Get ready for tastiest homemade bacon green bean casserole (without cream of mushroom soup)! This easy recipe combines perfectly cooked tender green beans, golden brown caramelized onions, a creamy homemade sauce with garlic and Parmesan cheese, and plenty of tasty, crispy BACON.
I’ve made this casserole for Thanksgiving, Christmas dinner, and countless holidays, and the recipe is fail proof. Best of all, everyone goes crazy for the delicious flavors!
Your guests will love the fresh taste and the mouth-pleasing textures of the crisp-tender beans, crunchy bacon and melty cheese.
Why You’ll Go Hog Wild for this Recipe
It’s super easy to make, with no fancy ingredients.
This hearty side dish is a fresh take on the classic greenbean casserole recipe everyone loves.
You can make the casserole ahead of time and reheat it when you’re ready to serve. Bonus: it will taste even better the next day!
Bacon Green Bean Casserole is a crowd-pleasing favorite for Thanksgiving, holidays, potlucks and buffets. (Be sure to check out our roundup of best turkey recipes with bacon!)
Ingredients and Substitutions
Fresh green beans – Look for green beans that are firm and bright green, with no brown spots or bruises. You can use frozen steamed green beans in a pinch, but we don’t recommend canned green beans for this recipe.
Lean bacon – either regular or thick sliced bacon works fine for this recipe.
Bacon grease – Just 2 tablespoons of the drippings from the pan make the base for the creamy sauce and add even more flavor. If you prefer, you can substitute butter.
Garlic – This recipe calls for 2 cloves of minced garlic, which makes the mixture so flavorful but not overly garlicky. Depending on your tastes, feel free to increase, decrease or even omit the garlic if you like.
A sweet onion such as Vidalia – Sweet onions caramelize best and add mild flavor. If you don’t have sweet onion, feel free to substitute a yellow or white onion. If you like, you can add a pinch of sugar when you’re slow-cooking it to help it caramelize.
Chicken stock – Use homemade chicken stock if you have it, or a good commercial organic free range chicken stock.
Heavy cream – The rich flavor of real cream complements the crisp-tender green beans.
Shredded Parmesan cheese – you can shred it yourself from a block, or purchase pre-shredded cheese. Because the cheese becomes wonderfully melty during cooking, I don’t recommend the grated cheese from the green can from this recipe.
Salt and freshly ground black pepper – to finish the flavors and add a little spice.
All-purpose flour – You’ll need just two tablespoons to thicken the sauce.
Equipment Needed
- Cutting board
- Paring knife
- Sharp chef’s knife
- Large skillet
- Paper towels
- Large pot with steamer basket
- Large spoon
- Casserole dish
Step by Step Instructions
Chop the bacon in strips, and cook it in a large skillet over medium heat until it’s browned and crispy.
Drain the cooked bacon strips on paper towels and reserve. Pour out the drippings into a measuring cup and reserve two tablespoons.
Add the sliced onions to the same large skillet and cook over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until browned and caramelized. Add the garlic and cook for several minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from heat and reserve.
Steam the green beans in a steamer over boiling water, until tender and bright green.
To make the sauce, heat the reserved bacon grease in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat and sprinkle in the flour. Cook, whisking, until the mixture just barely starts to brown. Add the broth and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Add the cream and seasonings and cook, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens and coats the spoon.
In a large bowl, combine the sauce, steamed green beans, half the bacon, the caramelized onions and half of the Parmesan cheese.
Stir until all the ingredients are combined. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese and bacon. Spoon into a greased casserole dish, bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, and serve.
How to Make Ahead, Store and Reheat Leftovers
You can make this casserole up to 24 hours in advance. Prepare it according to directions, and save the final topping of bacon in a little baggie or container so it doesn’t get soggy.
Cover and refrigerate. Before you’re ready to cook the casserole, remove it from the fridge and let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes to take the chill off. Sprinkle with the bacon and cook as directed.
Store leftover green bean casserole tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To reheat, sprinkle the casserole with a few drops of water. Cover the dish with the lid or aluminum foil, and heat in a 350 degree oven until heated through, about 20 minutes.
Other Bacon Recipes
If you love the flavor of crispy, crunchy BACON, check out these popular recipes:
Baked Asparagus with Bacon and Parmesan
Visit the web story for Green Bean Casserole with Bacon.
Here’s the full, printable recipe:
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Bacon Green Bean Casserole
Equipment
- Cutting board
- Paring knife
- Sharp chef’s knife
- Large skillet
- paper towels
- Large pot with steamer basket
- Large spoon
- Casserole dish
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean smoked bacon cut in 1/4 inch slices
- 1 sweet onion such as Vidalia, quartered and sliced
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 1 1/2 pounds fresh green beans washed, trimmed and cut in halves or thirds
- 2 tablespoons reserved bacon drippings
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 3/4 cup chicken stock
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cut the bacon in 1/4 inch thin strips. Cook in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally until browned and crispy. Drain on paper towels.
- Pour out the drippings into a measuring cup and reserve two tablespoons bacon grease. Do not wipe out the pan.
- Add the sliced onions to the same large skillet and cook over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until browned and caramelized, about 20 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for several more minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from heat and reserve.
- Steam the green beans in a steamer over boiling water, until tender and bright green, about 5 to 6 minutes. Pour into a large bowl and allow to cool.
- To make the sauce, heat the reserved bacon grease in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat and sprinkle in the flour. Cook, whisking, until the mixture just barely starts to brown. Add the broth and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens. Add the cream, salt and pepper and cook, continuing to whisk constantly, until sauce thickens and coats the spoon.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 2 quart casserole dish.
- In the large bowl holding the green beans, add the sauce, half the bacon, the caramelized onions and half of the Parmesan cheese.
- Stir until all the ingredients are combined. Spoon into the prepared casserole dish, and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese and bacon.
- Cover and cook in the oven until hot and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes and serve.
Notes
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Nutrition
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This recipe was originally published on January 11, 2014, and has been completely updated with new directions and photography.
yum!!!!!!!!!
I tried this out on the family and it was a big thumbs up, so it’s going on our Thanksgiving menu, thanks for a fabulous recipe!
You had me at bacon and Green bean casserole will never be the same. Thanks for sharing another winner!
We had roast chicken last night and had this as a side, it was a hit for the whole family!! Will be making again for the holidays approaching for sure too!! Thank you!
So colourful. Who could possibly resist? Yum!
The best the family has ever tasted. Made it for Thanksgiving and family are requesting it again for Christmas
This is quite possibly the best way to enjoy bacon! Such a delicious recipe; easily, a new favorite dish!
We make green bean casserole all year round, and this is our favorite recipe to use! Thanks for sharing it!
I say the more bacon, the better! :) This looks so good.
Wow! I’m making this recipe instead of my usual green bean casserole for this Thanksgiving. Thank you!
Fantastic bean casserole! Everyone loved it at home! Need to make it more often!
Found this recipe last year and was going through my holiday recipes and had all sorts of comments written on the recipe, like “WOW” “Amazing” “Everyone loved” “Make again!” Yup, making again this year!
Hi Eliza,
Do you think this could be assembled the day before and then baked off on Thanksgiving? Or would it not be creamy anymore?
Katie, this casserole can absolutely be made a day in advance. Thank you for asking the question, and I’m going to add make-ahead instructions to the recipe. Just prepare it according to directions, saving the final topping of bacon in a little baggie so it doesn’t get soggy. Cover and refrigerate. Before you’re ready to cook it, remove it from the fridge and let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes to take the chill off. Sprinkle with the bacon and cook as directed. This is one of our favorites and I hope you love it!
This is FANTASTIC!!