Easy Ways to Make Green Bean Casserole for Thanksgiving

I’ll be honest with y’all: I don’t make green bean casserole, and I’m not a fan of it. But my sister in law makes it, and I know plenty of folks love it! That’s why I rounded up easy ways to make green bean casserole from food bloggers I’ve shared here before, from the classic to cheesy, bacon and slow cooker versions.

Planning the whole spread? My Thanksgiving appetizers roundup has easy starters to set out while the turkey finishes. Green bean casserole is one of those dishes that’s simple to change up, which makes it handy for busy holiday cooks.

Collage of green bean casserole recipes with the text Easy Ways to Make Green Bean Casserole and @3boysandadog.

Below you’ll find what goes in a classic green bean casserole, a bunch of easy ways to switch it up, make ahead tips and what to serve with it.

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Table of Contents

What Goes in a Classic Green Bean Casserole

The classic version has just a few parts, and that’s why it’s so easy to change up:

Green beans: the recipes below use canned, frozen or fresh.
A creamy sauce: usually canned cream of mushroom soup, sometimes with milk, or a homemade mushroom sauce.
Seasoning: often black pepper, and some recipes add Worcestershire or soy sauce.
A crunchy topping: French fried onions, with some saved for the top near the end so they stay crunchy.

Change any one of those and you’ve got a whole new side dish. Here’s how.

Easy Ways to Make Green Bean Casserole

unsophisticook.com

3 Ingredient Green Bean Casserole

Tara keeps the classic canned soup and fried onions version super simple. She uses just canned green beans, cream of mushroom soup and French fried onions, with no milk, and saves some of the onions for the top.

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saltysidedish.com

Green Bean Casserole from Scratch

Skip the cans with a quick homemade sauce of butter, garlic, flour, chicken broth and cream. Then stir in fresh mushrooms and thawed frozen French style green beans before the fried onions go on top.

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crystalandcomp.com

Slow Cooker Green Bean Casserole

Oven space is gold on Thanksgiving. Mix frozen green beans, cream of mushroom soup, milk, pepper and half the fried onions right in the crockpot, then add the rest of the onions on top at the end. Salty Side Dish has a slow cooker version too.

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scrambledchefs.com

Cheesy Green Bean Casserole

Katie at Scrambled Chefs says she never liked green bean casserole as a kid, until she made this cheesy version. It uses sharp cheddar and a simple homemade cream of mushroom soup, though she says canned soup works too.

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familyfreshmeals.com

Smothered Bacon Green Bean Casserole

This one skips the creamy soup altogether. Canned green beans and bacon get tossed in a sweet and salty mix of brown sugar, soy sauce, melted butter and garlic powder, then baked.

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stockpilingmoms.com

Gluten Free Green Bean Casserole

Cooking for someone who eats gluten free? This version uses a gluten free creamy mushroom soup, gluten free soy sauce and gluten free bread crumbs with frozen green beans. Always double check your own labels.

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coffeewithus3.com

Chicken Green Bean Stuffing Casserole

Add chicken and it turns into a full meal. Jamie layers chicken, canned green beans, sour cream, milk and cheddar under a stuffing topping. She makes it with raw chicken that cooks in the oven, and she says cooked chicken works too.

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How to Make Green Bean Casserole Ahead of Time

Making it ahead takes some stress off Thanksgiving morning. Scrambled Chefs and Family Fresh Meals both say you can put the casserole together ahead of time, cover it and keep it in the fridge. Scrambled Chefs holds the fried onions until baking so they stay crispy, and Family Fresh Meals says it may need a few extra minutes in the oven since it’s starting cold. One more tip from Scrambled Chefs: if you use a glass baking dish, let it come to room temperature before it goes into a hot oven.

Storing and Reheating Leftovers

The USDA says to get leftovers into the fridge within 2 hours (1 hour if it’s over 90°F). They keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge or about 3 to 4 months in the freezer. Reheat leftovers to 165°F, and casseroles can go from frozen straight to reheating without thawing. You can read more on the USDA leftovers and food safety page.

Need ideas for the rest of the feast? Here are over 22 ways to use your Thanksgiving leftovers.

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What to Serve with Green Bean Casserole

Green bean casserole goes with just about everything on the holiday table. Round out your menu with these:

Planning the whole meal? My free printable Thanksgiving menu planning sheet helps you keep track of who’s bringing what.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Here are a couple of questions folks search for when they’re planning this side dish.

The classic version uses green beans, cream of mushroom soup and French fried onions on top. Many recipes also stir in milk and black pepper, and some add Worcestershire or soy sauce. From there you can add cheese, bacon or chicken.

Yes. Unsophisticook’s version uses just canned green beans, cream of mushroom soup and French fried onions. Mix the drained beans and soup with most of the onions, bake at 350°F for about 45 minutes, then top with the rest of the onions and bake about 5 more minutes.