Cheesy Creamed Green Beans are a satisfyingly cheesy green bean casserole, baked with a simple sour cream sauce and topped with cheese, bacon, and cornflakes. The perfect side dish for any dinner, and fancy enough for holidays, too!
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A Creamy, Cheesy Casserole with Bacon and Crunchy Topping
Warm, cozy, casserole-style sides are always a win, aren’t they? And this cheesy green bean casserole definitely hits all of the right notes. It’s made with a rich cream sauce that uses sour cream instead of milk, and it’s topped with a trio of comfy ingredients: shredded cheese, crunchy buttered cornflakes, and bacon. Yum.
Serve this pure comfort food with your favorite entree, and you’ve got basically the perfect dinner. The only problem? You may not have any leftovers! Unless you double it, of course, which I highly recommend. Can’t have too much of a good thing, right?
Looking for a traditional green bean casserole with french fried onions? Try this Easy Crockpot Green Bean Casserole. You can also make it from scratch with this recipe for The Best Green Bean Casserole!
What You’ll Need
So what’s in this dish? The sour cream sauce is made without any canned soup, but it’s just as easy as any other casserole recipe. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Butter: Salted or unsalted, it’s up to you.
- Onion: Just a small amount of chopped onion adds a ton of flavor.
- Garlic: Freshly minced garlic is the best, but garlic powder will also work.
- Flour: A spoonful of flour thickens the cream sauce.
- Frozen Green Beans: I love the french-style green beans for this. Make sure they’re thawed and drained.
- Seasonings: Salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg. Don’t worry – the nutmeg enhances the creamy sauce, but it won’t taste like gingerbread!
- Sour Cream: Creamy sauces are often made with milk, but the thick and tangy taste of sour cream really brings out the best in this recipe.
- Bacon Bits: Cook and crumble a few strips of bacon, or buy pre-cooked bacon at the store and chp it finely.
- Cheese: Shredded cheddar is my go-to! If you want to change it up, you could try using another strongly-flavored cheese like colby jack.
- Cornflakes: Crumbled for topping.
- Parmesan: For serving.
How to Make This Cheesy Green Bean Casserole
The creamed green bean base for this casserole is quick to make, and comes together in one pan for a simple cleanup.
- Get the Oven and Baking Dish Ready. You’ll want to start off by preheating the oven to 400°F. Spray a 1-quart, oven-safe baking dish with cooking spray, or grease it with oil.
- Cook the Onions, Garlic, and Green Beans. Next, melt a tablespoon of butter in a saute pan, and cook the onions and garlic in the melted butter for 2 minutes. Stir in the green beans, and cook all three for another 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Make the Roux. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to scoot the green beans to the edges of the pan. In the center of the pan, melt another tablespoon of butter. Once it melts, sprinkle the flour, nutmeg, salt, and pepper on the melted butter, and stir gently to combine. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add the Sour Cream. Scoop your sour cream into the pan, and stir everything well to combine.
- Assemble the Casserole. Pour the hot green bean mixture into your greased baking dish. Sprinkle the bacon bits and cheese on top. Then melt the last tablespoon of butter and pour it over the cornflakes, toss to combine, and spread the buttered cornflakes over the casserole.
- Bake. Transfer the baking dish to the oven, and let it bake for 20 minutes. (Cover the casserole with foil if the cornflakes are browning too quickly.)
- Enjoy! Take the green beans out of the oven, and grate some fresh parmesan cheese over the top before serving.
Tips and Tricks
Not only is this a scrumptious recipe, it’s also easy to make, especially when you know a few helpful tips and tricks. Here are my best pieces of advice for making this yummy dish.
- Using Foil: You can cover the baking dish with foil for the first 10 minutes of baking time, so that the cornflakes don’t brown too much. Then, remove the foil for the final 10 minutes, to get a perfectly crispy result.
- Topping Options: Lays potato chips are a great alternative to cornflakes! Just omit the final tablespoon of butter, since the chips don’t need it. French fried onions are also a great choice.
- About the Beans: I use frozen green beans, but you can substitute canned or fresh green beans if you prefer. Just make sure to drain whatever kind you use well, before adding them to this recipe, so the cheesy green bean casserole doesn’t get watered down.
Serving Ideas
I would usually serve a dish like this as part of a holiday spread or family feast. You can also serve as an easy weeknight meal with…
- Chicken: One of our hands-down favorite dinners is this easy Baked Honey Mustard Chicken. It’s loaded with sweet and tangy flavor, and goes with everything.
- Salmon Patties: There’s just something about Crispy Salmon Patties and green beans – a savory, healthy combo that is familiar and yet different from a routine meal.
- Ham: Get that extra ham you bought when they were on sale out of the freezer, and let it become the basis for a few hearty meals! This Crockpot Ham recipe is a great, hands-off way to cook a ham.
- Turkey: And of course, if it’s the holidays, these creamed green beans go perfectly with a gorgeous Thanksgiving Turkey!
How to Store and Reheat Your Leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Reheat in the microwave, or better yet, the oven. A quick bake at 400°F will not only warm up the casserole, it will also re-crisp the cornflake topping. Win-win!
Freezing and Making Ahead
Creamed green beans do not freeze well, so I recommend enjoying cheesy green bean casserole fresh. However, even though it doesn’t freeze well, you can still make it ahead!
To do this, fully assemble the dish, but don’t bake it. Instead, cover it with foil and refrigerate for up to 48 hours. Remove it from the fridge for 1 hour before baking, to let it come to room temperature. Then bake according to the recipe directions.
Cheesy Creamed Green Beans
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter, divided
- 2 tablespoons chopped onion
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 32 ounce package frozen french-style green beans, thawed and drained
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ cups sour cream
- ½ cup bacon bits
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ cup cornflakes, crumbled
- Parmesan, for serving
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Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400°F and spray a 1-quart oven-safe baking dish with cooking spray.
- Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a saute pan, and add the onions and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Stir in the green beans, and cook for another 4 minutes.
- Move the green beans to the edges of the pan. In the center of the pan, melt another tablespoon of butter. Add the flour, nutmeg, salt, and pepper to the melted butter, and stir gently to combine. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add the sour cream to the pan, and stir all of the ingredients together to combine.
- Pour the green bean mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with bacon bits and cheese.
- Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter and pour it over the cornflakes, tossing until well combined. Spread the buttered cornflakes over the cheese.
- Place the dish in the oven, and bake for 20 minutes. (Cover with foil if the cornflakes are browning too quickly.)
- Remove from the oven, and grate some fresh parmesan cheese over the cornflakes before serving.
Notes
- You can cover the casserole with foil for the first 10 minutes of baking time, so that the cornflakes don’t brown too much.
- Lays chips are a great alternative to cornflakes. Just omit the final tablespoon of butter. French fried onions are also a great choice.
- French style green beans – I use frozen, but you can substitute canned or fresh green beans if you prefer.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Cheesy creamed green beans do not freeze well.
Nutrition
Categories:
More Holiday Worthy Side Dishes
- The Best Homemade Stuffing
- Sweet Potato Casserole
- Cranberry Orange Relish
- Sautéed Green Beans with Bacon
- Jiffy Corn Casserole
- Crockpot Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows
- Apple Cranberry Sauce
- Garlic Mashed Potatoes
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I haven’t made it yet, but I love that I can incorporate Gluten Free items. Most my family loves green beans casserole but I have to make gf cream of mushroom soup- it’s a process, with this it’s easy!