Ready to level up your Green Bean Casserole this Thanksgiving? Make Bacon Green Bean Casserole! Featuring green beans smothered mushroom cream sauce made with bacon and cheddar cheese, bringing the flavor profile of the classic dish up multiple notches!
Similar to my from scratch green bean casserole recipe, this Bacon Green Bean Casserole is also made with a fresher approach – with fresh green beans and homemade cream sauce, because frankly, it’s the only way to do green bean casserole right! 💚
Green Bean Casserole with Bacon and Cheddar
Green bean casserole is a staple on holiday dinner tables across North America. Like cranberry sauce, stuffing, sweet potato casserole and pumpkin pie, it’s so commonly associated with Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, it’s hard to imagine the holidays without it!
While my fresh green bean casserole is a classic, this Bacon Green Bean Casserole brings fun and flavor-loaded spin to the popular dish.
With this version, you can find tender green beans coated in a creamy, homemade mushroom sauce that is infused with flavors from bacon and cheddar cheese, then topped with crispy fried onions.
The sauce—enhanced by the amazing flavors of bacon and cheddar—adds depth and warmth, while the golden onions provide a satisfying crunch. It’s a fresh, flavorful twist to the holiday favorite, without any canned shortcuts.
Here’s the good news, making bacon green bean casserole is actually pretty simple! I know we aren’t using canned green beans or canned soup, but I promise it takes just a few additional steps and not a whole lot of time, and the results are so worth it!
I will walk you through step-by-step on how to make an epic green bean casserole with fresh green beans – it only take 30 minutes of active prep time before it heads into the oven for baking where it won’t require anymore work from you!
Ready for it? Let’s make this delicious bacon green bean casserole a part of your holiday dinner tradition!
Ingredients
Here are the key ingredients you will need to make Bacon Green Bean Casserole:
- fresh green beans – They bring out the best flavor for the penny. Do wash, trim and cut the green beans before hand. Avoid using canned or frozen green beans if possible for best texture.
- bacon – yes, BACON – the star ingredient of this dish. Adding bacon to green bean casserole really kicks it up a notch and it brings such wonderful flavors to the dish. It feels weird that something as small as bacon can make such a difference, but it does!
- fried onions – You can always make your own homemade fried onions but this is the one ingredient I will get from the store and I’m still very satisfied with the dish!
- mushrooms – diced fresh mushrooms is added to the sauce to give the sauce a boost of flavor.
- half and half – a mixture of whole milk and cream. They bring creaminess to the sauce for our fresh green bean casserole without being overly heavy.
- chicken broth – use a good quality chicken broth for best flavor.
- all purpose flour – used to make a roux to thicken the mushroom cream sauce.
- cheddar cheese – we are using a little bit of cheese to bring in some additional flavors to the cream sauce. Shredded medium cheddar or sharp cheddar works great.
- garlic – use fresh cloves of garlic for best flavor. Avoid garlic powder if possible.
- salt and pepper – used as seasoning for the mushroom cream sauce to really open up the flavors.
How to make it
Without further adieu, let’s dive into the steps of making green bean casserole with bacon from scratch with step-by-step pictures.
Step 1: Boil fresh green beans
Green beans would need to be washed, trimmed and cut ahead of time before boiling in a pot of water for 4-5 minutes.
This blanching process will help soften the green beans so they will bake faster in the oven later when they are in the casserole dish.
Once green beans are done, drain the water, rinse them with cold water and bring them straight to a casserole dish (our bacon green bean casserole called for a 9 x 13 dish).
Step 2: Make the Creamy Bacon Mushroom Sauce
We are making the sauce that will coat the green beans and bacon in our green bean bacon casserole. It is rich, creamy, and thickened for the perfect luscious consistency for our sauce.
Saute sliced bacon in a pan or skillet under medium heat…baking green bean casserole with bacon makes such a big different! It just adds a whole other dimension of flavor to this dish and makes it so incredibly delicious.
Once bacon is cooked, add garlic and mushrooms, and stir fry until mushroom is soft.
Add flour to create a roux. Stir to combine.
Then add chicken broth and half & half, and continue stirring and cooking sauce to remove all the lumps and sauce boils and thickens.
In a few minutes, it will smoothen out and turn into a thick creamy white sauce.
Fold in cheese to the sauce and watch it melt into it. Bring sauce to taste with salt and black pepper.
At this point your creamy mushroom sauce cooked with bacon should be ready! This will replace the canned cream of mushroom soup – and psst it’s so much better!
