Name: Green Bean Casserole With Crispy Fried Onions
Cook time: 1 hour 35 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 50 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: 2 lb. mixed wild mushrooms, trimmed, halved or quartered if large (about ½" pieces); 4 thyme sprigs, divided; ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil; 1¼ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¾ tsp. plus ⅛ tsp. Morton kosher salt, divided, plus more; ¾ tsp. freshly ground black pepper, divided; 2 lb. green beans (preferably haricots verts), trimmed, cut in half on the diagonal; 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter; ⅓ cup finely chopped red onion; 2 large garlic cloves, very thinly sliced; 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour; 2 cups heavy cream, divided; 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth; 2 dried bay leaves; 1½ tsp. finely grated lemon zest (from 1 medium lemon); Canola or vegetable oil (for frying); ½ cup fine-grind cornmeal; 2 Tbsp. cornstarch; 1½ tsp. paprika; 1 tsp. ground coriander; 1 tsp. ground cumin; 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced into ⅛" rings crosswise with a mandoline or very sharp knife, separated into rings; Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper

A green bean casserole made with green beans and wild mushrooms topped with crispy fried onions.

Photo by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich

This is a classic green bean casserole recipe for the 21st century. Whether you grew up with the canned soup version at every Thanksgiving dinner or this is your first time encountering the storied side dish, it’s guaranteed to impress. This iconic casserole recipe is steeped in post–World War II American culture: In 1955, Campbell’s test kitchen tasked supervisor Dorcas Reilly with creating an easy recipe that featured the company’s canned green beans and mushroom soup. Reilly added in a few other pantry ingredients, packed the saucy mix into a casserole dish, and topped it with french-fried onions, securing her place in history. It was the perfect side dish for the moment: Wartime bans on aluminum had recently been rescinded, and erstwhile homemakers who’d joined the workforce could put a warm, rib-sticking casserole on the table without much prep time. Campbell’s later began printing the recipe alongside the nutrition information on the backs of cream of mushroom soup cans, further cementing its legacy and eventually becoming an indispensable Thanksgiving recipe for many families.

Our made-from-scratch green bean casserole modernizes Reilly’s midcentury triumph. It features fresh green beans and an assortment of mushrooms bound by a creamy sauce. (Incidentally, these three elements can be prepared days ahead.) But the star of the show is undoubtedly the crispy fried onions. Spiked with paprika, cumin, and coriander, they taste leagues better than any store-bought version.

If you don’t care to make the fried onions, top your green bean casserole with Parmesan cheese or sprinkle on some toasted panko breadcrumbs tossed with lemon zest. If you crave an even creamier sauce, toss a few handfuls of shredded cheddar cheese into the white sauce at the end of step three. However you choose to customize it, we think Reilly would approve.