It’s totally possible to have a real food Thanksgiving dinner, and this recipe is here to help. I took the standard Green Bean Casserole recipe and “real foodinized” it for you, and the outcome is just delicious! I am not going to promise it will taste exactly like the original recipe you’ve made in years past, because I think this one will actually be even better than before.
It’s really hard to beat wholesome, pure ingredients that are lovingly put together in a homemade dish like this one. And just for the record, this is now one of my 6-year-old’s favorite vegetable recipes. She gave it a huge thumbs up and has already asked me to make it again! So holidays aside, this may very well be our new standard way to eat green beans. :)
More Real Food Holiday Recipes
- Whole-Wheat Garlic Cheddar Drop Biscuits
- Whole-Wheat Biscuits
- Chestnut and Prosciutto Stuffing
- Pesto Cream Cheese Bake Appetizer
- Sweet Potato Casserole
- Whole-Grain Corn Bread
- Butternut Squash Soup
- Brown Rice Risotto
- Salad Inspiration
- Shortcut Chocolate Pecan Pie
Green Bean Casserole with French Fried Onions
Ingredients
Casserole Ingredients
- 2 pounds green beans, trimmed, cut in half, and steamed (8 to 10 minutes or until tender and easily pierced with a fork)
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 8 ounces mushrooms, diced (Shiitake is a great choice, but button mushrooms are good as well)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 tablespoons whole wheat flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- pepper, to taste
- 2 ½ cups milk
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
Onion Topping Ingredients
- 1/2 onion, peeled, cut in half, and sliced very thin
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 4 tablespoons butter
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
Casserole Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
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In a large sauté pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook while stirring for 2 to 3 minutes.
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Sprinkle in the flour and stir vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes, being careful not to let the flour burn. Stir in the salt and pepper.
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Carefully whisk in the milk and soy sauce while scraping the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Bring to a light boil. Whisk and cook until the sauce thickens to the consistency of a really thick soup, about 3 to 4 minutes.
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Mix the sauce with the (previously steamed) green beans in a casserole dish and toss to combine. Bake in the oven until bubbly, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and top with French Fried Onions (instructions below).
French Fried Onion Topping Instructions
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While the casserole is baking, spread the flour out on a large plate, carefully separate the onion pieces, and dredge them in the flour until they are evenly coated.
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Melt the butter for the topping in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Shake the excess flour off the onions and add them to the pan, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Depending on the size of the pan you may need to cook them in batches. If cooking more than one batch, be sure to wipe out the pan in-between to prevent the residue from burning.
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Once the onions are golden brown on the bottom (after about 1 to 2 minutes), carefully flip them over to brown the other side. Add extra butter to the pan if they begin to look dry. The onions do cook quickly, so keep a close watch!
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Transfer the onions to a paper-towel lined plate and generously season with salt.
Recipe Notes
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
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Christina
November 20, 2014 at 4:01 pmIs it just me? I can’t see the recipe on this page?
Cathy
November 20, 2014 at 4:26 pmNo, it’s not just you. I can’t see it, either! And I need to start making a grocery list….
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
November 20, 2014 at 9:51 pmYep, it was a brief case of the disappearing recipes. All is well now. :)
Ashley
November 20, 2014 at 5:02 pmIt must have just gone away, it was there earlier…trying to make it for dinner right now!
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
November 20, 2014 at 9:52 pmSorry, but all is working now.
Charlee
November 21, 2014 at 9:14 pmThis was very good!
Erin
November 24, 2014 at 10:12 amIs there a substitute for the soy sauce to make it soy-free?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
November 26, 2014 at 11:50 amHi Erin. You could use a rich salted broth/stock instead.
Anne
November 24, 2014 at 1:41 pmSorry if this has been asked before, but what kind of milk? Whole, 2%, etc.? Does it matter?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
November 28, 2014 at 8:39 amHi Anne. Lisa always uses whole milk. ;)
Jayme
November 24, 2014 at 4:00 pmHas anyone tried baking these onions vs sautéing them? I’m just looking for a way to make them crispier this time around.
Beth K
November 24, 2014 at 7:42 pmPossibly silly question: do you mean to cut the beans in half across or lengthwise (like French cut beans)?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
November 28, 2014 at 8:40 amHi Beth. Cut them across the middle, not lengthwise.
Ali
November 25, 2014 at 4:14 amI’ve read the comments and am convinced to give this a try but I really don’t want to be frying onions at the last minute before Thanksgiving dinner. I see the advice about possible ways to make it ahead, but I kind of want to hear from someone who has actually tried it. How did it turn out? Best method? Thank you!
Verena
November 26, 2014 at 11:06 amI’m wondering about making this ahead of time (the day before, like today)? Any suggestions?
Krista H.
November 26, 2014 at 3:38 pmI was gonna try that too. I’m thinking I’ll steam the beans, make the sauce, then refrigerate them separately and put it all together in the morning and pop it in the oven. I’ll make the French fried onions in the morning too, so they’re fresh. Hopefully this will work, and I hope that helps! Happy Thanksgiving!
Sheryl
November 26, 2014 at 9:20 pmI am wondering the same thing, I might just make the soup ahead and prep the beans tonight. Do everything else tomorrow. Made it last year and it was delish!
Annette
November 26, 2014 at 4:47 pmI made this two weeks ago and it was wonderful! It didn’t take an excessive amount of time and was so tasty. I don’t like mushrooms, but loved the cream of mushroom base. I might make it to eat as soup, add more milk and puree (don’t like the texture of ‘shrooms) My daughter liked the onions so much she has decided to make them as a snack. I do think this could be made ahead with these adjustments: slightly under cook the beans and bring to room temp before baking. I’m not sure about preparing the onions ahead of time as they may become soggy.
