This Old Fashioned Green Bean Casserole is made completely from scratch. It’s the best green bean casserole recipe you’ll ever make and is sure to become an instant family favorite. 

Green Bean Casserole on a wooden spoon above a dish full of green bean casserole.

Green bean casserole is a classic American dish that can often be found on holiday dinner tables at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter, as well as other times throughout the year. It’s a beloved casserole favorite that has been diluted over the years to include cans cream of mushroom soup, canned green beans bacon bits, and canned fried onions. But not here!

This recipe is made the old fashioned way: completely from scratch. It starts off with homemade crispy ovens that are quickly coated in a seasoned flour and crumb mixture and baked until crispy. It’s important to continue to toss the onions during their baking time in order to keep them from clumping together which will prevent them from crisping up.

The homemade sauce is the key to this recipe. Bacon provides the flavor base for the sauce and a simple roux is created with the fat in order to thicken up our creamy liquids. This is poured over fresh green beans and baked to perfection. If you are used to mushier green beans, read on for some tips.

Green beans getting poured into a baking dish.
Green beans in a baking dish getting sauce poured on them.

  • How do you make green bean casserole with fresh green beans?

    When using fresh green beans in green bean casserole you must first trim the ends of each green bean. Oftentimes, based on size, it may also be necessary to snap the green bean in half. When green beans are baked, as in green bean casserole, they come out tender crisp. If you are used to and prefer a much softer green bean, you can par-boil or even par-steam your green beans before using them in the recipe. Simply steam or boil your green beans for 10 minutes prior to using in the recipe. If you plunge them into an ice bath immediately after cooking it will help them retain a more vibrant shade of green.

  • How can I get my green beans softer if I like soft green beans?

    If you like really soft green beans for green bean casserole, you’ll want to pre cook your green beans a bit. If using frozen, pop them in the microwave and cook them according to the package directions first. If using fresh green beans, see above and steam them prior to using in the recipe.

For more holiday side dish favorites, be sure to check out my Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes that are way easier to make than you might think. For a fun, modern twist on smashed potatoes be sure to check out my Garlic Bread Smashed Potatoes that take all the goodness of garlic bread and turn them into a starchy potato side dish that people go crazy for.

Watch the video below where Rachel will walk you through every step of this recipe. Sometimes it helps to have a visual, and we’ve always got you covered with our cooking show. You can find the complete collection of recipes on YouTube, Facebook Watch, or our Facebook Page, or right here on our website with their corresponding recipes.