Paula Deen's Southern Green Bean Casserole
Paula Deen's Southern Green Bean Casserole recipe is the ultimate holiday side dish with fresh green beans, sautéed mushrooms, and onions in a creamy sauce topped with crispy French-fried onion rings and gooey cheddar cheese.
Serve with Roaster Oven Ham, Paula Deen's Sweet Potato Casserole, Paula Deen's Corn Casserole Recipe, Maple Glazed Carrots, and all your favorite holiday must-have side dishes.
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, you'll get more FREE recipes and tips from my Midwestern kitchen to yours!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Midwestern HomeLife
Jump to:
✅Paula Deen Green Bean Casserole: At a Glance
- A step up from the classic with sautéed mushrooms and onions, melted cheddar folded in and on top, plus the usual crispy fried onions
- Genuinely easy. Boil, sauté, mix, bake. It takes about 40 minutes total, most of it hands-off.
- Serves 6. But it's easy to double for a bigger holiday table
- Make-ahead and freezer-friendly. Assemble up to 3 days ahead (refrigerated) or 2 weeks ahead (frozen).
- Versatile ingredients. Use fresh, frozen, or canned green beans -- whatever you have on hand
When it's your turn to make the green bean casserole for Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas dinner, you have to try Paula Deen's recipe for southern green bean casserole.
It's the best green bean casserole recipe I've ever had. And as a native Minnesotan, where casseroles are a food group, that's saying something.
The first time I made it, I followed Paula Deen's exact recipe, and it was DELISH! Then I changed it. Here's what I did:
- I put half of the fried onions in the casserole and half on top. The crispy onion topping is my favorite part, and she puts them all in the green bean mixture.
- I'm not used to putting cheese in green bean casserole, but once I tried it, I was sold. She puts it all on top, but I put some in and some on the casserole.
- I added more mushrooms because I like the meaty texture it adds.
It's an easy recipe you can make with fresh, frozen, or canned green beans. And to save on holiday prep time, you can make it ahead and refrigerate or freeze it.
🧀Ingredients
Please see the recipe card for the full list of ingredients.
- Fresh green beans. For the best texture and flavor, use fresh green beans in this casserole. Frozen green beans and canned green beans also work.
- French fried onions. Crispy French-fried onions (French's is the classic choice) add crunch, salt, and flavor.
- Fresh mushrooms. Sautéed sliced fresh mushrooms add earthiness and taste delicious with green beans. You can use white button mushrooms or cremini mushrooms.
- Campbell's cream of mushroom soup. You can use any "cream of" soup you love, or your own homemade cream of mushroom soup.
- Chicken broth. Boiling the green beans in chicken broth adds rich and savory flavor. You can also use water.
- Shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Sharp cheddar cheese adds flavor and gooeyness to the casserole and topping.
- Black pepper and garlic powder. Paula Deen's recipe calls for house seasoning, which is salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. There's plenty of salt in the onion rings and soup, so I don't add any. Feel free to go heavier or lighter on the garlic.
🥓Recipe Variations
- Water chestnuts. Add a little crunch to the casserole by stirring in chopped or sliced water chestnuts.
- Toppings. Try a mixture of melted butter and Panko or bread crumbs, crushed butter crackers, crispy bacon, or sliced almonds on top of the cheddar cheese.
- Cheese. Instead of grated cheddar cheese, try Swiss, gruyere, or Parmesan cheese.
- Soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce. Add even more earthy flavor to the mushroom mixture by adding a splash of soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce.
- Spices. Kick up the heat with a pinch of red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper.
🥘How to Make Paula Deen Green Bean Casserole
Step 1: In a large saucepan, bring 3 cups of chicken broth to a boil. Add green beans and boil for 10 minutes for soft green beans or 20 minutes for very soft green beans (almost like canned green beans). Drain. If desired, reserve the cooking broth for your stuffing or other recipes.
Step 2: Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat and add the onions and mushrooms.
Sautee for 1-2 minutes. Add the cream of mushroom soup and stir well.
Step 3: Add the cooked green beans, garlic powder, black pepper, ½ of the crispy onions, and ½ of the cheese to the mushroom mixture. Stir until combined.
Step 4: Pour the green bean mixture into a greased 1 ½ quart baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until the casserole is hot and bubbling.
Step 5: Add the rest of the shredded cheddar cheese and french fried onion rings on top.
Step 6: Bake for 5 more minutes or until the cheese is melted.
Serve and enjoy!
💡Top Tips
- Cut large mushroom slices into small bite-sized pieces.
- Heat the shredded cheese and fried onion topping just until the cheese melts. Any longer and the cheese can harden, and the onions can burn.
