Sophisticated Green Bean Casserole
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Green Bean Casserole is a staple on holiday tables everywhere, I know it is on ours! But when you want to skip that age-old canned version and go the from-scratch route, I have just the Fresh Green Bean Casserole Recipe to up your side dish game! My Sophisticated Green Bean Casserole is made with fresh green beans, mushrooms, and bell peppers, coated in a mushroom wine sauce, and topped with crispy pancetta and French fried onions.
Green Bean Casserole from Scratch
Who wouldn’t love this gorgeous side dish gracing your holiday dinner table? Heck — any time of the year is perfect for this colorful homemade green bean casserole!
I need to come clean here. I love green bean casserole, any way you make it. From scratch or the version with the canned soup and canned beans, I am happy to be eating it.
But there are people out there that loathe anything with canned soup. I know this, because often times when I share something with canned soup, I get hate mail and negative comments on my social media. So this recipe is for-sure-sies for the anti-canned soup peeps, but it’s not just for them — it’s for all of us!
The only thing I didn’t use from scratch was the French fried onions, but I have an onion strings recipe, too, and if you made them, this recipe would be 100% from scratch. Not that I don’t love my onion strings recipe, but I always buy the big can of French fried onions, because I can literally just eat them from the can!
When did Green Bean Casserole become so popular?
In 1955, in the Campbell’s Soup test kitchen, Dorcas Reilly tossed together frozen green beans with some cream of mushroom soup and baked it. But to get past that greenish grey color, French fried onions were added to give it some crunch and some color. This iconic casserole has graced tables for 65 years!
How to make the BEST Green Bean Casserole from Scratch
Okay — so it’s obvious that it’ll be more work to make this iconic casserole from scratch, but the rewards? So worth it!
Like I said — I am a fan of green bean casserole no matter how you make it – and on those quick nights that I can dump a couple of cans into a casserole dish and eat it in 30 minutes? Done and done. But for those special occasions or big family dinners when I want to wow them? This casserole right here is the ticket to smiles all around!
Here is what you’ll need:
Ingredients for Sophisticated Green Bean Casserole
- thin green beans (haricots)
- red bell pepper
- mushrooms
- pancetta
- dry white wine
- shallots
- whipping cream
- Dijon Mustard
- fresh basil and dill
- French Fried Onions
After you cook your green beans, you’ll crisp up your pancetta in a skillet. Remove the pancetta and reserve the drippings.
Next, you will cook your mushrooms and peppers in the drippings. Remove from the skillet and add in the shallots and wine and bring them to a boil. Add in the cream, mustard and herbs. Stir the mushrooms and peppers back in.
Spoon the green beans into a baking dish, pour the cream sauce over the top and top with French onions and pancetta and bake.
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Don’t forget where you found this recipe! Pin it to your favorite Pinterest recipe board before you go!
My favorite Holiday side Dishes
I am such a fan of all of the side dishes we enjoy during the holidays! Here are some of my favorites:
- Mom’s Sausage & Sage Stuffing (pictured above)
- Grandma’s Baked Beans
- Pineapple Pretzel Fluff
- Loaded Cauliflower Casserole
- My Mom’s Cranberry Sauce
- Marinated Vegetables
- Cherry Pie Jello Salad
- Brussels Sprouts Gratin
- Ultimate Guide to Green Bean Casserole
See All of my Casserole Recipes
See All of My Salad & Side Dish Recipes
This green bean casserole is one of my contributions to Holiday Side Dish Week – a group I am in this week with some fabulous foodie friends of mine! On Monday I shared my recipe for Cranberry Fluff and I have another recipe coming on Friday, so stay tuned! See what everyone else made today in a list right beneath my printable recipe card below.
I hope that you try this Sophisticated Fresh Green Bean Casserole and fall in love with it just like we did! 
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Sophisticated Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 pounds thin green beans haricots verts
- 4 ounces pancetta
- 16 ounces sliced white mushrooms
- 1 small red bell pepper sliced thinly
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 cup shallots
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- 3 ounces French-fried Onions
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and in a large pan, bring some salted water to a boil. Drop the beans into the water and cook them until they just start to become tender. It'll only take a minute or two.
- Transfer the beans to a bowl filled with ice water, cool them one minute and then drain them and set them aside.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook pancetta until crispy. Remove from pan to a plate lined with a paper towel. Reserve the drippings.
- Add the mushrooms and peppers to the skillet and cook them until they become slightly soft. Remove them from the skillet and set them aside. Cover them to keep them warm.
- To the same skillet add wine and shallots. Bring to a boil and boil for 4-5 minutes or until almost all of the wine evaporates. Reduce heat and add in cream and simmer until slightly reduced. Mix in Dijon mustard, basil and dill. Add the peppers and mushrooms.
- Scoop green beans into a 3-quart baking dish. Pour mushroom mixture over the top. Sprinkle with French onions and pancetta.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, or until heated through.
Notes
Nutrition
Wednesday Holiday Side Dish Recipes:
- Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts by Savory Experiments
- Baby Yams with Honey Apple Syrup by Palatable Pastime
- Black Bean and Corn Salad Shrimp Cups by The Freshman Cook
- Candied Butternut Squash by Our Good Life
- Cheesy Brussels Sprouts Bake by Sweet Beginnings
- Cranberry Kissed Green Beans by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- Easy Corn Pudding by Lemon Blossoms
- Garlic Mushrooms by House of Nash Eats
- Green Bean and Cauliflower Gratin by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Maple Glazed Delicata Squash by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Roasted Carrots with Honey and Thyme by Kate’s Recipe Box
- Slow Cooker Glazed Carrots by Blogghetti
- Sophisticated Green Bean Casserole by An Affair from the Heart
- Spinach Orzo Salad by Shockingly Delicious
- Twice Baked Butternut Squash by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Wild Rice Salad: Make ahead Thanksgiving SIde by West Via Midwest
- Wild Rice Supreme by The Fresh Cooky
I haven’t had green bean casserole in SO LONG. Pinning this recipe for the holidays-I especially love all the fresh veggies!
This is the most gorgeous green bean casserole I’ve ever seen! I will definitely be making it this holiday season!
Loved this variation on a classic! The red bell peppers was a delicious addition 🙂
Making this from scratch is so much better! The pancetta is such a delicious addition and I can’t image there being any leftovers for this one!
Yum! This looks so delicious and tasty! My family is going to love this recipe! Can’t wait to give this a try!
I have been searching for some great side dish ideas for the upcoming festive season, and this is a new family favourite. So tasty!
What a yummy casserole you have prepared. I am surely gonna make this.
Probably the best take on green bean casserole I’ve ever seen! Love all those fresh ingredients!
I love green bean casserole, I have never had it with peppers. I am going to give this one a try this year!
This looks like such a great way to use green beans. We are all about the side dishes.