This is a classic green bean casserole recipe for the 21st century. Whether you grew up with the canned soup version at every Thanksgiving dinner or this is your first time encountering the storied side dish, it’s guaranteed to impress. This iconic casserole recipe is steeped in post–World War II American culture: In 1955, Campbell’s test kitchen tasked supervisor Dorcas Reilly with creating an easy recipe that featured the company’s canned green beans and mushroom soup. Reilly added in a few other pantry ingredients, packed the saucy mix into a casserole dish, and topped it with french-fried onions, securing her place in history. It was the perfect side dish for the moment: Wartime bans on aluminum had recently been rescinded, and erstwhile homemakers who’d joined the workforce could put a warm, rib-sticking casserole on the table without much prep time. Campbell’s later began printing the recipe alongside the nutrition information on the backs of cream of mushroom soup cans, further cementing its legacy and eventually becoming an indispensable Thanksgiving recipe for many families.
Our made-from-scratch green bean casserole modernizes Reilly’s midcentury triumph. It features fresh green beans and an assortment of mushrooms bound by a creamy sauce. (Incidentally, these three elements can be prepared days ahead.) But the star of the show is undoubtedly the crispy fried onions. Spiked with paprika, cumin, and coriander, they taste leagues better than any store-bought version.
If you don’t care to make the fried onions, top your green bean casserole with Parmesan cheese or sprinkle on some toasted panko breadcrumbs tossed with lemon zest. If you crave an even creamier sauce, toss a few handfuls of shredded cheddar cheese into the white sauce at the end of step three. However you choose to customize it, we think Reilly would approve.