A Fresh Green Bean Casserole with Cheese, featuring tender green beans and a simple, incredible homemade cream of mushroom sauce. Green bean casserole is a favorite holiday casserole for so many, so why not make it extra special this year with a little extra T.L.C.? Fresh green beans, a homemade cream of mushroom sauce, and freshly grated cheddar cheese — it's a combination that can do no wrong.
You and your taste testers will fall in love with this casserole upgrade, and I suspect you'll find it difficult to go back to the processed version. Serve it with other homemade favorites like cranberry sauce with orange juice and Southern cornbread dressing for a crowd-pleasing side dish lineup family and friends will love for years to come.
Table of Contents
- Why You'll Love This Cheesy Green Bean Casserole
- Ingredients for Homemade Green Bean Casserole with Cheese
- How to Make Green Bean Casserole with Fresh String Beans
- Make-Ahead, Storage, and Reheating
- Cheese Variations (Velveeta, Cheddar, and More)
- FAQ — Green Bean Casserole with Cheese
- 6 More Side Dishes You'll Love
There is not a casserole I crave more come the holidays than green bean casserole with cheese. As a little girl, green beans were my favorite vegetable. The idea of getting to smother them in a creamy cheese sauce was, well, pretty much a dream come true, and it was one of the first dishes I ever learned to make.
I can still picture standing by my dad's side in the kitchen as he showed me how the layers were supposed to go.
Decades later, with two little girls by my side, we are still making green bean casserole with cheese every holiday, just a more elevated version. After 15 years in the field of professional recipe development, I don't cook with canned vegetables anymore and it made no sense to buy them for casserole purposes, knowing fresh green beans are extremely easy to prepare and by comparison, a superior product.
Why You'll Love This Cheesy Green Bean Casserole
- Get ready for all the nostalgia of the classic string bean casserole recipe you grew up eating, but with fresh green beans and real cheese. We’re talking a quality/flavor boost like never before!
- The homemade mushroom sauce tastes like it came from a gourmet kitchen, not a can. Seriously — you’ll have a hard time not eating it by the spoonful. I do.
- This cheesy green bean casserole actually holds up on the plate. No soupy messes here. I highly recommend wedging it between the mashed potatoes and dressing.
- It's a make-ahead friendly side dish, meaning less chaos at Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. You can prep the filling in advance and bake it off before dinner.
If you love classic Southern green bean dishes, don't miss stewed green beans!
Ingredients for Homemade Green Bean Casserole with Cheese
- Green Beans | Fresh and tender-crisp, the best for creating a green bean casserole with paramount texture and flavor.
- Onion | Helps to build a savory base for cream of mushroom sauce.
- Mushrooms | The star of the sauce, adding body to the casserole and umami depth of flavor.
- Butter | Mushrooms and onions cook down in the butter, adding extra richness to your green bean casserole.
- Flour | Thickens the sauce for ideal consistency.
- Cream | Makes the cream of mushroom rich and cream; it's the "cream of" in a homemade cream of mushroom soup. You can use half-and-half as a sub if needed.
- Chicken Broth | Lightens up the sauce so the casserole doesn't feel too heavy. Be sure to use unsalted or low sodium broth.
- Soy Sauce | Game changer when it comes to savory depth of flavor. Your guests won't know it's there, but one taste and you'll never not use again.
- Cheddar Cheese | Used both melted into the sauce and as a cheesy topping for major holiday baked-until-bubbly vibes.
- Fried Onions | This iconic topping is an absolute must, adding crunch and an extra salty bite for a nostalgic cheesy green bean casserole everyone loves.
Fresh Green Beans vs Canned
Texture | Let's be honest — canned green beans are mush. We all know it. Fresh green beans on the other hand, while still soft, actually have texture to them and hold up beautifully baked in a casserole. We also use fresh green beans in our slow cooker green beans and even after being cooked for hours, they still retain superior texture and flavor to canned.
Flavor | Fresh green beans have a sweet, clean, slightly nutty flavor while the canned green beans lose a lot of that brightness during the canning process, which leaves them tasting muted and stewed.
