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Slow Cooker Green Bean Casserole without cream soup. This classic casserole is made with fresh or frozen beans, cream sauce, cheese, and topped with French’s French Fried Onions. This is the best Green Bean Casserole!
Green Bean Casserole is one of those classic, almost iconic recipes that is typically made as part of a traditional Thanksgiving spread. I grew up eating the version made with Campbell’s canned mushroom soup with French’s French Fried Onions, as I’m sure many of you did. As a kid, I could have been completely happy eating an entire plate full of green bean casserole and my Mom’s homemade rolls for Thanksgiving dinner! I’ve always loved it.
Despite the fact that the canned soup version is well-known and easy to make, I wanted to share a version of the green bean casserole with you made without cream soup. I wanted an updated, more modern recipe of sorts.
As I was developing my own recipe, I got inspiration from a couple of different sources. I really liked the idea Cook’s Country had to use fresh mushrooms and to cook the Green Bean Casserole in the slow cooker. Crock Pot recipes are so convenient, especially for hectic holiday meals!
Ree, The Pioneer Woman had a great idea to incorporate cheese, and bacon into the casserole and both Ree and Alton Brown used panko bread crumbs for the crunchy topping instead of French’s French Fried Onions.
Taking all of these ideas into consideration, I came up with my own homemade version made in the crock pot with instructions for making it with either fresh green beans or frozen green beans.
Green Bean Casserole without cream soup
While green bean casserole with cream of mushroom soup is a classic, I wanted a version of this traditional casserole made with a homemade cream sauce.
I used my Cream Soup Substitute recipe), fresh mushrooms, and a little parmesan cheese.
Topping
Arguably the most important part of green bean casserole is the crunchy topping. While I loved the idea of using panko bread crumbs, I wasn’t entirely ready to ditch French’s French Fried Onions altogether, so I decided to use a combination of ingredients. The result of this slow cooker recipe is one of the best green bean casseroles I have ever had! To make the topping for this green bean casserole you will need:
- Panko bread crumbs
- French’s Fried Onions
- Butter
Making Green Bean Casserole Ahead of Time
If you are serving this for Thanksgiving dinner, you can prep the sauce ahead of time so that you can quickly assemble the casserole and cook it in the crock pot on the day that you will need it. And as I mentioned, you can use fresh or frozen green beans, the only difference will be that you’ll need to adjust the cook time a bit.
With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I invite you to try my version of classic Green Bean Casserole, without cream soup and made in the slow cooker for extra convenience! You’ll get 8-10+ servings from one batch. Enjoy!
What goes with Green Bean Casserole
When serving green bean casserole on Thanksgiving, you can’t go wrong with traditional sides. I recommend serving this with turkey and these delicious Thanksgiving side dishes:
- The Best Mashed Potatoes
- Perfect Turkey Gravy
- Sweet Potato Casserole
- Turkey Stuffing
- Fast and Easy Dinner Rolls
If you make this Green Bean Casserole, please leave a comment or tag me on social media. I love to hear from you! Happy Thanksgiving!
Slow Cooker Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 lbs fresh green beans or frozen French cut green beans
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 6 tbsp flour
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup half and half
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp ground thyme
- 8 oz fresh mushrooms, cleaned, stems removed, sliced
- 1 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 ½ cups French's Fried Onions, divided
Instructions
- In a large saucepan melt 4 tablespoons unsalted butter over low heat. Whisk in 6 tablespoons flour and let cook for 1-2 minutes. Slowly stir in 1 cup chicken broth, then 1 cup milk. Whisk until it begins to thicken. Let it simmer for a few minutes. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Stir in 1/2 cup half and half, then set aside.
- In a large non-stick skillet, sauté 8 ounces fresh mushrooms slowly so that they release all of their moisture. Season them with 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon ground thyme. When the mushrooms start to turn golden brown (after about 10 minutes), add them to the sauce from step 1.
- Stir in 1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese.
- Fresh beans: cook on low for 4-6 hours Frozen beans: cook on low for 5-6 hours.
- When the green bean casserole is done cooking, transfer it to a serving dish. Sprinkle the french fried onion/panko bread crumb mixture over the top and serve.
Recipe from
CenterCutCook
