{"id":3449,"date":"2024-05-05T07:40:21","date_gmt":"2024-05-04T21:40:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dinnertimesomewhere.com\/?p=3449"},"modified":"2025-11-21T08:27:29","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T21:27:29","slug":"southern-green-bean-casserole","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dinnertimesomewhere.com\/index.php\/side-dish-recipes\/southern-side-dishes\/southern-green-bean-casserole\/","title":{"rendered":"Southern Green Bean Casserole"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There are many dishes that exemplify Americana. That is, uniquely and truly American cuisine. From the classics like Mac and Cheese to the famous Cheeseburger, America has produced some phenomenal cuisine over the years, always packed full of big flavors. Perhaps lesser known on the world stage, but just as American is the amazing Southern Green Bean Casserole! A delicious side dish that is typically served at festive occasions such as Thanksgiving and Christmas. It\u2019s a staple dish that\u2019s welcome at any American household

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What is a Southern Green Bean Casserole?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps not too unique to Southern Cooking is the inclusion of heavier, richer ingredients like Butter, and Cream. These ingredients are definitely not too far from the skillet when a Southern Green Bean Casserole is on the menu!

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A Green Bean Casserole typically consists of a creamy mushroom based sauce, that is flavored with all kinds of goodness from Shallots, Garlic, Mustard, and sometimes Cheese. The Sauce is reduced down to a lovely thick consistency which then coats (sometimes drenches) delicious Green Beans

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The dish is then topped with a variety of different toppings, usually to add more sweetness or a crunchy texture to mix it all up. It\u2019s a wonderful dish, and a fantastic side for a big protein. Whether you\u2019re serving this delicious Bean dish alongside a big roast Turkey, or more southern classics like Fried Chicken or Pork Chops, it\u2019s going to bring the flavor. Big time!

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Green Bean Casserole is great when paired alongside a perfectly cooked protein, such as this wonderful Pork Chop<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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How to make our Southern Green Bean Casserole<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Every household has their own version of a Green Bean Casserole, and they all vary a little bit. Which is what makes this dish so great. There\u2019s no \u2018true\u2019 way to make a Green Bean Casserole. We\u2019re not talking about French cooking here where everything must be done the exact, precise way. This is American food! Throw what you want into the mix and see how it tastes!

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For our Southern Green Bean Casserole, we are sticking generally to the traditional method. There are three main elements of this dish which we\u2019ll break down for you in this recipe. Those are:

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  1. The Creamy Sauce<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Green Beans<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Toppings

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    1. How to make that wonderful, Creamy sauce<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Making the sauce is quite simple. It\u2019s all about laying flavors and taking your time. The sauce will probably take about 25 minutes to make from start to finish so, not an entirely long time really, but you do need to be a little bit patient. Don\u2019t load all the ingredients into the pan at once, instead, we build flavors by adding certain ingredients to the pan over time

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    Start by adding the sliced Shallots and Mushrooms with a little bit of Butter in the pan. Cooking the Mushrooms first is important, as they are loaded up with so much water. You want to fry them off in a dry pan to remove most of that water, as it will dilute the flavor of the sauce. It\u2019s ok to keep a little bit, as it does have some flavor. Once the Mushrooms have almost completely evaporated we add the Garlic

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    I\u2019ve always found adding Garlic too early into a dish will cause it to overcook. It may not \u2018burn\u2019 when doing this, but it does lose a lot of its flavor. You want to just cook the Garlic enough that it becomes aromatic, and then add the liquids

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    This beautiful Creamy Sauce is made with Heavy Cream, Chicken Broth, and Dijon Mustard and tastes amazing on the Green Bean Casserole<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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    The secret to a great Creamy Sauce is using homemade Chicken Broth<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    If you\u2019ve read any of our recipes that require stock you know we\u2019re all about homemade Broth. The flavor comparisons are just not even there when comparing it to the store-bought stuff. It\u2019s also way healthier for you, so you\u2019ve got no excuse but to use your own homemade Chicken Broth

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    The good news; we\u2019ve got plenty of delicious Broth recipes here<\/a>. We always encourage people to have a good stock of frozen broth in the freezer so it\u2019s ready to go whenever you need it. For this recipe we use about 1 cup of Chicken Broth. Add it to the Mushroom, Shallots, and Garlic and let it cook for about 5 minutes or so