Step 3: Assemble the casserole
Grease a 9′ x 13′ baking dish, then spread out blanched green beans. Pour that savory creamy mushroom bacon sauce all over green beans.
What is a bacon green bean casserole (or any type of green bean casserole) without fried onions on top?
Then we’ll add a thick layer of fried onions on top. YUM!
Step 4: Bake
Bake your bacon green bean casserole for 15 minutes in the oven at 375℉.
That’ll give the flavors enough time to come together and to crisp up the tops of the fried onions.
That’s my bacon green bean casserole I’m sharing with you today! A revamped classic with so much flavor, taste and textures.
The layers of green beans, white creamy mushroom bacon cheese sauce and fried onions comes together in an amazing way. This dish is flavorful but not overpowering. A simple but delicious side dish that will satisfy, even those who typically don’t like green bean casserole.
Give me all the green bean casseroles…and this one in particular please!
Make Ahead and Storage
If you are making the this dish ahead for the holidays, I recommend cooking the mushroom sauce, assembling the casserole, but do not add fried onions or bake until it is close to the time to serve it. This will ensure fried onions don’t turn soggy.
When you are ready to reheat, top with fried onion and bake using the recipe instruction until the center is warm.
If making ahead just the bacon mushroom sauce, store sauce in an air tight container in refrigerator for up to 3 days. Freeze only if necessary (sauce freezes well up to a month or so).
Tips and Tricks
- Use Fresh Ingredients: Always opt for fresh green beans and mushrooms to ensure the dish is flavorful and retains a satisfying texture.
- Blanching Beans: Quickly blanch green beans before assembling the casserole. This preserves their color and ensures they’re tender yet still crisp after baking.
- Bacon Grease for Flavor: You’ll find a pool of bacon grease in the skillet after frying the bacon. This is where all the flavors are at! Avoid throwing it away. If you want to cut down on the fat, you can remove some (but not all) of it.
- Ensure Sauce is Smooth: Use a whisk to whisk the mushroom bacon cheese sauce continuously to remove lumps from flour.
- Quality Cheese: Use high-quality cheese for the sauce to add a rich flavor– cheddar work wonderfully for a savory depth.
- Add Spices: A pinch of nutmeg in the cream sauce can add a warm flavor, complementing the bacon’s smokiness.
- Experiment With Add-Ons: Incorporate other ingredients like caramelized onions or toasted nuts to add extra texture and flavor to the casserole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Canned green beans can be used in a pinch, but they don’t provide the same flavor and texture.
Cheddar is a popular choice for this recipe, but feel free to experiment with other cheese that melt well like Gruyère.
To make the dish healthier, you can use turkey bacon, use low-fat cheese or even reduce the amount of cheese used. Adding extra vegetables can also increase the nutritional content.
Although using non dairy products with milk alters the taste of the dish, it is an option for those with dairy restrictions. Be sure to choose unsweetened varieties.
ENJOYED THIS RECIPE? Tell us what you think by leaving a rating and review below! 🤍
More Delicious Holiday Sides
- Mascarpone Mashed Potatoes
- Cheesy Mashed Potatoes
- Cranberry Relish
- Oven Roasted Green Beans
- Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
- Fall Harvest Salad
Bacon Green Bean Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb fresh green beans
- 5 strips bacon diced
- 4-6 cloves garlic minced
- 4 oz mushrooms diced
- ⅓ cup all purpose flour
- 1½ cup half & half
- 1½ cup chicken broth
- 1 cup mild cheddar shredded
- ½-1 tsp salt or to taste
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 6 oz fried onions
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375℉.
- Wash and trim fresh green beans.
- Fill a medium pot with water. Bring water to a boil. Add green beans to boiling water and cook 4-5 minutes. Drain water when it is done, remove green beans and rinse with cold water. Add to a greased 9' x 13' baking dish. Spread them out and set dish aside.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add diced bacon and saute under medium heat until it is cook through.
- Add garlic and mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms begin to soften.
- Add all purpose flour. Stir to combine.
- Add half & half and chicken broth. Stir or whisk continuously to remove lumps. Bring to a boil. Cook for 2-3 minutes until sauce thickens.
- Add cheese, salt, and pepper. Allow the cheese to fully melt. Add more salt to taste as needed.
- Pour mushroom bacon cream sauce over green beans. Evenly distribute fried onions all over.
- Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes.
- Remove. Let cool for 5 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
This recipe was so delicious. I made it today for Thanksgiving and it was a huge hit. So much better when you make the sauce which was easy to make. Thank you
That’s wonderful, Kelly! Thanks so much for sharing.