Green bean casserole with fresh green beans and cheese

Kick your green bean casserole up a notch with this delicious Cheesy Green Bean Casserole recipe! Creamy, crunchy, and loaded with cheesy flavors, this casserole is always a hit at any family gathering. Great for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any dinner party, this cheesy casserole is the perfect side dish!

This classic side dish is a must for your next holiday gathering. It’s so easy to make and the cheese makes it easier to convince your little ones to eat extra greens at dinner time. Made with fresh green beans and condensed cream of mushroom soup, this traditional side dish uses simple everyday ingredients that you might already have in your pantry! 

When it comes to holiday side dishes, green bean casseroles are right up there with Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots, Mashed Potatoes, and Au Gratin Potatoes. They are such classics that everyone in my family has come to expect every year!

Why You’ll Love this Bean Casserole Recipe

• It’s so easy! There’s nothing complicated about this recipe at all. It’s one of those recipes that you don’t need to do a trial run before the holidays because it’s just that easy. 
• Perfect for a crowd. You can easily double or triple this recipe for a larger gathering. 
• Simple ingredients. You don’t have to get fancy with the ingredients so it’s quite budget-friendly.

Ingredients to Make Green Bean Casserole

• Fresh green beans: be sure to trim the ends of the beans. You can line them all up and slice them at once.
• Condensed cream of mushroom soup: to make things easier, we use condensed cream of mushroom soup instead of making a mushroom sauce. But you can always make the mushroom sauce from scratch by making the sauce in this recipe Homemade Green Bean Casserole.
• Milk: to make a creamy cheese sauce. 
• Seasoning: I season the green bean casserole with garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper.
• Cheese: I use Monterey jack cheese and parmesan cheese. Feel free to use a different cheese if you don’t have Monterey jack or parmesan cheese on hand. 
• French fried onions: it’s so much easier to use this than fry your own at home.

How To Make a Green Bean Casserole

• Prepare the equipment: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 3qt casserole dish and keep it aside.
• Blanch the green beans: Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, blanch the green beans for 3-5 minutes and transfer them to an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Set aside.

• Make the cheese sauce: Heat a heavy bottom saucepan with condensed cream of mushroom soup and milk on a medium flame. Stir in the spices; garlic powder, pepper, salt, and paprika. Simmer and then add the grated cheese. Stir until the cheese is completely melted into a cheese sauce. 

• Coat the green beans: Pour the saucy mixture over the blanched green beans. Toss to combine.

• Bake the green beans: Transfer everything into the prepared casserole dish and then bake for 20 to 25 minutes until warm and bubbly around the edges. Add the fried onion on top and bake for another 5 to 7 minutes.

• Allow the dish to cool off and then serve.

Tips to Make Green Bean Casserole with Cheese

• The fastest way to strain the green beans to transfer them is to use a colander or scoop them out with a fine-mesh sieve if you don’t have the sink space for a large colander. 
• I recommend shredding and grating your own cheese from a block. Pre-shredded cheese has a coating on them so it doesn’t melt as smoothly compared to shredding your own.
• For crunchy beans blanch for around 3 minutes. If you want them softer, blanch for a few more minutes.
• For some added heat, try adding some diced jalapeno!
• Immediately putting the beans in some ice water after blanching will help them retain their vibrant colors. 
• Another cheese I love to add to this green bean casserole is Gruyere cheese, mozzarella cheese, or cheddar cheese. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you make Green Bean Casserole ahead of time?

Yes, you can prepare it the day before. Follow cooking directions up until before the baking time. Once it cools, cover with aluminum foil wrap and store in the fridge. Also hold on to the onions until you are ready to bake.

How to store leftover green bean casserole?

Highly doubtful they’ll be any leftovers but if there are then just refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Simple reheat in the microwave or an oven safe dish in the oven at 350 F until warmed through.

Can you use frozen green beans to make green bean casserole?

I prefer fresh. But if that’s not available, you can use frozen green beans. Simple thaw the beans completely before hand. You can either thaw in the fridge the night before or quickly thaw them by placing them under running water in a colander. Let the beans drain completely before using them in the dish.

Can you use canned beans to make green bean casserole?

I am not a fan of canned vegetables at all. Using canned for this recipe will totally changed the texture of the beans. Bypassing fresh beans will end up with a different result.

Can you freeze green bean casserole?

I do not recommend freezing this casserole because creamy sauces have a tendency to break and separate when they’re frozen.

Other Recipes to Try

Need some more ideas of what to serve this green bean casserole with? Try these recipes:

• Oven Roasted Spatchcock Chicken
• Oven Baked Roasted Whole Chicken
• Chicken Shepherd’s Pie

I hope you enjoy all the recipes I share with you, including this delicious Cheesy Green Bean Casserole recipe. I hope you try it, enjoy it, rate it, and share it with your friends and family!

If you try this recipe and liked it, please leave a star rating and comment below. Use my hashtag to share it with me on Instagram so I can see your delicious recreations! Also, follow me at Cookin’ With Mima on FACEBOOK |INSTAGRAM |PINTEREST for all of my latest social posts and recipes.

Kick your green bean casserole up a notch with this delicious Cheesy Green Bean Casserole recipe! It's a great recipe for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any dinner party as a side dish.

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Total Time 45 mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Servings 4 servings

• ▢ 1 lb fresh green beans ends trimmed
• ▢ 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup 10.5oz
• ▢ 1 cup milk full fat
• ▢ 1 tsp garlic powder
• ▢ 1 tsp black pepper fresh ground
• ▢ 1 tsp salt
• ▢ ½ tsp paprika
• ▢ 1 ½ cup monterey jack cheese grated
• ▢ ¼ cup parmesan cheese grated
• ▢ 1 cup french fried onions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degree F. Grease a 3qt casserole dish and keep it aside.

• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil, blanch the green beans for 3-5 minutes and transfer them to an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Set aside.

• Heat a heavy bottom sauce pan with condensed cream of mushroom soup and milk on a medium flame. Stir in the spices; garlic powder, pepper, salt and paprika.

• Bring the mixture to simmer and add the grated cheese. Stir constantly, until the cheese is completely melted.

• Pour the saucy mixture over the blanched green beans. Toss it.

• Transfer the green beans along with the cheesy sauce into the prepared casserole dish. Bake for 20 -25 minutes until warm and bubbly around the edges.

• Add the fried onion on top and bake further for 5-7 minutes.Serve while it is still warm.

• The fastest way to strain the green beans to transfer them is to use a colander or scoop them out with a fine-mesh sieve if you don’t have the sink space for a large colander. 
• I recommend shredding and grating your own cheese from a block. Pre-shredded cheese has a coating on them so it doesn’t melt as smoothly compared to shredding your own.
• For crunchy beans blanch for around 3 minutes. If you want them softer, blanch for a few more minutes.
• For some added heat, try adding some diced jalapeno!
• Immediately putting the beans in some ice water after blanching will help them retain their vibrant colors. 
• Another cheese I love to add to this green bean casserole is Gruyere cheese, mozzarella cheese, or cheddar cheese. 

Calories: 385kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 53mg | Sodium: 1595mg | Potassium: 479mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1371IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 503mg | Iron: 2mg

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