Cheesy Loaded Green Bean Casserole

This recipe for Cheesy Loaded Green Bean Casserole is one of the best! It’s super creamy and loaded with cheddar & parmesan cheese making it the ultimate Holiday Side dish or a great addition to any hearty meal!

Can you even say it’s a holiday meal if you don’t have green bean casserole on the table? This is a bit of a mixture of classic green bean casserole mixed with a heavy dose of cheese. There’s no such thing as having too much cheese, right?

Using fresh green beans in this holiday casserole dish really gives a great texture and taste. The more veggies that you can load up, the better! This is the perfect recipe to share with all your family and friends.

Since this recipe has two different types of cheeses, you’re certain to have an awesome test of cheese with each and every bite. Don’t forget to add the crunchy toppings of French fried onions!

TO MAKE CHEESY LOADED GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE YOU WILL NEED:

• Fresh green beans – Make sure the ends are trimmed and cut into halves.
• Unsalted butter – If you use salted butter, omit the addition of salt later on in the recipe.
• Yellow onion – Diced up and made into smaller bites.
• Minced garlic – I’ve also used garlic pepper in place, too.
• All-purpose flour – This is used as a thickener for the casserole.
• Milk – You can use heavy cream as well.
• Chicken broth – You can use chicken stock as well.
• Paprika
• Ground black pepper
• Salt, to taste
• Sharp cheddar cheese – Shredded works best but you can always grate a block of cheese, too.
• Parmesan cheese – Grated parmesan cheese adds a wonderful flavor.
• French fried onions – Add to the top for a crispy crust.

HOW TO MAKE GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE WITH CHEESE

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9X13 casserole dish and keep it aside.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil, blanch the green beans for 3-5 minutes and transfer them to an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Set aside.

Heat a heavy bottom pan with butter on a medium flame. Once the butter has melted add the onions and minced garlic, saute till the onions turn translucent. Sprinkle the flour and stir for a minute and add in the milk and chicken broth. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the sauce thickens.

Add the spices; paprika, pepper, and salt. Remove the pan from the heat and add the cheddar and parmesan cheese. Stir constantly, the cheese will melt in the heat, and then add half a portion of the fried onions into the sauce mixture.

Stir in the blanched green beans without the water and fold them into the sauce mixture.

Transfer the green beans along with the cheesy sauce into the prepared casserole dish. Bake for 20 -25 minutes until warm and bubbly around the edges.

Add in some more french fried onion on top and serve.

WHY IS MY GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE RUNNY?

You may need to add more thickener to your casserole if it’s overly runny. This can happen sometimes if the milk being added was too much.

The consistency for green bean casserole should be slightly thick and hold together some once you dish it out. If it’s liquidy and runny, you need to add a bit more flour to thicken it up.

HOW DO YOU TELL WHEN A CASSEROLE IS DONE BAKING?

The easiest way to tell that the casserole is done baking is to look for it bubbling in the oven. This is a great indicator that it’s heated and hot all the way through.

SHOULD A CASSEROLE BE COVERED WHEN BAKING?

For a green bean casserole, there is no need to cover the dish when baking it. If you notice that the French onions on top appear to be getting too dark, you can always cover them with aluminum foil so that the heat stays in and stops cooking the top.

VARIATIONS FOR COOKING GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE

While I’m a big fan of the recipe as it’s listed below, there are other variations to this classic holiday dish.

• Use canned green beans instead of fresh – I like the flavor of fresh but sometimes canned green beans might be the only option.
• Change the types of cheese – All cheeses are good cheeses so switch out the type of cheese that you want to use and have fun with the new flavors.
• Use flavored French Onion toppings – There are always new flavors that they introduce each year. This could be a great change to the overal taste of the dish. I’ve used jalapeno French Onion toppings before and it was delicious!

How to Make Low-Carb/Keto Green Bean Casserole

To make this delicious green bean casserole low carb, simply replace the flour with almond flour or coconut flour and follow the recipe as directed. Alternatively, you can leave out the flour and use 1/2 the amount of chicken broth and milk.

More Easy Casserole Recipes

• Cheesy Broccoli Chicken and Rice Casserole
• Creamy Chicken Broccoli Casserole
• 4 Ingredient Chicken Pasta Casserole
• Creamy Tuna Broccoli Casserole (Low carb, Keto)
• Doritos Chicken Casserole