Green bean and cream cheese casserole is tender green beans folded into a thick, tangy, garlicky sauce, baked until bubbling and finished with crisp fried onions, a salty layer of grated cheese and toasty walnuts. It’s an easy side for a holiday table or a Sunday roast, and it comes together in one bowl.
How to make green bean and cream cheese casserole: stir cream of mushroom soup, milk, softened cream cheese and garlic into a smooth sauce, fold in drained green beans and some fried onions, and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes. Add the rest of the onions, the cheese and the walnuts and bake 5 minutes more.
Why You’ll Love It
- 45 minutes start to finish, and only about 10 of them are hands-on.
- One bowl for the sauce. No stovetop roux, no skillet to scrub.
- Creamy under, crunchy on top. The beans sit in a velvety sauce while the onions, cheese and walnuts bake into a crisp golden crust.
- Canned, fresh or frozen beans all work with a quick change to the first step.
Ingredient Notes
Cream cheese. Use a full 8-ounce block. It’s the thing that sets this casserole apart from the usual soup-and-onion version, so don’t cut it back.
Cream of mushroom soup. One 10.5-ounce can of condensed soup, straight from the can. Don’t add water; the milk is the only liquid.
Milk. Half a cup loosens the sauce. Almond milk can be swapped in cup for cup.
Green beans. Three cans, 33 ounces in all. Drain them well so the sauce stays thick.
Fried onions. A 6-ounce container gets split: 2/3 cup goes into the beans and the rest goes on top near the end.
Hard cheese, walnuts and scallions. Grate any hard cheese you like for the topping. The walnuts are optional. The scallions go on raw after baking for a fresh, sharp bite.
Ingredients
- 10.5 ounces condensed cream of mushroom soup (one can)
- 1/2 cup milk (almond milk can be substituted)
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 33 ounces green beans (3 cans), drained
- 6 ounces fried onions, 2/3 cup mixed into the beans, the rest for the topping
- 1/2 cup hard cheese, grated
- 1/3 cup walnuts, chopped, optional
- 1/4 cup scallions, finely chopped
How to Make Green Bean and Cream Cheese Casserole
1. Heat the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Make the cream cheese sauce. In a medium bowl, mix the cream of mushroom soup, milk, softened cream cheese and minced garlic. Stir until everything is thoroughly combined and no white streaks remain. If the cream cheese is not softened, use a whisk to blend it in.
3. Add the beans. Drain the green beans and add them to the cream cheese mixture, mixing gently so they stay whole. Then mix in 2/3 cup of the fried onions.
4. Bake. Transfer the green bean mixture to a 1 1/2-quart baking dish and bake for 30 minutes, until the sauce bubbles at the edges.
5. Add the topping. Take the dish out of the oven and sprinkle the remaining fried onions, the grated hard cheese and the chopped walnuts over the top. Return it to the oven for another 5 minutes, until the onions and cheese turn golden and the center reaches 165°F on a food thermometer.
6. Finish and serve. Sprinkle the scallions on top and serve hot.
Smooth Sauce and the Right Beans
The sauce is the whole point of this casserole, and it only turns silky if the cream cheese is soft. Set the block on the counter while the oven heats, or cut it into cubes so it warms faster. Soft cream cheese melts into the soup and milk with a spoon in a minute or two.
Make the sauce completely before the beans go in. Once the beans are in the bowl you can’t stir hard without breaking them, so any lumps left at that point stay lumps. Mix until the sauce is one even, pale color, then fold the beans in gently.
Canned beans are the easiest choice, but fresh and frozen beans work too. They just need a head start, because the casserole only bakes for 35 minutes in total:
| Beans | What to do before step 3 |
|---|---|
| Canned | Drain well. They go in as they are. |
| Fresh | Trim, boil 3 minutes until bright green but still crisp, then drain. |
| Frozen | Cook according to the package directions, then drain. |
Tips for Success
Why is my sauce lumpy?
You’ll see little white flecks of cream cheese through the green sauce. That happens when the block goes in cold. Put the cream cheese, soup and milk in a warm skillet, break the cheese into small pieces, cover with a lid for a couple of minutes, then stir. It melts into a smooth sauce you can pour over the beans.
Why are the fried onions on top soggy?
They went in too early. Mix only 2/3 cup into the beans at the start, and save the rest for the last 5 minutes of baking. That short second bake is enough to turn them golden.
Why is the casserole runny?
Liquid from the cans thins the sauce. Tip the beans into a colander and let them drain fully before they go into the bowl.
Variations
- Ritz and bacon top: skip the fried onions on top. Toss 2 cups crushed Ritz crackers with 2 tablespoons melted butter, scatter them over the casserole, and add 1/2 cup crumbled bacon for the last 10 minutes of baking.
- Panko and almonds: top with 1/2 cup sliced almonds and 1/4 cup panko tossed with 2 tablespoons melted butter instead of the walnuts and onions.
- Sautéed onion: cook 1 diced white onion and the garlic in 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet, then add the cream cheese, soup and milk to the same pan to make the sauce.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow, covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days. USDA FSIS lists cream sauces among foods that don’t freeze well, since the cream can separate and look curdled, so the fridge is the better place for this one. Reheat covered, in the oven or microwave, until it reaches 165°F.
What to Serve With It
This is a holiday side first, so put it next to slow cooker turkey breast or 5-ingredient slow cooker ham steaks. For a full spread, add sweet potatoes with marshmallows and a slow cooker loaded potato bake. If you’d rather cook your beans on the stove, try smothered green beans or these Texas Roadhouse copycat green beans.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the recipe for cream cheese and green beans?
It’s this one: 8 ounces of cream cheese stirred into a can of cream of mushroom soup with milk and garlic, then folded through 33 ounces of drained green beans. Bake it at 350°F with fried onions inside and on top.
Can I make it without canned soup?
Yes. Cook mushrooms in butter, stir in flour, then whisk in milk and chicken stock until it thickens. Add 4 ounces of cream cheese and 1 cup of cheddar, fold in the beans, and bake at 350°F for 20 minutes.
Can I leave out the walnuts?
Yes, they’re optional. The fried onions and cheese still give you a crunchy, golden top without them.
Can I use almond milk?
Yes. Use the same 1/2 cup in place of regular milk in the sauce.
Final Notes
Give the cream cheese time on the counter before you start; a soft block saves you all the whisking. If you make it for a holiday table, tell me in the comments what you served it with.
Green Bean and Cream Cheese Casserole
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Ingredients
- 10.5 ounces condensed cream of mushroom soup one can
- 1/2 cup milk almond milk can be substituted
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 2 medium garlic cloves minced
- 33 ounces green beans 3 cans, drained
- 6 ounces fried onions 2/3 cup mixed into the beans, the rest for the topping
- 1/2 cup hard cheese grated
- 1/3 cup walnuts chopped, optional
- 1/4 cup scallions finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a medium bowl, mix the cream of mushroom soup, milk, softened cream cheese and minced garlic. Stir until everything is thoroughly combined. If the cream cheese is not softened, use a whisk to blend it in.
- Drain the green beans and add them to the cream cheese mixture, mixing gently. Then mix in 2/3 cup of the fried onions.
- Transfer the green bean mixture to a 1 1/2-quart baking dish and bake for 30 minutes.
- Take the dish out of the oven and sprinkle the remaining fried onions, the grated hard cheese and the chopped walnuts over the top. Return the dish to the oven and bake for another 5 minutes, until the onions and cheese turn golden and the center reaches 165°F.
- Sprinkle the scallions on top and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
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