My family has never embraced the tradition of eating that infamous green bean and mushroom soup casserole that is so popular on Thanksgiving.
Mushrooms are a no-no for most of us and I vowed that canned soup, in any shape or form, would never cross my lips again. Ever.
So this year I took it upon myself to start a new tradition and build a green bean casserole from scratch with flavors that everyone would love.
This starts with fresh green beans and a basic béchamel sauce made with a roux of butter and flour. The sauce is seasoned with onion, garlic, red pepper and thyme. Italian favorites.
Mozzarella cheese gives it an ooey-gooey creaminess and buttery Ritz crackers mixed with Parmesan cheese makes for the best golden brown, crispy crust.
Completely delicious and one of the highlights of my dinner, aside from my Mom’s stuffing.
The stuff(ing) dreams are made of. . . but that is another story.
This is a tradition I can open my arms wide for.
- 1 + ½ pounds fresh green beans, ends trimmed and cut in half or thirds
- 8 tablespoons butter, divided
- 2 tablespoons onion, minced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup flour
- 2 cups milk
- 1 roasted red pepper, diced
- sea or kosher salt and fresh black pepper
- ½ pound mozzarella cheese,
cut in small pieces - ¾ sleeve Ritz crackers
- ¼ cup Parmesan, grated
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a 2-quart casserole dish or a 9x13 casserole pan. Gently steam the green beans just until tender but still firm. Arrange in pan.
- Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent. Add garlic and saute until fragrant.
- Whisk in flour and cook for 2-3 minutes, whisk in milk, bring to a simmer, stir in red peppers and cheese.
- Turn off heat and stir until cheese is melted.Season with ½ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon black pepper. Taste and re-season if desired.
- Pour the sauce over top of the green beans.
- Crush the crackers into crumbs and melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter, combine along with Parmesan and sprinkle over top of casserole.
- Bake 20-25 minutes until bubbly all over and golden on top.
OMG! This was such an awesome Green Bean Casserole! So decadent! It is my go to Green bean casserole from now to eternity.
Thank you so much for posting this recipe and I hope you have had a Wonderful Thanksgiving!
I was stunned to learn of your cancer ans I was warmed that you are available this holiday season for your family and friends. I will be praying for you and your family!
Here’s wishing you a stellar holiday season!
Thank you Lori! So glad you liked it! Thanks also for your kind words and prayers! Much appreciated! Hope you had a great Thanksgiving!! 🙂
My daughters’s thought are that you can not have a holiday meal without green bean casserole. I’ll have to pass this on to her so she can make it this way
Thanks Ann! 🙂
We will be having it for Christmas and am looking forward to it. Thanks and merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas!
This looks so delicious, and is going into my recipe files.
Thanks!
Thanks Joanne!
This is really good. I was a bit surprised but will surely be making this again!
Thank you so much for sharing.
You’re welcome Brenda and thank-you back for making it! I’m glad it turned out to be a hit!
Not a fan of the Bell Pepper Family.( give us heartburn) What else would you suggest to use?
You can omit entirely the casserole will be fine without it!
these are even better than french fried onion bean casserole family loved it
Thanks Dori! Makes me happy to hear!
Can you use Italian green beans frozen?
Yes, you can Barb! I would defrost them first.
Thank you for getting back to me so soon.
You’re welcome Barb! Have a good night!
That looks so good! What a great original recipe! Going on my must-try list 🙂
You really don’t cook green beans first
Hi Carol! What?
Now that looks mouth wateringly delicious! I eat green beans but I am not a big fan of them but this casserole of yours just looks too good to not try!
Oooooh, I like this version. I will have to remember this!
Homemade green bean casserole is so good, and the mozzarella and parmesan in yours sounds great!
ooo i've always hated that dish LOL but yours looks edible! 🙂
Love the recipe and pictures and have bookmarked it 🙂
Reeni, this green bean casserole sounds wonderful! My daughter loves green beans in any way prepared and I know she would love this dish. Thanks for sharing!
