The Best Green Bean Casserole with Canned Green Beans – Quick Facts
- Ready In: 45 minutes
- Serves: 8 servings
- Main Ingredients: green beans, cream of mushroom soup, milk, french fried onions
- Best For: Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, any special occasion or holiday
- Dietary Info: vegetarian, gluten-free friendly, perfect for a crowd
- Origin: The crowd-pleaser side dish is a staple for so many people at the family dinner table! My family is no different and we like to keep this side dish super easy and tasting just like our childhood. This super easy green bean casserole is the perfect addition to Thanksgiving Day, Christmas dinner, Easter, or any other special gathering!
Variations & Upgrades: If you also love this holiday green bean side dish, but want to change it up a bit you have to try either our green bean casserole with bacon or the most incredible cheesy green bean casserole!
Key Ingredients + Substitutions
Be sure to see the recipe card for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, and estimated nutritional information.
- Green Beans – canned green beans are very convenient and you can use regular green beans, french-cut green beans, or any other cut.
- Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup – typically Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup is the go-to here, but I also love Pacific Foods Cream of Mushroom Soup.
- Milk – feel free to use regular milk or any plant-based milk.
- French Fried Onions – the crispy topping that we all know and love! Option to swap out for a gluten-free version or change it up and make some easy fried onion strings or fried crispy shallots.
How To Make A Classic Green Bean Casserole
Step 1 – Spread the green beans in a baking dish.
Step 2 – Mix in the cream soup, milk, & seasonings.
Top Tips for Best Texture
To achieve the best green bean casserole, follow a few simple tips. First, be sure to fully drain the canned beans before adding to the casserole dish. Second, if you are using frozen beans they will need to be fully thawed and drained. If frozen beans are placed in the baking dish they will leach water out while them bake in the oven. Finally, feel free to lower the amount of milk added if it is still more watery than you like.
Step 3 – Mix about a half cup of french fried onions right in the green bean mixture.
Step 4 – Spread it out evenly in the pan and move to the oven to bake.
Step 5 – Add the remaining french fried onions on top and return to the oven for 5 minutes.
Best Ways To Serve An Easy Green Bean Casserole
This delicious easy green bean casserole is on my holiday table with a double smoked ham, the best grilled turkey, a crockpot ham or juicy roast turkey breast – it all depends on how many people we are hosting. Perfect for enjoying alongside slow cooker mashed potatoes, wild rice stuffing, and so many other classic side dish recipes!
Easy Green Bean Casserole FAQs
This recipe uses canned green beans, but frozen green beans could also be used. When using frozen beans, be sure to thaw them before cooking and drain as much water as possible. Otherwise the casserole will get watery.
Yes, trim the beans, blanch green beans in boiling water for 2-3 minutes and then drain. I like to cut them into bite-sized pieces for easier eating!
Cream of mushroom soup is what is traditionally used in this side dish recipe, but many people have swapped it out for cream of celery soup or cream of chicken soup.
Yes, I have a Fresh Green Bean Casserole from Scratch that uses a flour and cream mixture to create a creamy texture without using store-bought soup! Plus, fresh green beans!
Yes, mix the beans, soup, milk, pepper, and half a cup of french fried onions in the baking dish. Spread out, cover, and place in the fridge until ready to bake. It may need to bake a bit longer, since the whole pan will be cold going into the oven.
Yes, save on oven space and make my tried-and-true Crock Pot Green Bean Casserole. It uses the same ingredients listed in the recipe card below, just cooked in the slow cooker.
Other Holiday Side Dish Recipes You Might Like
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Easy Green Bean Casserole Recipe (with canned green beans)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
This is the most quick and Easy Green Bean Casserole side dish that will be the highlight of your holiday season!
Ingredients
- 2 (14.5oz) cans of green beans (French-cut style), drained
- 10oz can of cream of mushroom soup*
- 3/4 cup regular milk (sub unsweetened almond milk)
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 1/2 cups french fried onions (regular or gluten-free), divided
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Combine: Spread the green beans in a 9×13 casserole dish. Add the can of soup, 3/4 cup milk, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (if using) and 1/2 cup of the fried onions. Stir to combine and then spread evenly in the baking dish.
- Bake: Place in oven, middle rack, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove and top with the remaining fried onions. Bake for another 5-10 minutes or until bubbly.
- Serve: Let cool slightly and then enjoy!
Notes
- Prep ahead: this is a great Holiday side dish to prep ahead! I recommend mixing it together in the morning (reserve the remaining fried onions for the topping), cover, & refrigerate until you need to pop it in the oven! Add the reserved fried onions during the last 5 minutes (as stated in the instructions).
- *Cream of Mushroom Soup: this recipe is “easy” for a reason, we are calling for canned cream of mushroom soup – we love the Pacific Foods Organic Cream of Mushroom Soup!
- Dairy-Free: make dairy-free cream of mushroom soup to use in place of the canned soup or see my dairy-free green bean casserole!
- Gluten-Free: simply use a gluten-free brand of fried onions!
- Storage: store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6oz
- Calories: 74
- Sugar: 4.8 g
- Sodium: 249.6 mg
- Fat: 2.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 12.3 g
- Protein: 2.8 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Mike says
Classic and always turns out!
Erin says
Love to hear it!
Erin says
Made this as a last-minute addition to our Easter dinner – so simple and delicious!