Cheesy Green Bean Casserole with Bacon
This post may contain affiliate links. Read full disclosure.
This cheesy green bean casserole with bacon is is an easy make-ahead dish that’s loaded with flavor. We sauté slender, fresh green beans, then coat them in a white-wine cream sauce with mushrooms (optional), shallot, garlic, thyme, and gooey cheddar cheese. For a salty crunch, we top the dish with French fried onions, crispy bacon, and grated Parmesan.
📌 Pin Loaded Green Bean Casserole
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email below and we’ll send the recipe straight to your inbox! 👩🏻🍳 Plus you’ll receive a few new recipes weekly.
* By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Confetti and Bliss.
👩🏻🍳 Why This Recipe’s a Keeper
- It’s made with delicious fresh ingredients. No canned green beans or Campbell’s mushroom soup in this yummy recipe! Instead, we use fresh green beans. And we make a creamy, savory sauce with fresh herbs, white wine, a buttery roux and cheddar cheese.
- You can prep this easy side in just 15 minutes, then bake. So quick and simple. It’s a perfect side for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.
- It’s the perfect make-ahead green bean casserole! Prepare the recipe as directed, but leave off the crunchy toppings until you’re ready to reheat the dish.
- We sauté the mushrooms on the side so they can be left out if desired. We know some people love mushrooms, while others not so much.
- We top our green bean casserole with delicious salty ingredients: crispy bacon, French fried onions, and Parmesan. It takes this classic Thanksgiving casserole to the next level.
- This cheesy green bean casserole is the ideal comfort food. It’s a holiday favorite that works alongside almost any weekday dinner.
🛒 Ingredients
- Bacon: We use thick-cut bacon, trim off the fatty ends, then pan fry it until crisp. It adds a salty, meaty flavor to the green bean casserole that’s savory and delicious. If there’s not enough bacon grease to sauté the veggies, feel free to use olive oil or butter. Or you can make this recipe vegetarian by leaving out the bacon.
- Fresh Green Beans: We use haricot verts, which are thin French green beans that are softer and more delicate than classic green beans. If you can’t find haricot verts, use regular green beans instead. Just make sure to trim and discard any stems.
- Butter: We use it to create a roux to thicken the sauce, and also to sauté the mushrooms.
- Shallot: Contributes an earthy, subtle onion flavor. The key is to barely tenderize it. If the shallots burn they will be very bitter.
- Garlic Cloves: Add a rustic, earthy taste that pairs well with shallots and green beans.
- Fresh Thyme: Adds a fresh herbaceous flavor to the green bean casserole.
- All-Purpose Flour: Thickens the sauce so we don’t end up with a runny casserole – we want a thick, luscious sauce.
- Dry White Wine: Helps deglaze the pan while adding a bit of acidity.
- Chicken Broth: Adds moisture and helps create the sauce. Vegetable stock can be used if you’re making this recipe vegetarian (without the bacon).
- Heavy Cream: Adds richness and creaminess to the sauce.
- Medium Cheddar Cheese: It’s delicious and gooey, and pairs well with bacon.
- Kosher Salt: Enhances the flavor of the other ingredients.
- Cracked Black Pepper: Contributes a rustic taste and aroma with a bit of heat.
- Cremini Mushrooms: A traditional ingredient for green bean casserole. However, we know some people don’t care for mushrooms. So we sauté them separately, so it’s easy to leave them out if needed.
- Soy Sauce: Adds a rich umami flavor that enhances the flavor of the mushrooms, the sauce and the bacon.
- Grated Parmesan Cheese: Adds a sharp nutty flavor that pairs well with this dish.
- French Fried Onions: A classic topping for green bean casserole. They add a great crunch and a subtle onion flavor.
📖 Recipe Steps
Recipe Prep: Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a large baking dish with butter or nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large skillet, sauté the bacon over medium heat until it becomes crisp and browned. Remove the bacon from the pan and drain it on paper towels.
- Add the haricot verts (French green beans) and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, until they’re just barely tender. Remove the green beans from the skillet and set them aside on a plate.
- In the same skillet, add the butter along with the chopped shallot, garlic and thyme. Sauté for 1 to 2 minutes until they become fragrant and translucent, and the butter has completely melted. Sprinkle in flour and whisk to create a thick roux. Cook the roux, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
- Deglaze the pan by adding the white wine, and by scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- While whisking, slowly add the chicken broth and heavy cream. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer and cook until slightly thickened – about 5 minutes.
- Slowly add the shredded cheddar cheese, whisking constantly until it’s fully melted. Next add salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the sautéed green beans to the sauce and gently stir to combine.
- (Optional – for those who like mushrooms.) In a separate skillet, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add the sliced cremini mushrooms and sauté until tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add soy sauce to the mushrooms and stir to coat them evenly. Add the mushrooms to the green beans and stir to combine.
