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Home Ā» Recipes Ā» Vegetable Recipes

November 14, 2019 · 15 Comments

Semi-Homemade Green Bean Casserole

Christmas· Thanksgiving· Vegetable Recipes

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Casserole dish of Semi-Homemade Green Bean Casserole
A collage photo of green bean casserole

Make one of the classic holiday side dishes using fresh green beans, mushrooms and half and half with this Semi-Homemade Green Bean Casserole.

A bowl of Semi-Homemade Green Bean Casserole

If I had to pick one recipe that is always a must-have on Thanksgiving, it would be French's Green Bean Casserole. It's my absolute favorite side dish and I only eat it once, maybe twice a year.

But the funny thing is that I generally don't get to eat it while were savoring all of the other food. I'm just too full from picking and taste testing throughout the day that I don't eat much when it comes time to sit down.

Instead, I prefer to heat it up until it's scalding hot and pick on it late at night after our guests go home or the next day.

When I usually make green bean casserole, I use frozen french cut green beans, Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup, milk and Durkee Onions.

A close up of Semi-Homemade Green Bean Casserole

I think the original recipe from back in the 1970's also calls for a bit of soy sauce, but that ingredient seems to have been eliminated in our family over the years.

I wanted to try my hand at making this recipe using fresh ingredients and came up with this Semi-Homemade Green Bean Casserole recipe using fresh green beans, portobello mushrooms, chicken stock, and fat free half and half.

Of course, I couldn't forget about the fried onions. So I opted to still use the Durkee brand to save some time; however, if you would like to make your own fried onions, check out this recipe for Vanilla Almond Onion Straws.

You can use this as a guide and substitute regular milk for the almond milk if you'd like.

Semi-Homemade Green Bean Casserole in a dish

what makes this recipe for Green bean casserole different than the rest?

Not much probably as there are only so many ways to write about the combination of green beans, mushrooms and fried onions. In fact, I almost didn't post this recipe because of it.

That is until I mentioned making this to several friends and they couldn't wait for me to share it here on Carrie's Experimental Kitchen.

It's really quite easy and only involves a few extra steps than the classic recipe; however, since it doesn't use canned or frozen ingredients, I could control the amount of sodium my family ingests. I don't like to cook with a lot of salt as you can probably tell by many of my recipes.

That's because I'm a salt-o-holic who salts EVERYTHING before I eat it, no matter if I cook with it or not. So to save my blood pressure numbers from skyrocketing, I just don't add it during the cooking phase.

You can feel free to use as much salt (and pepper) as you like while you're making these recipes for your own family.

A close up of Semi-Homemade Green Bean Casserole

How do you make Green Bean Casserole?

Trim the ends of the green beans; then cut them in half. I left them whole and it was a bit hard to scoop out without making a mess. Next, blanch the beans in boiling water for about 2 minutes or cook over a double boiler.

You want to them to turn bright green and still be a little crisp. Remove the beans, drain the water and set aside.

In the same pot (or bottom of the double boiler), melt the butter and add diced mushrooms. Cook until they start to soften; then whisk in flour to form a roux. Add chicken stock and ½ & ½ and mix until it thickens.

Add the beans back into the pot along with 1 c. fried onions; mix well. Place in an oven safe baking dish and bake at 350 degrees F for about 20 minutes; then place the remaining fried onions on top and bake for an additional 5 minutes until golden brown and bubbly.

Semi-Homemade Green Bean Casserole in a dish

This take on the classic French's Green Bean Casserole was SOO good; I think it was even better than using the canned and frozen ingredients. It had a much fresher flavor. I did get to enjoy these the night I made them, but they were even better reheated the next day.

The best part about this recipe is that you can prepare it the night before by omitting the last step of adding the remaining fried onions. Allow to cool, cover and refrigerate.

Then when it's time to heat for your Thanksgiving feast, remove from the refrigerator about 15 minutes or so before placing in the oven with the remaining onions.

Since the turkey has to rest before carving anyway, this is a good time to heat all of your sides if you're tight on oven space. ~Enjoy!

 

Visit the recipe index to search for more recipes by category.