- Try Paula Deen's technique and put all of the fried onions in the casserole and all of the cheese on top. See how she does it in her post here.
🥣Make Ahead Instructions
Paula Deen green bean casserole is easy to make ahead of time and store in the fridge or freezer.
- First, prepare green bean casserole, but do not bake or add toppings. Cool.
- To refrigerate. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1-3 days.
- To freeze. Wrap in plastic, then foil and freeze for up to 2 weeks. Thaw in the fridge for 24-36 hours.
- Before baking, let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Bake until hot and bubbly, adding 10-15 more mins, if necessary. Add the toppings and bake. Internal temperature should be 165 degrees.
🧊Storage & Reheating
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- Freeze cooled leftovers tightly covered in plastic wrap and foil for 1-2 months.
- Before reheating, let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. Stir, cover with foil. Bake at 350 for 15-35 mins until hot. Add more fried onions on top, and bake uncovered 5 more minutes until lightly browned and internal temp reaches 165.
❓Recipe FAQs
Use fresh green beans, blanche for 3-5 mins, then ice bath to stop cooking. Drain well to avoid extra moisture. Skip fried onions if making ahead. Serve right after baking to prevent soggy toppings from steam.
This usually happens when the onions go in too early or sit covered after baking. Add them during the last 5 minutes of baking only, and serve the casserole right away. The longer it sits, especially covered, the more moisture the onions absorb from the steam.
This green bean casserole is an amped up version of the classic recipe with fresh green beans for bright flavor and crisp-tender texture, sautéed mushrooms and onions to deepen the flavors even more, and melted cheddar cheese for gooeyness.
For a gluten-free version, swap in a gluten-free cream of mushroom soup and gluten-free French-fried onions (both are available from several brands). For dairy-free, use a plant-based butter and a dairy-free cream soup alternative, and skip the cheese or use a dairy-free shredded cheese. The texture will be slightly different, but the dish still comes together well.
Yes. Sauté the onions and mushrooms as directed, then combine everything except the fried onions and half the cheese in your slow cooker. Cook on low for 3-4 hours or high for 1.5-2 hours, until hot and bubbling. Add the remaining cheese and fried onions in the last 15 minutes so the onions stay crisp instead of turning soggy.
🍽️What to Serve with Green Bean Casserole
- Turkey or ham: This creamy green bean casserole is right at home alongside a traditional Thanksgiving Turkey in a Roaster or a Bone-In Turkey Breast, for smaller occasions, or a glazed holiday Slow Cooker Ham.
- More holiday sides: Add creamy mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, sweet potato casserole, and a mix of fresh and creamy salads for a classic holiday dinner everyone will love.
💌Let's Stay in Touch
Follow Midwestern HomeLife on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, and subscribe via email to receive all of the latest recipes!
📖 Recipe
Paula Deen's Southern Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 cups green beans fresh, frozen, or canned (use 2 cans, drained)
- 3 cups chicken broth skip if using canned green beans
- 2 ½ tablespoons butter
- ½ cup diced onions
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- 10.5 ounces cream of mushroom soup 1 small can
- 2.8 ounces french fried onions, divided About 1 ½ cups
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder more or less, to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large saucepan, bring 3 cups chicken broth to a boil. Add the green beans and boil for 10 minutes. If you like your green beans with a softer texture (almost like canned green beans), boil the green beans for up to 20 minutes. If you are using canned green beans, you can skip this step.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat and add the onions and mushrooms. Sautee for 1-2 minutes and remove the skillet from the heat.
- In the skillet or a large bowl, stir the cream of mushroom soup and sauteed mushrooms and onions together. Add the cooked green beans, garlic powder, black pepper, ½ of the crispy onions, and ½ of the cheese. Stir until combined.
- Pour the green bean mixture into a greased 1 ½ quart casserole dish. Bake for 20 minutes or until the casserole is hot and bubbling.
- Add the rest of the shredded cheddar cheese and french fried onions. Bake for 5 more minutes or just until the cheese is melted.
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, you'll get more FREE recipes and tips from my Midwestern kitchen to yours!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Midwestern HomeLife
Notes
- If the mushrooms are large, cut the slices into small bite-sized pieces.
- Heat the shredded cheese and fried onion topping just until the cheese melts. Any longer and the cheese hardens and the onions can burn.
- Reserve the chicken broth from the green beans for your stuffing or other recipes.
- Boil the green beans to your desired level of tenderness. Blanche quickly for crisp-tender; boil for 10 minutes for fork-tender, or up to 20 minutes for very soft.
