Don’t want to cook with canned cream of mushroom soup or canned green beans? Make this easy homemade Green Bean Casserole Without Mushroom Soup from scratch for Thanksgiving and Christmas using frozen green beans, fresh mushrooms, and sour cream.


White casserole dish filled with green bean casserole


I’ve been eating some variation of Green Bean Casserole Without Mushroom Soup every Thanksgiving and Christmas for as long as I can remember.

Growing up, Mom made the famous version with canned cream of mushroom soup, canned green beans, and French fried onions. It was my absolute favorite thing to eat alongside stuffed Cornish hen.

As I started cooking for myself and my palate matured, I could no longer eat a lot of canned items, especially cream of whatever soup.

Not wanting to give it up, I was on a mission to make green bean casserole from scratch.

And I succeeded by using sour cream and fresh mushrooms as a substitute for cream of mushroom soup plus some Worcestershire sauce to add some depth known as umami (bonus points if you can pronounce it).

Close up of green bean casserole

Ingredients For Green Bean Casserole Without Mushroom Soup

I don’t think a year has gone by where we don’t make green bean casserole without cream of mushroom soup for the holidays!

Here are the ingredients you’ll need:

  • Green beans: Can use fresh or frozen (more on that below)
  • Butter: Used to fry up your onion, garlic, and mushrooms
  • Salt: No more bland casserole!
  • Onion and garlic: Aromatics to build flavor into your casserole
  • Mushrooms: Instead of mushroom soup, use fresh button mushrooms instead.
  • Flour: Used to make a roux to thicken the filling so it’s not a soupy mess
  • Broth: I use chicken broth because it’s always in my fridge, but for a vegetarian green bean casserole, use vegetable broth.
  • Sour cream: Replaces the cream in cream of mushroom soup
  • Cheese: Mom always added cheese, and I didn’t know until a few years ago there is no cheese in the original. You’ll definitely want to make a cheesy green bean casserole.
  • Milk: Smooths out the sour cream into a sauce so it’s not a thick glob
  • Worcestershire sauce: Adds some earthiness, which pairs well with the mushrooms
  • French fried onions: Although I believe in making everything from scratch, I cut myself some slack on Thanksgiving by buying a bag.

Can you use fresh green beans for green bean casserole?

Because green bean casserole from scratch is typically made in the winter, I opt for frozen green beans rather than fresh.

They’re still technically fresh because they’re frozen during peak season. Regardless they’re a million times better than canned green beans.

I use frozen French cut green beans when I can find them, which means the beans are cut lengthwise into thin strips.

However, they aren’t easy to find, so you can definitely use regular cut green beans.

To substitute fresh green beans, boil them in salted water first until softened, about 5 minutes. Then proceed to follow the casserole recipe.

If you don’t precook your fresh green beans, they’ll be too hard even after baking.

Is green bean casserole vegetarian?

Although at first glance green bean casserole without mushroom soup looks vegetarian, it actually isn’t due to the Worcestershire sauce because it contains anchovies.

No worries! You can leave it out or use a vegetarian-friendly brand.

Serve it with stuffed butternut squash, cranberry stuffing and mushroom gravy for a vegetarian Thanksgiving.


White casserole dish filled with green bean casserole

How To Make Green Bean Casserole Without Mushroom Soup

Here’s how to make green bean casserole without cream of mushroom soup:

  • Blanch green beans in a pot of salted water. Blanching means cooking in hot water until softened but not fully cooked, about 3 minutes or so. That way the green beans aren’t raw after cooking the casserole.
  • Cook onion and mushrooms in melted butter until softened then add the garlic.
  • Stir in the flour to make a roux then slowly whisk in the broth. This will help thicken the filling so it’s not too soupy.
  • Mix in sour cream, cheese, milk, Worcestershire sauce, green beans, and some French fried onions. Transfer to a casserole dish and top with the remaining French fried onions.
  • Bake at 350F for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Homemade green bean casserole with serving spoon

Green Bean Casserole FAQ

Can you make green bean casserole ahead of time?

Yes, you can! Make the filling, refrigerate, then add the onions on top right before baking. You may need to add an extra 10 minutes in the oven since you’re baking cold filling straight from the fridge.

Can you make green bean casserole without mushrooms?

Although the mushrooms are my favorite part, you can certainly make green bean casserole without mushrooms by leaving them out.

Can you add bacon to green bean casserole?

To make your casserole even better, add bacon! Instead of using butter, fry your bacon in the skillet, remove once cooked, then continue frying your onion and mushrooms in the bacon grease left behind. Crumble your bacon then stir into the mixture before baking.

White casserole dish filled with green bean casserole

What To Serve With Homemade Green Bean Casserole

Since the likelihood of you reading this while planning your Thanksgiving menu is very high, here are links to my favorite accompanying dishes.

For a full list, check out my Thanksgiving Dinner For Two and Christmas Dinner For Two menus.

White casserole dish filled with green bean casserole

Green Bean Casserole Without Mushroom Soup

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

Easy homemade Green Bean Casserole Without Mushroom Soup from scratch for Thanksgiving and Christmas using frozen green beans, fresh mushrooms, and sour cream.

Ingredients

  • 1 bag (12-16 ounce) frozen regular cut or French cut green beans
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • Salt, to taste (preferably kosher)
  • 1/4 cup diced white or yellow onion
  • 4 large white button mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup vegetable or chicken stock/broth
  • 1 cup full-fat sour cream
  • 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1/4 cup whole milk, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (omit if making casserole vegetarian-friendly)
  • 1 cup French fried onions

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Have a 1 quart casserole dish ready.
  2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add a handful of salt then add green beans. Cook for 3 minutes to soften but not fully cook. Drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking.
  3. Meanwhile, in a large deep skillet melt the butter. Once hot, add the onion, mushrooms, and a pinch of salt. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute.
  4. Stir in flour until a roux (paste) forms. Slowly stir in the broth.
  5. Stir in the sour cream, cheese, milk, Worcestershire sauce, green beans, 1/4 cup French friend onions, and salt to taste (up to 1 teaspoon) until smooth and cheese has melted.
  6. Transfer to the casserole dish and top with remaining 3/4 cup French fried onion. Bake 30 minutes or until bubbling.

Notes

  • To make the casserole ahead of time, make the filling then refrigerate. Right before baking, top with the remaining French fried onions. You may need to add extra bake time since you're baking cold filling straight from the fridge.
  • To use fresh green beans, fully cook them in salted water until fork tender, about 5 minutes.
  • Planning your holiday menu? Check out Thanksgiving Dinner For Two, Easter Dinner For Two, and Christmas Dinner For Two for recipe pairings.

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First published November 21, 2013