Sandra Sliced green beans, fresh mushrooms, and diced onions combine with cream of mushroom soup, french-fried onion rings, and cheddar cheese. The beans cook in chicken broth before everything bakes in a 1½-quart dish at 350°F. The dish serves 6 and takes about 45 minutes start to finish.
Paula Deen, host of Food Network’s Paula’s Home Cooking, builds this casserole with sautéed fresh mushrooms and diced onions, not canned soup alone. Most recipes skip the stovetop step and stir everything cold into the baking dish. That sauté pulls real flavor from the mushrooms before they ever meet the soup.
Green beans cook in chicken broth here rather than water, and that swap flavors the beans all the way through. Water does nothing for the beans during the boil and leaves the flavors entirely to the soup. Broth starts the seasoning at the vegetable level so the finished casserole tastes layered rather than flat.
Paula Deen Green Bean Casserole Recipe
Description
Paula Deen Green Bean Casserole Recipe with sautéed fresh mushrooms, green beans cooked in chicken broth, cheddar cheese, and fried onion rings. Serves 6
Ingredients
Casserole
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 1½-quart baking dish. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat and sauté the diced onions and sliced mushrooms until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Bring the chicken broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the sliced green beans and cook for 10 minutes. Drain well and set aside.
- Combine the drained green beans, sautéed onions and mushrooms, cream of mushroom soup, onion rings, and a pinch of House Seasoning in a large bowl. Stir until fully combined.
- Spread the mixture into the prepared baking dish and bake uncovered for 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and top with grated cheddar cheese. Return to the oven for 10 more minutes until the cheese has melted and the casserole is hot throughout.
FAQs
Can frozen green beans replace the fresh sliced green beans in this recipe?
Frozen green beans work as a direct swap, but they need to thaw fully and be patted dry before going into the broth boil. Excess water from frozen beans makes the filling loose and can prevent the casserole from setting firmly. Cut frozen beans to roughly 1-inch pieces before boiling so the texture stays close to what fresh sliced beans produce.
Does the cheddar cheese have to go on at the end, or can it bake the whole time?
Cheddar that bakes the full 30 minutes will overcook, darken, and dry out before the casserole is done. Adding it after the first 20 minutes gives it just enough heat to melt without turning rubbery or greasy. Sharp cheddar is the better choice over mild because its stronger flavor holds against the cream of mushroom soup and onion rings.
What can replace the french-fried onion rings if they are unavailable?
Three options work if french-fried onion rings are unavailable: buttered breadcrumbs, panko, or crushed buttery crackers. All three add the crunch the topping needs, though none deliver the same onion flavor the rings provide. Using the full can ensures even crunch coverage from edge to center of the casserole.
What Paula Deen side dish pairs best on the same Thanksgiving table as this casserole?
Corn and green beans cover two different corners of a Thanksgiving spread, and keeping them separate makes the meal feel complete. A Paula Deen jiffy corn soufflé on this site bakes into a sweet, custardy side that shares no ingredients with this casserole. Together the two fill out a Southern holiday side table from a single consistent source.
What Paula Deen main dish makes the best pairing with this green bean casserole?
Green bean casserole needs a main that brings a different texture and richer protein to the plate. A Paula Deen pork tenderloin on this site roasts to a clean, juicy finish that lets this casserole stand out as the table’s vegetable centerpiece. Together the two give a holiday table both a standout side and a simple, elegant main.