Wonderful casserole!
We never ate that casserole either, in fact, I thought when green bean casserole was mentioned, they were talking about green bean artichoke casserole, which is totally different. Anyway, I love your take on the original, Reeni!
That looks so good!
I've never had the "traditional" casserole made with canned soup, and I'm not too keen on trying! This sounds like a super version.
This looks like an excellent casserole! I love the golden crumbly crust on top, yum!
Now that is what I call a yummy looking green bean casserole. I have never been a fan of the traditional version, but yours with the cheeses and Ritz crackers…sounds really, really good:)
What a delicious version of the classic…love it 🙂
This looks luscious am drooling 🙂
Your green bean casserole is beautiful Reeni! With all the red and green it would make for a very pretty xmas side dish.
Definitely a delicious way to eat greens 😉 It looks so tasty and creamy.
Girl….I'm just loving the layout of your blog (I thought I should let you know). And I'm THRILLED with this recipe. We don't do the traditional green bean casserole for similar reasons, and I'm so excited to find another variety that looks and sounds AMAZING. Thank you so much for sharing. I hope you have a wonderful Monday!
This looks delicious! I'll have to omit the red pepper, but I love the idea of an Italian-style take on the classic. We always have the standard green bean casserole, but I'm thinking of replacing it with this for Christmas. Thanks!
I am not a big fan of casseroles but this looks really good. I need to figure out a twist to a casserole i like maybe this is a start.
I love green bean casserole and yours look awesome! I agree that homemade sauce is so much better than the canned ones. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving 🙂
wow, looks delish, a must try. oh by the way,I was wondering if you can give me an idea what do with cornmeal other than cornbread?
ultimate comfort food! green bean have never look so delectable to me, and I love the crackers topping 🙂
Reeni,This awesome green bean cassorle. Adding some spicy touch make it more tasty. You i love anything spicy. Wonderful take on classic dish.
This casserole looks delicious! I'm not a big fan of mushrooms or the standard green bean casserole either. We just steamed green beans and ate them plain and basic this Thanksgiving. It seemed like a healthy idea with all the other dishes! This looks like a great recipe to use for Christmas feasts though 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Reeni I love this updated version! Thanks for the sweet comment on my blog, hope your thanksgiving was wonderful as well, big hug!
i've only had the "classic" green bean casserole once many thanksgivings ago. and i remember it clearly, it was NOT good. but yours looks so good! no soup from a can crap. mmmMMM good! 🙂 hope you had a great thanksgiving!
I think I will like this one even more than the original that we make every year at the holidays. Sounds delicious.
I didn't want to do the traditional versio of the casserole too. Nicely done. I love the cracker topping. Hope you had a great Thanksgiving with family.
My family did embrace the green bean casserole tradition ;-( but this looks so much better! 😉 Fun for any holiday or year-round too.
This looks great! Although I can't help but love some canned creamed soups… 🙂
That looks so delicious and comforting!
I like green beans but never thought of making a casserole out of them.
I'm glad you posted this Reeni! This year for the first time my mom refused to make the traditional green bean casserole…she said she always ends up throwing out 3/4 of it because no one really eats it, lol! This on the other hand, would be a huge hit…printing! 🙂
So tasty and welcoming ♥
Great color and texture, definitely NOT the typical can o' crap version! You nailed this one, Reeni. I saved this one to try myself.
now that's how you do a green bean casserole. i love how you made this, it looks delicious!
I have sent this link to my sister with the hopes she will be encouraged to replace her current bean recipe with yours. Well done.
I've never tried green been casserole, because honestly, it looks nasty. Cream of mushroom soup mixed with green beans? Yuck.This looks and sounds much nicer! I have some beans in the fridge and was wondering what to do to them, so i might just try this! Thanks!
