This Green Bean Casserole Without Cream of Mushroom Soup is made with fresh green beans, mushrooms, a creamy base of sour cream and heavy cream, and it's topped with crispy fried onions.
This casserole avoids the standard cream of mushroom soup, opting for fresher ingredients. It’s your classic green bean casserole perfect for Thanksgiving or the holidays.
This is one of my Thanksgiving (or Friendsgiving) go-to recipes, along with my new favorite Cranberry Sauce with Orange Zest. They’re both simple and classic recipes that I incorporate every year when having guests over.
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🍂 Friendsgiving
Many years ago, we hosted our first Friendsgiving while living in Barcelona. At the time, the MBA program that I was at held a very fancy white tablecloth Thanksgiving dinner, which was a big affair at the school.
I thought we could offer my team a more casual version of Thanksgiving dinner, so we hosted our very first Friendsgiving that year. We made everything in our tiny 4-foot square kitchen with an oven that only opened halfway (which was an improvement from our no-oven hot plate kitchen the year before).
💡 Recipe Inspiration
You can’t find cream of mushroom soup in Spain, which is what I was used to. So, I set out to make a version without it. And I was quite glad to have an excuse to leave the canned soup version behind. This recipe has gone through over a decade of iterations, as I make the recipe each year and jot down notes for improvement.
This is the classic version that I settled on that combines bright crisp vegetables, creamy base, and savory bits of bacon, and I can’t help myself but I do use French’s crispy fried onions. (Side note, when living in Spain we made crispy fried shallots from scratch to top the casserole, it takes longer, but it’s always an option).
🛒 Ingredients & Tips
Below are the ingredients needed to make Green Bean Casserole Without Cream of Mushroom Soup.
- Green Beans: I recommend using Haricot Vert Green beans. They are skinny and more uniform and therefore easier to trim and slice.
- Bacon: Just 3 pieces, sliced to add a bit of extra savoriness.
- Yellow Onion: Choose a small yellow onion, or cut 3-4 thin slices of a larger onion and mince it. I recommend mincing rather than dicing because I like the onions to disappear in the casserole, which lends a different texture than larger dice onions.
- White Mushrooms: I like to keep my mushrooms in larger chunks to make it easier for those who don’t like mushrooms to avoid them.
- Sour Cream: Use full-fat sour cream. I used to make this with 1 full cup of sour cream, rather than ½ cup and the taste of the sour cream was too strong. A ½ cup is the perfect amount.
- Heavy Cream: Thins out the sour cream.
- French’s Crispy Fried Onions: While this is not a fresh ingredient, it’s a very convenient and nostalgic one. I still like to include these packaged fried onions on the dish as a bit of an indulgence. If you’re looking for a fresher alternative, I recommend thinly slicing shallots, coating them in flour and a sprinkle of salt, and pan-frying them in butter or olive oil, which I’ve done in past years.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
📝 How to Make Green Bean Casserole Without Cream of Mushroom Soup
Below are the step-by-step instructions and photos for how to make Green Bean Casserole Without Cream of Mushroom Soup.
*Note: The recipe card with instructions, ingredient list, and quantities is included further below these step-by-step photos.
Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Step 1. Steam the Green Beans: Trim the green beans, and cut them into roughly 1-inch pieces. Steam the green beans for 6-7 minutes. Rinse with cold water.
Tip: Cutting the green beans into 1-inch pieces makes it easier for people to eat without needing to cut the green beans on their plates.
Step 2. Cook the Bacon: Bring a large sauté pan to medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until crispy.
Step 3. Sauté the Onions: Add the minced onions and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
Step 4. Cook the Mushrooms: Add the mushrooms and cook for 5-8 minutes until they release their juices. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 5. Combine the Heavy Cream and Sour Cream: In a medium to large casserole dish, combine the heavy cream and sour cream.
Step 6. Add the Green Bean Mixture: Add the green beans, onions, bacon, and mushrooms. Add ¼ to ⅓ of the French’s Crispy Fried Onions. Season with additional salt and pepper according to your taste preferences. Stir to combine with the heavy cream and sour cream.
Step 7. Add the Crispy Onions: Cover the top of the casserole dish with the remaining French's Crispy Fried onions. Cover the casserole dish with aluminum foil.
Step 8. Bake: Bake the casserole at 350°F for 25 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and bake for another 5 minutes or until the crispy onions are darker and golden in color.
🍴 How to Prep Serve, Store, and Reheat
- To Prep: I prep this dish the morning of our Friendsgiving. I assemble the entire dish but wait to add the crispy onions on top. A few minutes before guests plan to arrive, I add the crispy onions, cover it, and pop it in the oven. That way it's ready about 30 minutes after the first guests arrive. We also make stuffing in a separate casserole dish, which is also baked at 350°F for 30 minutes, so both dishes can go in the oven at the same time.
- To Serve: Serve hot as a side dish. (Though I have enjoyed eating leftovers as lunch).
- To Store: Store covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- To Reheat: If there are any crispy onions left on top you can leave them on top or mix them into the casserole. If you happen to have more crispy onions, add them on top. Cover the casserole again with aluminum foil and bake for 20-30 minutes or until warm. Then remove the aluminum foil and bake for another 5 minutes to get the onions on top extra crispy.
If You're Looking For More Holiday Recipes, You May Enjoy These
If you've tried this Green Bean Casserole or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. I'd love to hear from you!
Green Bean Casserole Without Cream of Mushroom Soup
Ingredients
- 2 lbs green beans choose haricot vert if possible
- 3 pieces bacon, thinly sliced
- 1 small yellow onion, minced
- ½ lb white mushrooms, sliced or cut in halves or quarters
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup sour cream
- 6 oz French's Crispy Fried Onions
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Steam the green beans for 6-7 minutes. Rinse under cold water.
- Bring a large sauté pan to medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until crispy, stirring as needed. Add the onions and sauté for 5 minutes or until soft. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and cook until they release their juices about 5-8 minutes.
- In a casserole dish combine the sour cream and heavy cream. Add the green beans, onions, mushrooms, and about ¼ to ⅓ of the French’s Crispy Fried Onions. Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Top with the remaining crispy fried onions.
- Cover the casserole dish with aluminum foil. Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and bake for another 5 minutes or so to allow the top to get crispy.
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