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We load our gourmet green bean casserole with bacon, Gruyère, and caramelized onions. Then topped with crispy fried onions, and bake golden brown! No canned cream of mushroom soup (or cream of celery) required. This is the holy grail of green bean casseroles, and basically heaven in a baking dish!
Gourmet Green Bean Casserole Recipe
Growing up, my mom made the same kind of green bean casserole I’m guessing a lot of you grew up on. Canned green beans covered in cream of mushroom soup (or any soup with milk in it) and topped with cheddar cheese and a pre-made onion topping. I think she even put a dash of soy sauce in there! ‘Twas the wild wild 90’s!
And honestly, as a kid, I loved it. But somewhere in my adulthood, despite the nostalgic memories, I stopped enjoying “moms” recipe. And craved something a little more refined… and dare I say it, gourmet! Which is where this recipe comes in.
Inspired by mom’s green bean casserole recipe, but elevated a bit to make this humble casserole “conversation” worthy.
Start with fresh green beans!
Can I use frozen green beans? What about canned green beans?
My brutally honest answer? Yes, of course you can use them. Canned green beans as well as frozen green beans will both technically “work” in this recipe.
But should you use them? No. I don’t suggest using them because they make a mushy casserole. Whereas fresh green beans will yield a deliciously firm texture with tons of flavor!
You’ll blanch them for 4 minutes (and only 4 minutes!), then plunge them into a frigid ice bath. This stops the cooking process and keeps them niiiice and green. We want that!
Goodbye Cream of Mushroom Soup, Hello Cheese Sauce
Next up, make the sauce! This is a two-step process, but it’s worth every ounce of the work involved.
- Step one involves frying the bacon, then – in the same pan – caramelizing the onions. The onion part will take around 25 minutes, but holy cow is it worth it! The onions really make this casserole shine, so be sure to start with enough time to let them do their thang.
- The second step is quite simple and fast! You’re just going to make a white sauce using butter, flour, milk, and cream. Once that mixture thickens up, you’ll add the cheese and some spices. Then mix the creamy sauce with the onions and bacon and garlic – OH BOY! Things are getting really really yummy!
Let’s Make Green Bean Casserole
- Cook the Fresh Green Beans: Be sure to only cook them for a few minutes. Then plunge them into an ice bath to stop the cooking process.
- Fry the bacon and caramelize the onions: To save time, do both of these things up to 3 days before making the casserole. Cover and store in the fridge until needed.
- Make the Cheese Sauce: This should be done right before assembly.
- Preheat the Oven to 350: Then assemble the casserole and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm, or at room temperature.
You can also assemble up to 3 days before needed, cover, and refrigerate. Then bake right before serving! I don’t suggest freezing this green bean casserole, as it can get mushy in the freezer. But leftovers are delicious for up to 5 days if stored properly!
Who’s making this for Thanksgiving?!
Gourmet Green Bean Casserole with Bacon, Gruyère, and Caramelized Onions
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Fresh Green Beans, ends trimmed
- 6 slices Bacon, Cut Into 1/4 Inch Pieces
- 4 cloves Garlic, Minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 whole Yellow Onions, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 4 Tablespoons Butter
- 4 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour
- 3 cups Whole Milk
- 1/4 cup Heavy Cream
- 2 teaspoons Salt, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper, or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (optional, but it breaks up the richness quite nicely)
- 8 ounces Gruyère, Grated
- 1 cup Panko Bread Crumbs or french fried onions
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).
- Trim the ends of both sides of the green beans; cut them in half if you prefer the pieces to be bite-sized.
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a rapid boil. Blanch the green beans by dropping them into the boiling water and allowing them to par-cook for 4 minutes. Remove them from the boiling water with a slotted spoon and immediately emerge them into an ice bath (a large bowl of ice cold water) to stop the cooking process. Drain the green beans once they’re cool; pat them dry; and set aside.
- Add bacon pieces to a large skillet over medium heat. Cook bacon for 3-4 minutes, or until it’s cooked through but not crispy; remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Add the olive oil, thinly sliced onions, and brown sugar to the same pan the bacon was cooked in. Cook over medium-low, stirring occasionally, until the onions have deepened in color and caramelized; about 25 minutes. Stir in garlic and bacon and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat and set aside.
- In a separate skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Once it’s completely melted sprinkle the flour into the pan and whisk immediately, evenly mixing it into the butter. Cook for a minute or two, then pour in milk and heavy cream. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the sauce thickens up; about 2 minutes. Stir in salt, pepper, cayenne, and gruyere. Stir constantly until cheese has melted completely into the sauce, then remove pan from heat. Stir the bacon/onion mixture into the cream sauce, mix well to combine.
- Pour sauce over green beans and stir gently to combine. Pour the mixture into an oven-safe casserole dish, then top with panko bread crumbs.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until sauce is bubbling and panko crumbs are golden.
The pictures seem to show fried onions, but I don’t see that in the recipe.
Do you see any issue if this is prepped a few hours ahead of time and then refrigerated until baked? I need to put it together in the morning, but it probably won’t go in until 2 or 3 PM.
Nope! I do this all the time and it works great! The only thing you may need to do is add some time onto the baking since it’ll be cold going into the oven.
Can this be made ahead of time, and bake later, or will it separate?
Hi, I’m not sure if you didn’t see my other post asking about a cheese substitution but thought I would send another email just incase.
Hi, I can’t find grated Gruyère for the life of me. All I see are the blocks of it but I’m worried it will make the dish stringy instead of creamy cause this has happened with other cheese like shredded Parmesan vs. grated when making an Alfredo sauce. Any advice or maybe substitutions? All I’m seeing for grated cheeses where I shop are Parmesan or a mixture of both Parmesan & Romano cheese. Thank you in advance!
I’ve made this recipe three or four times now. Always gets great reviews!
Just buy a wedge of gruyere cheese and grate it yourself. (Smith’s/kroger in my area sells 8 oz from boar Head) It’s a soft cheese and it grates like cheddar. Doesn’t need to be super fine like grated parmesan. It will melt.
Awesome, thank you!
Hi, I can’t find grated Gruyère for the life of me. All I see are the blocks of it but I’m worried it will make the dish stringy instead of creamy cause this has happened with other cheese like shredded Parmesan vs. grated when making an Alfredo sauce. Any advice or maybe substitutions? All Imseeing for grated cheeses where I shop are Parmesan
Hi, I can’t find grated Gruyère for the life of me. All I see are the blocks of it but I’m worried it will make the dish stringy instead of creamy cause this has happened with other cheese like shredded Parmesan vs. grated when making an Alfredo sauce. Any advice or maybe substitutions? All I’m seeing for grated cheeses where I shop are Parmesan or a grated mixture containing Parmesan & Romano cheese. Thanks in advance!
This recipe will make everyone a green bean casserole lover! I’ve made this twice and found that grocery store green beans are bit too hard for just 4 minutes in the boiling water. Probably perfect for thin beans from the farmer’s markets. For regular grocery store green beans I have to boil them about 6 minutes before plunging them into an ice bath. They look nice uncut, but cutting them bite-size is more satisfying to eat and they seem to hold the topping better. Other changes I make are topping with fried onions after the bread crumbs, adding lemon pepper, and omitting the bacon.