Yum. I love that when your family wasn't crazy about green bean casserole you made another that was more your style. It looks fantastic. I don't think I've ever had anything with cheese sauce that has been bad. In fact, I have a pan of mac and cheese in the oven as we speak. 🙂
I always thought green bean casserole with that canned soup was, in a word, blech! LOL.What you've created looks and sounds absolutely DELICIOUS! All those fresh ingredients must taste absolutely magical. =)
I love soups and this bowl looks really inviting!
Very nice dish. I've often wondered how that GB Casserole because to be tradition. I suppose heavy advertising to suggest it was tradition.
Wonferful, it looks delicious dear. I love this kind of recipe. Bye, have a nice Sunday
My daughter in law did the same. All fresh no cans…I like this
I'm smiling Reeni, because you have taken that old standby to new heights! Super recipe…and next time I make them, I'll do your Italian twist!
creamy and delicious. yum. A very nice twist to the casserole. :)And yes, a no-no to that canned stuff.
It looks delicious. with red peppers it should be great!
Dear Reenilovely recipe!have a nice day!;)Barbaraxx
I've never been very fond of green bean casserole myself but the family does love it. Next year, I'll make this to go along with theirs. And we'll just see which one goes first 😛
My daughter is a huge fan of green bean casserole and for her no holiday is complete without it. I'll have to pass your recipe on to her I bet she would love it
Looks perfect!
Never had a green bean casserole before, yours look absolutely yummy! This is a great tradition dish!
That looks absolutely lovely, and how amazing that you made it totally from scratch!Hope you had a fantastic thanksgiving.*kisses* HH
Yum, now that looks like a green bean caserole I could chow down on.
Wow, a green bean casserole from scratch! You are truly amazing. I love how the colors in your dish just pop and that addition of mozzarella cheese sounds heavenly. Great job.
I like the addition of Ritz crackers in the topping. It makes the dish more interesting and salty.
Good for you creating a recipe that everyone would enjoy. That takes major effort.
This looks amazing. Will have to try it soon.
My family loves the mushroom soup green bean casserole so much that I'm afraid to switch up the tradition…this recipe looks like it could potentially change their minds though!
I so love green beans and won't eat that casserole either. This looks wonderful, thanks!
I don't make the american traditional green bean casserole with canned soup anymore (those canned soups have such a weird flavor to say the least). This looks like a wonderful version!!
this looks delicious. And I am totally grossed out by canned cream of mushroom soup, so you caught my attention with this!
Gorgeous Reeni – I never had the green bean-mushroom soup casserole until I came to the Midwest and answer was … welll "no thank-you." but yours is a "yes, please."
wow your green bean casserole looks amazing and its wonderful you made it from scratch thanks so much for mentioning my app, you have made my day love Rebecca
What can be a more classic holiday dish than green bean casserole..and you have made it to perfection, your twist definitely makes it special!US Masala
That is a fabulous green bean casserole. I know many people who just don't like the traditional one. This is a nice alternative….and so pretty, too.
I hate green bean casserole because of the canned soup stuff. Blech. Now this sounds yummers!
Yum, I have roasted red peppers in the freezer, waiting for a dish like this, thanks.
Now that is a green bean casserole I'd look forward to seeing on the table at Thanksgiving or anytime actually! Hugs to Moon!
This looks waaay better than the traditional one!
Cool on that app, and this recipe looks really great.
Oh wow! My husband is one of those guys that absolutely adores his traditional green bean casserole. I so like a grown-up version better. Yours would be a wonderful new way to experience green bean casserole.Velva
I like the add of the red pepper. Great idea.
This is awesome, I love that you wanted to keep to traditions but put your own twist on it, and this looks delicious! I've never had a truly American Thanksgiving (my Uncle & Aunt live in LA and I celebrated with them a couple of years ago, but they aren't turkey fans, so I don't understand the traditional fare) but from the looks of things I'd certainly enjoy it at your house ;)Jax x