Convenience | No one can argue the fact that canned green beans are easier to work with. But fresh? Still easy. If you can boil water, you can handle fresh green beans.
Pro Tip | To simplify working with fresh green beans, buy the already snipped and strung, pre-packaged bags in the produce section of the grocery store.
Homemade Cream of Mushroom Sauce
I came across a version of this recipe in one of my favorite cookbooks, Comfort Foods by Rick Rogers in 2010. I had never made a homemade version of Cream of Mushroom soup before but was pleasantly surprised at how simple — and how much better — it is. It's the only sauce I'll use to this day.
The Best Cheese for Green Bean Casserole
Trading in the Velveeta (a.k.a. "processed cheese food") for real cheddar is one of my favorite string bean casserole upgrades.
Pro Tip: For the smoothest, creamiest sauce, grate your own cheese off the block rather than using bagged, pre-shredded. Freshly grated melts better and tastes richer.
How to Make Green Bean Casserole with Fresh String Beans
This updated, homemade version of cheesy green bean casserole features fresh green beans, a scratch-made cream of mushroom sauce, and freshly grated cheddar. Guaranteed, it’s the best green bean casserole you’ll ever taste.
Blanch the Green Beans
A quick boil until just barely cooked through keeps them tender-crisp and vibrant.
Make the Cheesy Mushroom Sauce
Saute Onions and Mushrooms | You’ll start with unsalted butter on the stovetop, then add the chopped mushrooms and onion. This creates the base of your homemade cream of mushroom.
Add Flour, then Cream | Once the vegetables are soft, sprinkle flour over the top and stir to coat. Add the cream a splash at a time, whisking well after each addition until smooth.
Add Broth + Soy Sauce + Seasoning | Stir in the chicken broth, the soy sauce for added for depth of flavor, salt and pepper. Let it bubble until slightly thickened.
Assemble the Green Bean and Cheese Casserole
Stir the blanched green beans into the sauce, transfer everything to your baking dish, and top with cheddar.
Bake
Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes at 350°F.
Add the Crunchy Topping + Bake Again
Remove the foil and add French's Fried Onions, and bake for 10 minutes more. Watch closely and don't leave it in the oven past the allotted time. Fried onions have a tendency to burn easily.
Pro Tip: Years ago, I experimented with breaded and fried shallots in place of the French fried onions. They were delicious, but added extra time to the recipe, made for too much clean up, and didn't deliver the crunch I was hoping for. This is why I sticking to the classic topping of French's French Fried Onions. They remain crispy even after the casserole is baked, and have a great deal of flavor.
Make-Ahead, Storage, and Reheating
- Make-Ahead | You can prep almost everything a day early. Blanch the fresh green beans, make the homemade cream of mushroom sauce, and grate your cheddar. If you want to prep ahead even further, you can assemble the dish (beans + sauce + cheese) and refrigerate up to 24 hours before baking — just wait to add the fried onions until right before you bake.
- Storage | Once baked, cover the casserole tightly and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
- Reheating | Cover the dish with foil and bake at 325°F for about 20-25 minutes until warmed through. If you pulled it straight from the fridge, let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes or so before baking so the center warms evenly.
Cheese Variations (Velveeta, Cheddar, and More)
Velveeta | If you grew up on the classic string-bean casserole, Velveeta is where it's at for you and that's okay. I grew up on classic Tex-Mex queso, so no judgement here. Cut an 8-ounce block of Velveeta into thin layers, and stir in half of it to the sauce while still hot. Then use the other half to top off your casserole before going into the oven.
More Cheeses to Try | Feel free to mix up your cheeses when it comes to cheesy green bean casserole. Mild cheddar is my go-to, but good melting cheeses like Gruyere, gouda, white cheddar, or even colby jack would work. Just be sure to grate them yourself so they melt smoothly in the sauce.
FAQ — Green Bean Casserole with Cheese
Absolutely. If you're starting with the classic canned-soup version, stir in a ½ to 1 cup of freshly grated mild cheddar directly into the sauce before baking.
