With American Thanksgiving just a week away, I thought this would be a perfect time to share my Ultimate Green Bean Casserole. It’s so yummy and comforting and you can honestly mix it up any way you like. Bacon? Mushrooms? You can do it all. I’ll share a few of my variations down below. Anyway, it’s a perfect dish to bring along to family gatherings and goes great with a side of FOOTBALL. You’re welcome.

Thanksgiving done right

You might not have figured this out yet but I love food. And I love America, which is why I am so excited to head down to the states next weekend. Canadian Thanksgiving is long gone and while I am proud to be Canadian, I will be the first to admit that America does Thanksgiving right. The food, the football, and it’s on a THURSDAY! They just shut right down from there on and I love it. It’s like a kick off to all things Christmas and it’s amazing.

I’ll be spending my American Thanksgiving at CRACKER BARREL. Which in case you didn’t know (you’re not from around here are you) is my favorite place on earth. Followed by an awesome weekend with some of my favorite people. You might even catch me at a Bengals game. Guys doesn’t this already sound glorious? Fried chicken, white gravy, my favorite people and football. Stick a fork in me because I’m done. Who knows, with all the magic that’s in the air maybe the Bengals will actually win a game. But hey, if they don’t at least there’s leftover turkey which always makes everyone feel better.

Okay, back to the green bean casserole.

Or should I say the ultimate green bean casserole. I have been making this recipe for years and I have so many variations of it depending on who I am serving it to, but this version is my favorite. The cheesy roux sauce is so good you could eat it with a spoon, and those crunchy fried onions are the perfect pairing. I have yet to meet someone who doesn’t love it, and I really don’t think you can have Thanksgiving or even a Sunday dinner without this.

A couple of things.

A couple of things to note. I absolutely HATE mushrooms. I have never understood how people can like them? SO you will probably never see me cooking with them. In fact I can almost guarantee you will never see me cooking with them. That being said, I know there are a few people out there that love them (how??) and you can easily saute some up and throw them in here. I say don’t do it though. DO add bacon. I tend to leave it out when I am bringing this dish to a larger gathering in case there are vegetarians but if you know your group then add that bacon!

If you find you are pressed for time and can’t whip up a cheesy roux, then I LOVE substituting it for a can of cream of broccoli soup, 1 cup of milk and a cup of cheese. It tastes just as good!

Prep! This recipe goes much smoother if you pre-measure your ingredients. I like to mince my garlic and grate my cheese, and have everything else measured out in dishes ready to go. Call me crazy but once I start I just like to go at it and this is a good way to focus on what you’re making instead of getting distracted by multi tasking.

I think pretty dishes are an easy way to take your casseroles up a notch. Also they make me feel happy, so make this dish in your nicest 1.5Qt-2Qt baking dish.

The Ultimate Green Bean Casserole

Thanksgiving isn't complete without this classic green bean casserole made from scratch. Tastes just like your grandma used to make. Fresh green beans, french's onions, bacon, and a whole lot of cheese. SO good. The perfect Thanksgiving side dish or Sunday dinner staple.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Servings 6

Ingredients

  

• 680g fresh green beans about 1 bag, washed and trimmed
• 6 slices bacon cooked and chopped into pieces
• ¼ cup butter
• ¼ cup flour
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 rsp dry mustard powder
• 2 ¼ cups of whole milk
• 1½ cups shredded cheese orange cheddar, or marble
• 1 cup French's fried onions

Instructions

 

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat the oven to 350 °
• In a large frying pan, cook your bacon and set aside.
• In a large pot of boiling water cook the green beans for about 5 minutes. Don't overcook them. After 5 minutes run them under cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain and place in a baking dish.
• In a medium saucepan, melt the butter then add garlic and cook for about 1 minute or until fragrant.
• Whisk in your flour and then cook for about two minutes.
• Slowly whisk in the milk, stirring constantly, and then add in your salt, pepper, and dry mustard. Whisk your sauce for a few minutes while your sauce thickens up and then slowly whisk in your cheese.
• Pour over green beans and mix well. Add in half your french's fried onions reserving half for the topping.
• Add in your chopped bacon, mix well.
• Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Remove and top with remaining fried onions and bake for an additional 5 minutes

Keyword casseroles, comfort food, dinner recipes, green bean casserole, green beans, side dishes, sunday dinner, Thanksgiving Dinner, Thanksgiving sides

Need a little sweet treat for dessert? Try these Oatmeal Chocolate Cookies or Milk Chocolate M&M Cookies. You won’t be disappointed!

Enjoy!

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