Annette
November 29, 2014 at 2:29 pmOops forgot to rate it with the stars….easily six or seven stars!
Kathrine
November 27, 2014 at 6:57 amSo I cheated and used some all natural fried onions but made everything else. This came out amazing and I kind of feel like using the sauce recipe to make a mushroom soup in the future, it was that good. I substituted whole quinoa flour and it gave it a nice nutty flavor.
Brandy B
November 27, 2014 at 3:59 pmThis was honestly amazing! I’ve never had anything so good. Even my husband and kiddos loved it. I made extra onions to put inside AND out, but I’ll make more next time because everyone wanted to eat them!!
I tried to give it 5 stars but it wouldn’t let me.
Krista H.
November 28, 2014 at 12:23 amMade this for Thanksgiving today and it was wonderful!! Best green bean casserole I’ve ever had. I should’ve made more onions though because they were so good, I wanted to snack on them! I will NEVER make this with gross, canned, processed soup again.
Betty Muse
May 11, 2015 at 3:47 amGreen beans look good…Will try this soon…
Betty Muse
May 11, 2015 at 3:49 amrecipe looks great…Will try soon…
MCR
August 8, 2015 at 3:52 pmIt’s very good! I’ve made this dish for several thanksgiving dinners and even the members of my family who don’t normally like green bean casserole were big fans. :)
Jennifer Moon
November 12, 2015 at 8:25 pmMy family does not like mushrooms, growing up my mom always substituted cream of chicken soup for cream of mushroom. Any suggestions on leaving the mushrooms out?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
November 16, 2015 at 5:06 pmHi Jennifer. You could try using a little chicken broth, butter, garlic, and flour for the sauce rather than Lisa’s mushroom combination.
Becky
November 17, 2015 at 9:41 pmCould you please recommend the amounts of these ingredients? We’re not mushroom lovers either, but I don’t have the culinary prowess to experiment with altering the ingredients on my own!
Becky
November 17, 2015 at 9:49 pmWhat amounts of these substitutions to make it mushroom-free? We also don’t care for mushrooms but I lack the expertise to tackle substitutions on my own!
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
November 20, 2015 at 9:46 amHi Becky. We’ve not made these subs either. It would be a bit of an experiment. I can say that I use chicken stock to add flavor to my green beans regularly and they are always a hit. You would just be adding a little to make up for the flavor of the mushrooms. You could also just omit the mushroom and not add stock.
Jamie C
November 25, 2015 at 9:00 amI am not a mushroom fan either, but before we switched to real food, I used to make the unhealthy version of canned cream of celery soup. Perhaps you could swap the mushrooms for the same amount of diced celery?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
November 30, 2015 at 10:04 amHi Jamie. I’ve not tried subbing with celery but if you like the flavor that celery adds, I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. The mushrooms do add some depth of flavor. A bit of stock or bacon grease might also add some depth.
Julie
November 17, 2015 at 8:34 pmHi, What could you use for the flour being gluten free? Almond, Coconut, etc.??
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
November 19, 2015 at 2:23 pmHi. While I really like both coconut and almond flour, I find a whole grain gluten free flour blend, like Bob’s Red Mill, to be the easiest sub.
Nikki
November 22, 2015 at 3:05 pmI can’t wait to make this for Thanksgiving! Can I make this the night before and keep it in the fridge to warm up on Thursday? What about the topping will it store well at room temperature overnight??
Thanks! :)
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
November 24, 2015 at 9:58 amHi there. Sure, that will work. I’d keep the topping in the fridge, too.
Ann
November 17, 2017 at 4:14 pmI’d keep the topping separate until the last minute so it stays crunchy.
Michelle
November 23, 2015 at 10:32 amIn the picture it looks like a 9×9 casserole dish…I’m assuming that one batch would fit one 9×9 casserole dish?
Thanks!
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
November 24, 2015 at 9:59 amYes, that will work. :)
Emily
November 24, 2015 at 12:47 pmCan you make this and freeze it? What about making it the day before and just put in fridge?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
November 29, 2015 at 9:43 pmHi Emily. Both will work.
Deborah
March 28, 2016 at 6:43 pmMy family is used to the canned gmo version. They loved this real food recipe! I will make this dish again :)
Emily Thomas
November 16, 2016 at 9:56 amCan I use plain unsweetened almond milk??
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
November 21, 2016 at 10:17 amHi. Other readers have.
Wendy Lappenga
November 22, 2016 at 9:55 amI am so excited to make this but my family does not like mushrooms. Is there anything I can substitute??
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
December 19, 2016 at 7:33 pmHi Wendy. The mushroom really add to the savory taste of this dish. You could add some bacon crumbles for a boost.
Susan Wood
January 8, 2017 at 4:38 pmI’ve made this for the past two Thanksgivings and my family loves it! It takes a little extra effort, but I think it tastes better and it’s nice knowing all the ingredients are real food. My family members that are not sold on the notion of ‘real foods’ did not taste a difference. I told them after they had seconds and they were pretty surprised.
Sarah Dickison
December 5, 2017 at 2:57 pmAdded 1/2 a fine diced onion to saute mix, doubled garlic. Was amazing 4 times now !!!!
Wendi
December 22, 2018 at 10:52 amI made this Gluten-free with coconut aminos and Namaste flour blend. So delicious!