For me, it is a mix of mild cheddar cheese and French fried onions every single time. The cheese melts into a golden, bubbly layer and the onions stay extra crispy on top.
Yes, you can blanch the fresh green beans, make the homemade cream of mushroom sauce, grate your cheddar, assemble the dish (without the fried onion topping), cover, and refrigerate up to 24 hours in advance. Set out at room temperature 20 minutes prior to baking and bake as directed.
Yes, fresh green beans give the best texture, but frozen will work in a pinch. Just be sure to thaw and pat them dry before using. Canned green beans are the softest option, so the casserole will be mushier than intended.
6 More Side Dishes You'll Love
- Green Bean Almondine is a simple way to spruce up fresh green beans! The name may mislead some into thinking it’s a complex recipe, but rest assured, these buttery green beans topped with a crunchy almond sauce comes together quickly and with very few ingredients.
- Cream Corn Casserole is a Southern holiday favorite. This recipe is an adaptation of classic creamed corn turned casserole, and you’ll find no cornbread mix in this recipe. Instead, sweet corn baked in a perfectly smooth and creamy sauce, topped off with melty cheddar and buttery Ritz crackers, and baked to absolute perfection.
- Yellow Squash Casserole features yellow squash, cheese, and Ritz crackers. Perfect for holidays, barbecues, family dinners, potlucks, and more!
- Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad is a family-friendly side dish Ranch lovers will swoon for. Pasta salad coated in a quick and easy Ranch dressing (homemade or store-bought), crispy bacon, and more!
- Fresh Green Beans are still great on their own, so don’t fret if you can’t swing an Almondine sauce tonight. Featuring over fifteen amazing ways to eat fresh green beans in stellar side dishes, salads, and main courses.
- Sweet Potato Souffle is a salty-sweet, decadent showstopper that your Thanksgiving guests will love! With creamy sweet potatoes as the base and a crunchy, buttery pecan streusel topping, we can guarantee your guests will scoop up seconds.
Fresh Green Bean Casserole with Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds (24 ounces) Green Beans, washed and trimmed
- ¼ cups Unsalted Butter
- 1 Yellow Onion Finely Diced
- 8 ounces White Button Mushrooms wiped cleaned roughly chopped
- ⅓ cup All-Purpose Flour
- 2 ½ cups Heavy Whipping Cream
- ½ cup Unsalted Chicken Broth
- 1 ½ teaspoons Kosher Salt
- 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
- ½ teaspoon Soy Sauce
- 8 ounces Cheddar Cheese freshly grated
- 1 cup French’s Crispy Fried Onions
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°, and have ready a large pot of boiling water and a greased 9x13 casserole dish.
- Carefully, add the prepared green beans to the pot of boiling water and allow them to cook for 5-7 minutes, just until al dente. Remove from the stove top and strain into a colander. Run under cold water until cool to the touch and no longer steaming. Set aside until ready to use.
- Add butter to a large saucepan over medium heat and allow to melt. Add the onion and mushrooms to the Dutch oven and sauté 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir to coat. Add the cream a splash at time, whisking after each addition, until the mixture resembles pudding. Stream in the remaining cream and the chicken broth. Stir to combine and allow to simmer and slightly thicken, about 6 minutes. Sauce will taste salty.
- Remove from the heat and stir in 1 cup of the cheddar, salt, pepper and soy sauce. Add in green beans and stir. Transfer the contents to the casserole dish.
- Top with remaining cheddar, cover with aluminum foil and bake 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle fried onions across the top. Return to the oven uncovered to bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until bubbly and the onions have deepened in color.
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Nutrition
Dianne Wall says
Can you make this a day in advance? What do you recommend?
Kelly Anthony says
Hi Dianne! I would recommend prepping all of the ingredients a day in advance and keeping them separate until you're ready to bake. So prepare the green beans, make the sauce, and have your toppings ready to go! Then, the day of, assemble and bake for best results 🙂