- Transfer the green beans to the prepared baking dish. Top the casserole with grated Parmesan, French fried onions, and cooked bacon crumbles.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the casserole is hot and bubbly, and the topping is golden brown. Serve and enjoy.
🧑🏼🍳 Recipe FAQ
These are the most commonly-asked questions for making the BEST cheesy green bean casserole with bacon, and the most helpful answers for recipe success.
Yes! This is the perfect make-ahead dish. It can be assembled and baked up to 48 hours in advance. Just leave off any crunchy toppings (like Parmesan cheese, French fried onions, and bacon) until it’s time to rewarm the dish in the oven.
In French, hericot verts means “green beans.” But they’re more commonly known as a French variety of green beans that are long and slender instead of short and chunky. They’re also more tender and flavorful than regular green beans.
Yes, because the ends of the beans are fibrous and tough. But conveniently, most grocery stores sell these French green beans already trimmed and ready to use.
When stored in the fridge in an airtight container, green bean casserole can last for up to 3 days. Rewarm in the oven or microwave.
Yes, this make-ahead dish freezes well. Bake this casserole in a thick foil baking pan. After it cools to room temperature, tightly cover the pan with a sheet of plastic wrap, then with a layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 weeks. When ready to enjoy, thaw overnight in the fridge, then rewarm in the oven until heated through.
🦃 More Thanksgiving Recipes
Complete your holiday menu with these delicious Thanksgiving mains, sides and dessert. To view our complete collection of seasonal recipes, visit our Thanksgiving category.
- Stuffed Turkey Breast with Gravy
- Brown Sugar Glazed Ham
- Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
- Brussels Sprout Salad
- Best Jiffy Cornbread
- Libby’s Pumpkin Pie
Rate This Recipe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Flavor testers rated this the BEST cheesy green bean casserole with bacon. They loved the use of fresh veggies in a luscious homemade sauce, and the crisp and salty toppings. They commented on how easy it is to make this delicious, savory side.
If you agree this recipe’s a keeper, give it a 5-star rating in the comments. Then be a recipe hero. Share it with friends. 📌 Pin it to Pinterest.
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email below and we’ll send the recipe straight to your inbox! 👩🏻🍳 Plus you’ll receive a few new recipes weekly.
* By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Confetti and Bliss.
Cheesy Green Bean Casserole with Bacon
- Total Time: 55 Minutes
- Yield: 6 Servings 1x
Description
Cheesy green bean casserole with bacon is creamy, crunchy and deeply flavorful. A traditional side for Thanksgiving and Christmas, it’s an easy make-ahead dish.
Ingredients
- 1 pound raw bacon, diced
- 2 pounds fresh (haricot verts) French green beans,* trimmed
- 4 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 small shallot, finely chopped (about 1/4 cup)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 cups (freshly-shredded) medium cheddar cheese
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms (baby bella mushrooms), sliced
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 1/2 cups French fried onions, or more if desired
Instructions
Recipe Prep: Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a large baking dish with butter or nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large skillet, sauté the bacon over medium heat until it becomes crisp and browned. Remove the bacon from the pan and drain it on paper towels.
- Add the French green beans and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, until they’re just barely tender. Remove the green beans from the skillet and set them aside on a plate.
- In the same skillet, add the butter along with the chopped shallot, garlic and thyme. Sauté for 1 to 2 minutes until they become fragrant and translucent, and the butter has completely melted. Sprinkle in flour and whisk to create a thick roux. Cook the roux, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Deglaze the pan by adding the white wine, and by scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- While whisking, slowly add chicken broth and heavy cream. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer and cook until slightly thickened – about 5 minutes. Slowly add the cheddar cheese, whisking constantly until it’s fully melted. Next add salt and pepper to taste. Add the sautéed green beans to the sauce and gently stir to combine.
- (Optional – for those who like mushrooms.) In a separate skillet, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add the sliced cremini mushrooms and sauté until tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add soy sauce to the mushrooms and stir to coat them evenly. Add the mushrooms to the green beans and stir to combine.
- Transfer the green beans to the prepared baking dish. Top the casserole with grated Parmesan, French fried onions, and cooked bacon crumbles. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the casserole is hot and bubbly, and the topping is golden brown. Serve and enjoy.
Equipment
Buy Now → Notes
*What are hericot verts? In French, hericot verts means “green beans.” But they’re more commonly known as a French variety of green beans that are long and slender instead of short and chunky. They’re also more tender and flavorful than regular green beans.
Storage: Transfer any leftover green bean casserole to an airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Prep Time: 15 Minutes
- Cook Time: 40 Minutes
- Category: Vegetable
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Cheesy Green Bean Casserole 👉🏻 Join the Convo
Are you excited to make this loaded green bean casserole? Will you be serving it for Thanksgiving, Christmas or another occasion? Share your thoughts on this easy holiday side in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you.
