with all the other flavors.
Add some heat – Would you like to add a little heat to this Ina Garten Green Bean Casserole? I enjoy adding a finely diced jalapeno to the onion topping. You can also sprinkle some crushed red pepper flakes into the mushroom sauce.

Recipe Tips

Don’t overcook the green beans: While you are blanching the green beans, keep in mind that they will continue to cook and soften while baking in the oven with the rest of the Ina Garten Green Bean Casserole. In order to avoid them getting mushy in the oven, it’s important to slightly undercook them during this first step. I usually boil my beans for about two minutes since I like them crunchy.
Feel free to make the casserole ahead of time: To prepare Ina Garten Green Bean Casserole ahead of time (very helpful for Thanksgiving), just follow the recipe instructions through Step 5. Instead of placing the baking dish in the oven, cover it tightly with foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 48 hours. When ready to bake, uncover and proceed as directed.

FAQ Section

Can you use canned green beans instead of Fresh?

Fresh green beans are essential for this Green Bean Casserole recipe. Canned green beans become mushy and flavorless once baked into the casserole, but fresh beans cooked in chicken broth retain their crunch and flavor even after being frozen or canned. Simply pick up a large handful of beans, remove the stems, and halve them lengthwise. The length of each section should be about 1.5 inches. Fresh green beans are noticeably tastier than their canned counterparts.

Should I use Homemade or store-bought onion strings?

This Green Bean Casserole recipe calls for onion strings, and I find that the pre-packaged variety from the grocery store works best for me. On the other hand, if you’re willing to put in the extra effort, homemade onion strings are totally doable.

Can you make Green Bean Casserole ahead?

Green Bean Casserole freezes well, so you can make it ahead of time and save it for later. Follow the recipe as written, but don’t bother adding the extra fried onions for crunch. Cover with foil and then plastic wrap. Green bean casserole can be stored in the freezer for up to two weeks. Prepare by letting it thaw in the fridge overnight before eating. Sprinkle French fried onions on top before baking as directed.

How to store Green Bean Casserole?

Any cooled, leftover Green Bean Casserole should be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to three days. (The Alfredo sauce does not thaw well, so I would not recommend making a big batch of this casserole and storing it in the freezer.)

How To Reheat Green Bean Casserole In Air Fryer?

Green bean casserole leftovers can be reheated in the oven at 350 to 400 degrees F for 15 minutes to achieve the same crisp texture as the original dish.