Grandma’s Green Bean Casserole
The one thing that screams “home” and “comfort food” every Thanksgiving is my grandma’s Green Bean Casserole.
I’ve spent more than 10 Thanksgivings away from home, but I still remember that first year away like it was yesterday.
I was studying abroad in England and my “feast” included a frozen turkey meal, an apple turnover, and potato wedges.
I watched “Alias” on my laptop and dreamed of eating all the delicious food I knew my family was consuming back at home.
Flash forward to two years later. I was dating a man (who would become my husband) and I spent Thanksgiving with him and his friends in Georgia (away from my family again).
I needed something to take to the shin-dig and I was already craving it, so I asked my grandma for her lip-smacking Green Bean Casserole recipe.
It was a big hit and every bite—down to the last bacon bit—was gone by the time we left.
This green bean casserole always tops the Thanksgiving Day feast list no matter where I am in the world.
Then again, anything that’s creamy, cheesy, bacony (it’s a word), has a salty crunch mixed into it, and is disguised as “vegetables” has to be great!
Green Bean Casserole Recipe
The recipe below is perfect for a large group…or a small family gathering with leftovers.
Leftovers are the best part of Thanksgiving, so these days I don’t get hurt if people aren’t licking the pan at the end of the night—it just means more for me to eat on Black Friday and over the weekend!
Grandma’s Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients
- 64 oz. package of frozen French-style green beans
- 2 10.5 oz can of cream of mushroom soup
- 16 ounces fresh mushrooms diced
- 1 Tbs. butter
- 2 5 oz jar of Kraft Old English Cheese Spread (usually next to Velveeta)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 3.5 oz container of French’s Fried Onion pieces (or more…more is always better)
- 1 4 oz real bacon bit pieces (I've made it with "real" bacon, but it actually tastes better with the jarred bacon bits, go figure)
Instructions
- Cook green beans by directions on package and set aside in a colander; let drain for at least 30 minutes—try to get as much liquid out as you can. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Combine soup and cheese spread in a large, microwaveable bowl; heat in the microwave until both stir together easily.
- Heat butter in a pan on medium; add mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper to taste; keep stirring. Mushrooms will eventually produce their own liquid; when this happens, turn up the heat a little bit so the liquid can cook off.
- Once mushrooms are cooked, add to the soup and cheese mixture. Add salt, pepper, and garlic; stir to combine. Toss green beans into the mixture along with some onion pieces and bacon bits; stir.
- Spray a 9×13" casserole dish with cooking spray; place mixture in dish*. Top with the rest of the bacon and onions. Bake for 30 minutes. Enjoy 🙂
Notes
This recipe is a staple on our Thanksgiving table, and after you taste it you’ll know why. I’d love to hear if you make this!
Looking for more lip-smacking Thanksgiving recipes?
Cranberry Relish
Bacon Brussels Sprouts
Mini Caramel Apple Pies
Blueberry Cinnamon Pie
Green bean casserole is one of my favorite side dishes FOR SURE! I love it! 🙂
That looks yummy! I will pin it to make sometime this holiday season 🙂
I was actually just looking for a recipe for Green Bean Casserole that's a little more special than the one on the back of the Fried Onion container. lol This sounds delicious!
This looks sooooo good! So much more appetizing than the "traditional" canned version!
thank you this worked great! can i freeze the left over spaghetti squash or how long does it keep in the fridge?
hi hannah. i’m not quite sure if you left this on the correct recipe. your comment is for spaghetti squash and this was a green bean casserole recipe. But on that note: we’ve never frozen the casserole; it’s too good and we always finish it!
This was a great addition to our Thanksgiving feast! I never really appreciated green bean casserole until last year, so I knew I wanted to make one this year, and this was a great recipe! I really enjoyed the variety of tastes and textures! Since it was just the four of us this year, I halved the recipe and it worked out perfectly!
I started making this recipe years ago and it is still by far my favorite!!
Is it possible to use canned green beans if I can’t find frozen near me? For some reason it’s nearly impossible.
oh gosh, I’m honestly not sure how canned green beans would work. If you try it I would definitely make sure that they are totally drained, and I may not cook it as long since they’re already pretty soft