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    We then add the Cream and Dijon Mustard, along with a bit of Salt for seasoning. Let that sauce reduce over a low simmer for about 15 \u2013 20 minutes until you reach a lovely, thick consistency

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    2. Cooking the Green Beans<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    This may be, perhaps, where our Green Bean Casserole veers away from the tradition just a tad. Personally, I much prefer Beans when they are just cooked, so they are nice and crispy and still have that wonderful \u2018snap\u2019 to them. Many Green Bean Casseroles will have you cook the Beans in the Cream Sauce for a long time. I\u2019ve found if you do this, the Beans tend to come out soggy and overcooked

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    If Beans are just cooked, you\u2019ll get much more of their natural flavor. When overcooked they become a little bitter and will just absorb the flavors of the cream sauce a little too much. So, after the Sauce is reduced add the Beans and then cover the pan. Let them cook \/ steam in the sauce for about 5 minutes until just cooked, then they\u2019re ready to be served!

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    We prefer to only just cook our Beans, about 5 minutes or so, to keep them lovely and crunchy in the casserole<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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    3. The most important element of Southern Green Bean Casserole \u2013 the toppings!<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Who doesn\u2019t love toppings? They\u2019re a great final touch to a dish to give them unique flavors and textures. There are so many ways you can go when it comes to toppings for Green Bean Casserole. A few favorites that are used are crispy Shallots, and even crushed Almonds or Pecans

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    For our Green Bean Casserole, we\u2019re sticking with two classics which add such wonderful flavor and texture. Those are Caramelized Onions and Toasted Breadcrumbs. The Caramelized Onions add a lovely sweetness to the dish, and the breadcrumbs bring the crunch!

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    To make the Caramelized Onions, it\u2019s best to prepare them before you start cooking the Cream Sauce. We like to slow cook our Caramelized Onions to get them a lovely, silky texture. It\u2019s the way we cook them in our French Onion Soup<\/a> and they turn our simply delicious. Add a little butter to a Saucepan, then add your sliced Onions along with some Salt. Slow cook them for about 35 \u2013 40 minutes, stirring occasionally until they turn a dark, golden-brown color

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    We\u2019re huge fans of Caramelized Onions and put them on everything! We\u2019ve even dedicated an entire recipe to it here<\/a>. Go check it out if you want to dive deep into the wonders of Caramelizing Onions!

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    The second topping for our Southern Green Bean Casserole is the classic Toasted Breadcrumbs. We use Panko breadcrumbs as they are a bit thicker, so have a nicer, crunchier texture. Add a bit of butter to a pan alongside your Breadcrumbs and toast them for about 5 minutes. They\u2019ll turn a lovely golden color, and they taste so good!

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    Perhaps the best part about this Southern Green Bean Casserole is the toppings! Crunchy Breadcrumbs and sweet Caramelized Onions complete this delicious side dish<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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    Do you need Parmesan Cheese on Green Bean Casserole?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    A classic ingredient to add to Green Bean Casserole is grated fresh Parmesan Cheese. This is a totally optional addition you can add to the dish. Personally, we don\u2019t think the dish needs it. The dish is plenty creamy enough with the sauce, so texturally the Parmesan Cheese doesn\u2019t add much

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    What Parmesan Cheese does bring is a wonderful nutty flavor. If you\u2019re after that flavor then simply grate some Parmesan Cheese into the Cream Sauce right before serving. Or, you can simply grate the Cheese over the plated Beans. It\u2019s optional, but worth it if you\u2019re looking for that cheesy hit of flavor!<\/p>\n\n\n

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    Recipe Details<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t
    <\/span>Servings<\/span>

    4 – 6 people<\/p><\/div>

    <\/span>Prep time<\/span>

    15 minutes<\/p><\/div>

    <\/span>Cooking time<\/span>

    30 minutes<\/p><\/div>

    <\/span>Total time<\/span>

    45 minutes<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\n

    Southern Green Bean Casserole Recipe<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Ingredients<\/h2>\n\n\n\n