A collage photo of green bean casserole

More Green Bean Recipes

  • Crispers with Lemon Garlic Aioli {Applebee's Copycat}
  • Green Beans with Bacon
  • Sea Salt Roasted Green Beans
  • Chili Garlic Green Beans
  • Green Beans with Tomato and Garlic

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A close up of Semi-Homemade Green Bean Casserole

Semi-Homemade Green Bean Casserole

Carrie's Experimental Kitchen
Make one of the classic holiday side dishes using fresh green beans, mushrooms and fat free half and half with this Semi-Homemade Green Bean Casserole.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 25 mins
Total Time 40 mins
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 8
Calories 152 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound fresh green beans (or haricot verts)
  • 2 cups diced mushrooms
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 2 tablespoon all purpose flour
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 cup fat free half and half
  • 2 cups french fried onions (divided)
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Trim the ends of the green beans; then cut them in half.
  • Next, blanch the beans in boiling water for about 2 minutes or cook over a double boiler. You want to them to turn bright green and still be a little crisp. Remove the beans, drain the water and set aside.
  • In the same pot (or bottom of the double boiler), melt the butter and add diced mushrooms. Cook until they start to soften; then whisk in flour to form a roux. Add chicken stock and ½ & ½ and mix until it thickens.
  • Add the beans back into the pot along with 1 c. fried onions; mix well.
  • Place in an oven safe baking dish and bake for 20 minutes; then place the remaining fried onions on top and bake for an additional 5 minutes until golden brown and bubbly.

Nutrition

Calories: 152kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 3gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 316mgPotassium: 285mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 448IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 52mgIron: 1mg
Keyword casserole, green beans
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

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Next Post: Turkey Kiev »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Catherine says

    November 12, 2015 at 7:06 am

    Dear Carrie, the green bean casserole is one of my favorites during Thanksgiving. This is pure and delicious comfort food. Looks perfect! xo, Catherine

    Reply
  2. alicia szemon says

    November 12, 2015 at 7:53 am

    5 stars
    yum! i love green bean casserole!

    Reply
  3. Anna says

    November 12, 2015 at 8:14 am

    Interesting recipe, I may try it soon.

    Reply
  4. Karly says

    November 12, 2015 at 8:24 am

    Perfection! Much better than the canned soup version. šŸ˜‰

    Reply
    • Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says

      November 12, 2015 at 5:25 pm

      Thanks Karly and I think so too! šŸ™‚

      Reply
  5. Sara Zielinski says

    November 12, 2015 at 1:02 pm

    5 stars
    I love green been casserole, its perfect for Thanksgiving.

    Reply
  6. Sara Zielinski says

    November 13, 2015 at 1:52 pm

    5 stars
    This is perfect for thanksgiving.

    Reply
  7. Jeanne Coulombe says

    November 14, 2015 at 6:41 am

    I make this every year family loves it!

    Reply
  8. Farrah King says

    November 15, 2015 at 9:03 am

    I can't wait to try this recipe! This is also my favorite Thanksgiving side and if it's as good as it looks...it's sure to be a keeper! Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
  9. Shannon says

    November 16, 2015 at 3:40 am

    Thank you for sharing how to make this at home and simple to make as well.

    Reply
  10. Betsy Rubendall Barnes says

    November 18, 2015 at 5:56 pm

    5 stars
    This is a nice recipe. I love that you use fresh green beans, bet it really improves the taste of this widely made casserole šŸ™‚

    Reply
    • Betsy Rubendall Barnes says

      November 18, 2015 at 5:59 pm

      5 stars
      Or Betsy Barnes (may have entered my name incorrectly in the widget)

      Reply
  11. Tabitha S says

    December 02, 2015 at 1:30 pm

    yum this is my fav thanksgiving sidedish

    Reply
  12. Melanie says

    December 21, 2017 at 3:23 pm

    I’m having someone over for Christmas that has celiac disease. If I omit the onions and use slivered almonds on top would that be a gluten free dish?

    Reply
    • Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says

      December 21, 2017 at 4:46 pm

      You can use almonds, but I'm not sure you're going to get the same effect with the mushroom cream sauce inside of the vegetable casserole. I'm not sure where you live, but Aldi's sells a gluten free fried onion product. You can see if there's a store near you here: https://aldi.us/stores/. If one isn't close to you, I found this recipe for gluten free fried onion rings on the Betty Crocker website that looks pretty easy too. Good luck and Merry Christmas!

      Vegetable oil for frying
      2 large onions, cut in half, thinly sliced (3 cups)
      1 1/2 cups milk or buttermilk
      3/4 cup Bisquickā„¢ Gluten Free mix
      3/4 teaspoon salt
      1/4 teaspoon pepper

      Reply

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