French’s Green Bean Casserole

French’s Green Bean Casserole is the creamy, crunchy side dish so many of us grew up with, and it’s still one of my favorite casseroles to make. This is the classic recipe from French’s, made just the way it was written, with a can of cream of mushroom soup and canned green beans. With almost any other vegetable I’d reach for fresh, but canned green beans give this casserole its soft, tender bite and that old-fashioned flavor I love.

Here's the quick version of how it comes together. You stir a can of cream of mushroom soup, milk and black pepper right in the baking dish, then add two cans of drained cut green beans and part of the crispy fried onions. It bakes for 30 minutes and gets a good stir. Then the rest of the onions go on top for 5 more minutes, until they're golden brown. That's five simple ingredients, one dish and a creamy sauce under a crunchy onion topping.

Green bean casserole might be the most divisive dish at the holiday table, and everyone has an opinion! Are you a fan or not so much?

Why My Family Loves It

• It's the classic. This is the original recipe, so it tastes just like the green bean casserole you remember from the holiday table. A home economist named Dorcas Reilly came up with it in Campbell's test kitchen back in 1955. That's a whole lot of Thanksgivings.
• It's all pantry staples. I always keep a few cans of "cream of whatever" soup and green beans in my cupboard, so I can make it any night of the week, not just on Thanksgiving.
• It takes five minutes to put together. You stir it in the same dish you bake it in, so there's only one dish to wash.
• The onions do double duty. Some get stirred into the sauce for flavor, and the rest bake into a crunchy topping.

Ingredients You'll Need

• Cream of mushroom soup: One regular can of condensed soup makes the creamy mushroom sauce. Don't add water, because the milk thins it just enough.
• Whole milk: It gives the sauce the best flavor and body. 2% works if that's what you have.
• Black pepper: Only ⅛ teaspoon. The soup and the canned beans already bring plenty of salt, so there's no salt in this recipe.
• Canned cut green beans: Two 14.5-ounce cans, drained really well. The recipe calls for Del Monte, but any brand of cut green beans works, including Kroger's store brand. Two cans give you about 3½ cups of beans.
• French's Crispy Fried Onions: You'll need 1⅓ cups of the Original onions, divided. Half gets stirred in and the other half goes on top.

How to Make French's Green Bean Casserole

Step one: Heat your oven to 350°F.

Step two: In a 1½-quart baking dish, stir together the cream of mushroom soup, milk and pepper until smooth. Stir in the drained green beans and ⅔ cup of the crispy fried onions.

Step three: Bake uncovered for 30 minutes, until it's hot and bubbling around the edges. Then take it out and give it a good stir.

Step four: Sprinkle the remaining ⅔ cup of onions over the top. Bake 5 more minutes, until the onions are golden brown.

My Best Tips

• Drain the beans really well. Extra liquid from the cans is the main reason for a runny casserole. I let them sit in a colander for a minute and give them a shake.
• Bake it uncovered. A lid or foil traps steam, and that thins the sauce.
• Save the rest of the onions for the end. If they all go in at the start, they soak up the sauce and turn soggy. Adding them for the last 5 minutes keeps them crisp.
• Give it a few minutes to rest. The sauce thickens as it cools a little, so it scoops up neatly.

Substitutions and Variations

• Fresh green beans: Use about 3½ cups of trimmed, cut fresh beans. Boil them until they're tender-crisp, then drain them well before you mix everything together.
• Frozen green beans: French's has also shared this recipe made with two 9-ounce packages of frozen cut green beans, thawed. Drain them well, since they hold a lot of water.
• Cream of chicken or cream of celery soup: Either one swaps in for cream of mushroom if someone at your table doesn't like mushrooms.
• Other fried onions: Store-brand crispy fried onions work just fine.
• For a crowd: Double everything and bake it in a 13x9-inch dish. Use a whole 6-ounce container of onions, saving 1⅓ cups for the topping, and bake about 40 minutes, until it's heated through.
• Short on oven space? My Crock Pot Green Bean Casserole cooks in the slow cooker instead.

What to Serve with It

It's one of my favorite Thanksgiving side dishes, but it's just as good next to a regular weeknight dinner. These are a few of my recipes that go with it:

• Crock Pot Brown Sugar Pineapple Ham
• Old Fashioned Thanksgiving Dressing
• Jiffy Corn Casserole
• Yam Casserole
• What to Serve With Ham

How to Make It Ahead

You can make green bean casserole ahead of time, and it's a big help on a busy holiday. Stir the soup, milk, pepper and beans together in the baking dish up to 24 hours ahead. Cover it tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate it. Leave out all of the onions for now so they stay crunchy.

When it's time to bake, take off the cover and stir in the first ⅔ cup of onions. Since the casserole starts out cold, it will need a few extra minutes in the oven. Make sure it's hot all the way through before you stir it and add the onion topping.

How to Store Leftovers

• Room temperature: Get leftovers into the fridge within 2 hours.
• Refrigerator: Store leftover green bean casserole in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days.
• Freezer: It keeps 2 to 3 months for best quality. The sauce can turn a little grainy after thawing, and the onions go soft, so I think it's best fresh.
• Reheating: Warm it in a 350°F oven until it's hot all the way through (165°F), then top it with a handful of fresh onions for crunch. The microwave works for a single serving.

French's Green Bean Casserole FAQs

What is the original recipe for French's green bean casserole?

It's the classic version French's shares for its Crispy Fried Onions: one can of cream of mushroom soup, ¾ cup of milk, ⅛ teaspoon of pepper, two cans of cut green beans and 1⅓ cups of onions. There's no cheese, garlic or bacon in it.

How many cans of green beans do I need?

Two 14.5-ounce cans, which is about 3½ cups once they're drained. That fills a 1½-quart dish. For a 13x9-inch dish, use four cans and double everything else.

Do you cover green bean casserole when you bake it?

No. I bake it uncovered the whole time so the sauce thickens and the onion topping gets crisp.

Whichever side of the green bean casserole debate you're on, tell me in the comments! Everything you need to make this classic is in the recipe card below.

More Holiday Side Dishes

• Canned Green Beans Recipe
• Pineapple Casserole
• Cinnamon Glazed Carrots
• Crock Pot Green Bean Casserole