French Green Bean Casserole recipe

French Green Bean Casserole takes the classic Thanksgiving side dish and gives it a fresh twist. Fresh ingredients in a flavor-packed creamy, cheesy casserole you’ll love!

Classic holiday recipes; we love them, we hate them.

Calling all Green Bean Casserole lovers! We’ve taken a traditional favorite and changed it up with a French twist.

All the familiar ingredients are there but done up in a new way.

And if Green Bean Casserole has never been your thing, try this version and see if maybe it is now!

An Updated Fresh Green Bean Casserole Recipe

This French-inspired re-do of the classic Green Bean Casserole takes the beloved side dish to a whole new level.

The BIG DIFFERENCE: All the ingredients are fresh.

• Delicate, slender Haricot Vert green beans replace traditional green beans.
• Fresh sautéed mushrooms take the place of canned mushroom soup.
• Shallot rings, bacon, fresh thyme and Gruyere cheese top off this flavor-packed, creamy side dish.
• Topped with French bread crumbs and slivered almonds, the casserole still delivers a crunchy bite!

The Original Green Bean Casserole

The ‘American Century Cookbook: the Most Popular Recipes of the 20^th Century’ says the Green Bean Casserole is one of said most popular recipes.

Campbell’s Soup ‘home economists’ created the recipe in the mid 1950’s and people immediately loved it as they continue to today (except me apparently).

A selling point for the recipe, in addition to being easy to make, is it ‘leaves room for creativity’.

The original green bean casserole recipe included cream of mushroom soup, milk, frozen green beans, canned French-fried onions, soy sauce and pepper.

For a variation, corn soup could be swapped for the mushroom and top with slivered almonds.

Or the beans and mushroom soup could be swapped out for broccoli and broccoli soup.

French Green Bean Casserole Recipe

Some fresh changes delivers a flavor-packed, hearty green bean casserole perfect for Thanksgiving and any other meal!

French Green Bean Casserole Ingredients

Haricot Vert (French Green Beans)

Instead of frozen green beans fresh Haricot Vert (pronounced ‘hair-a-coe vair-t’) green beans are used.

If you haven’t tried Haricot Vert (literally translated from French is ‘green bean’) they originate in France and are a much thinner, and usually shorter variety of green bean.

They are often sold in packages in the produce department of all grocery stores, especially at this time of year.

They have a wonderful texture and flavor. Perfect for an easy French-inspired swap in this green bean casserole.

Substitution Ideas

Can’t find fresh Haricot Vert: Use frozen, thawed Haricot Vert. Do a QUICK THAW by placing them in the colander and running them under cold water.

NOTE: skip the first recipe step of blanching the French green beans if substituting frozen/thawed Haricot Vert.

Can’t find any Haricot Vert: regular green beans can be substituted.

Fresh Sautéed Mushrooms

Instead of mushroom soup, fresh sautéed mushrooms create a delicious amount of flavor in this green bean casserole.

A combination of Cremini mushrooms and Shitake give fantastic flavor.

Cremini mushrooms are often called ‘baby bellas’ because they are a young portabella mushroom. Portabellas have a meaty texture and flavor.

Shitake mushrooms have a rich, savory taste perfect for this green bean casserole.

Both types of mushrooms are available in the produce department of the grocery store.

Stores with a wide variety of produce like Whole Foods are a great source.

Subsitution Ideas

For Cremini mushrooms:

Substitute Portabella mushrooms if needed. They are a lot larger then Cremini mushrooms so should be cut into smaller pieces.

Dried cremini mushrooms can be reconstituted (soak them in water so they plump back to a normal texture).

For Shitake mushrooms:

Frozen shitake mushrooms are available. Thaw before using.

Dried shitake mushrooms can be reconstituted by soaking in water. Drain the water before using the mushrooms.

NOTE: Cremini mushrooms can be used as the only mushroom in the green bean casserole too.

Use 1 ½ pounds of Cremini mushrooms if unable to find shitake mushrooms.

Crunchy Onion Topping

The crunchy canned fried onions on the top of the traditional green bean casserole have also been updated.

Fresh sautéed shallot rings are mixed into the casserole for the familiar onion flavor.

The crunchy topping is a combination of French bread crumbs and silvered almonds.

More Star Ingredients

Sliced bacon, fresh thyme and Gruyere cheese give creamy, smoky layers of flavor and beans that still have a good bite (no soggy beans).

Use Store Bought or Homemade Bread Crumbs

Use store bought or homemade bread crumbs.

Refer to the recipe card NOTES at the end of the blog post for instructions on how to make your own.

Use regular or gluten-free bread crumbs.

Gluten-Free Green Bean Casserole

To make French Green Bean Casserole gluten-free, use gluten-free bread crumbs.

All other ingredients are naturally gluten-free.

Shortcuts for Making this Fresh Green Bean Casserole

• Purchase mushrooms pre-sliced. Most grocery stores offer them in the produce department and have a good variety of options.
• Use pre-made bread crumbs instead of making your own. Any type will do though a neutral flavor works best.
• Do the prep work the day before. Trim the beans, slice the shallots, grate the cheese, slicie the bacon, make the bread crumbs and slice the mushrooms all the day before assembling and cooking the green bean casserole.

Prepping everything only leaving sauteing, combining and baking for the serving day will keep things simple!

More Thanksgiving Recipes You’ll Love

• Easy Roast Turkey
• Instant Pot Turkey Breast
• Turkey Roulade with Apple-Cranberry Stuffing
• Cornbread Chorizo Turkey Dressing Recipe
• Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
• Creamed Corn
• Bacon Gravy
• Ginger Pear Pie
• Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes in Mason Jars
• Crustless Pumpkin Pie

Try these French-inspired recipes too!

• Shortcut French Cassoulet (Peasant Stew)
• Mousse au Chocolat (Traditional French Chocolate Mousse)
• Omelette du Fromage (French Ham and Cheese Omelet)
• Clafoutis (French baked custard fruit dessert)

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Originally published: November 10, 2014