The Cozy Cookbook is here! This homemade Green Bean Casserole recipe from Paula Deen is an easy make-ahead side dish idea for holidays and family dinners. It’s full of simple ingredients and is all topped with warm, melted cheese. (And it’s Crock Pot Friendly!)
Love easy side dish ideas? Be sure to try Paula Deen’s Corn Casserole recipe next!
Ingredients for Paula Deen’s Green Bean Casserole
- Onions- If you have picky eaters, you can substitute 1/2 tsp onion powder instead.
- Fresh Mushrooms- Mushroom haters: feel free to omit.
- Garlic– Freshly minced garlic at home is best. 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder may also be used.
- Salt/Pepper- You may choose to omit salt.
- Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup– Click the link for my homemade version
- Chicken Broth
- Fresh Green Beans
- Butter- Consider using non-salted.
- Cheddar Cheese– Grate your own at home from a block for best flavor and consistency.
- French Fried Onions
PRO TIP: After baking, I like to sprinkle roughly chopped bacon on top for added flavor and color. You can reserve 2 Tablespoons of bacon drippings to saute the onions and mushrooms in instead of butter.
PRO TIP: I like to omit 1/4 of the can of mushroom soup and replace it with sour cream.
Using Canned or Frozen Green Beans
While I recommend using fresh green beans for the best results, frozen is the next best option, followed by canned:
Using Frozen Green Beans:
- Frozen green beans may also be used. They should be thawed and patted dry.
- Cook them in chicken broth just as you would with fresh.
Using Canned Green Beans:
- 1 (14.5 oz.) can of green beans (drained) may be used instead of fresh.
- No need to cook in them chicken broth, simply mix it in with the other ingredients after draining. Note that canned green beans are already salted.
☝️ The quickest way to cut green beans is to line ones of similar size next to each other and cut all the stems at once with a long knife.
You may also prefer to cut the green beans in half.
Boiling the Green Beans
- I recommend boiling the green beans for 8 minutes instead of 10 for a slightly firmer consistency, especially because they’re going to bake in the oven for 30 more minutes.
- Don’t add the green beans to the chicken broth until it has reached a boil.
- The salt in the chicken broth will not only season the green beans, but will help them to maintain their color.
Make Ahead Method
This casserole can be prepared up to 2 days ahead of time. Cover it tightly and and store in the fridge until ready to bake:
- Assemble the casserole as instructed but don’t mix in the crispy fried onions until you’re ready to bake.
- Shred the cheese and store in a Ziploc bag until ready to bake.
- Let it sit out for 15-20 minutes prior to baking.
Crock Pot Green Bean Casserole
This recipe is great in the Crock Pot, I recommend doubling the recipe and following these tips:
- Cook the green beans. Drain and combine with the other ingredients as noted in the original recipe, but leave out the French Fried onions.
- Cook on low for 5 hours.
- Top with cheese and cover until melted.
- Top with French Fried Onions and serve, (no further heating required).
👉This is the Crock Pot that I have, I love that it automatically switches to warm once the cooking time is up. You can also sear meat in it on the Stove!
Try These Next!
-
- Roast Chicken
-
- Mashed Potatoes
-
- Easy Brown Gravy
-
- Buttermilk Biscuits
-
- Corn Casserole
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Paula Deen's Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients
- 1/3 stick butter
- 1/2 cup diced onions
- 1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups sliced green beans
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 10.5 oz. cream of mushroom soup
- ½ cup French-fried onions
- Salt/Pepper, to taste
- 1 cup grated Cheddar
Instructions
- See notes for Crock Pot version.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Melt the butter over medium heat in a large skillet. Saute the onions and mushrooms for 5 minutes, until softened.
- Add the fresh garlic and cook for an additional minute. Remove from heat.
- Boil the chicken broth in a large pot and add the green beans. Cook for 10 minutes and drain.
- In a large bowl, combine the onions, mushrooms, garlic, green beans, mushroom soup and French-fried onions. Add any salt/pepper if desired, refrain from adding too much salt.
- Pour into a greased 1 ½ quart baking dish. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes.
- Top with the grated cheese and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
Notes
- ½ teaspoon onion powder can be added for non-onion lovers.
- The mushrooms can be omitted for non-mushroom lovers.
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder can be used instead of fresh garlic if necessary.
- Here is a homemade version of condensed cream of mushroom soup.
• 2 cups frozen green beans may also be used. They should be thawed and patted dry.
• Cook them in chicken broth just as you could with fresh.
Using Canned Green Beans:
• 1 (14.5 oz.) can of green beans (drained) may be used instead of fresh.
• No need to cook in them chicken broth, simply mix it in with the other ingredients after draining.
Crock Pot Green Bean Casserole:
- Cook green beans, drain, and assemble as instructed, but omit the French Fried Onions.
- Heat on low for 5 hours.
- Top with cheese and cover until melted.
- Top with French Fried onions and serve. No further heating required.
Nutrition
Source: PaulaDeen.com
Paula is the best. ..love true souther cooking
I am so happy that I found your recipe and will be making it for Christmas. I followed all of the directions including the use of unsalted butter and I still found the dish to be salty. I thought that when I make it next, I would use the reduced sodium mushroom soup. Have you tried it that way and did you like it or did you find it lacking?
Hi Helen! I haven’t tried it that way but if you found it to be too salty then I would give it a go. Salt is easy to add but you can’t take it away! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! 🙌🏻
I now boil my canned greens beans every time I cook them. I do not see in the recipe when to add the cheese.
Hi Tamara! That’s so good to know, I’ll have to try that sometime! 🙂 Thank you so much for the review! (And the cheese is added at the very last step, step 8, before baking for 10 more minutes.) HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!
Do you add milk in with the soup like you normally would or is it by itself?
Hi Loren! You’ll just add the soup by itself without milk 🙂
Paula posted a video today and said she actually prefers using canned green beans. She also boils the canned green beans in stock. But I did find an old video of hers using fresh green beans.
Oh really! That’s interesting! I would almost worry that the canned green beans would become too mushy after boiling and then baking, huh! I’ll have to try that sometime! I would imagine it’d be best to find some with reduced sodium or to use reduced sodium chicken broth to cook them in.
I saw that video also! I’ve never used canned before, always frozen, but after her video I decided to get canned. I also found the video of her using fresh from the past. I think the videos she has been posting seem to be more of what she cooks in her kitchen for herself. I hope the broth removes the canned taste like she says and that the beans aren’t too mushy.
Can I add some cooked young carrots to this recipe, just for color?
Of course you can! What a great idea!
For the crockpot version, do you drain the green beans after cooking them in the broth?
Yes you do Mary! 🙂 Enjoy! -Stephanie
Thank you!
Hi, how many people does this serve? Trying to figure out if I should triple the recipe. Thanks!!
Hi Kellie! On the top left of the recipe card you’ll see “4” servings. If you want to triple it, click on that number. A sliding bar will appear, drag it right until you see “12” and the ingredients will adjust accordingly! ENJOY, this is a great recipe! 🙂 -Stephanie
Thanks so much Stephanie!!
When using canned green beans for crock pot, do I need to cook the green beans? Or just throw it all in the pot?
Throw it all in the pot!
When doubling this recipe, do you also double the fried onions and cheese? Wanting to make this tomorrow :). Thanks!
Hey Kyna! You may want to add about 1.5 times as much, you can wing it, you can’t have too much cheese or fried onions in my opinion! 😉 Enjoy!! -Stephanie