Easy Green Bean Casserole with Bacon

This is a really easy green bean casserole with bacon recipe that is to die for! The best Thanksgiving or Easter side dish with a creamy sauce and packed with tons of flavor. It is so delicious I make it year round with chicken or ham. It saves great for leftovers too, if you ever have any.

Green Bean Casserole with Bacon and Cream of Mushroom Soup

Just amazing right?? And a must when it comes to those get togethers we all love. If this is for the holiday season you could combine these two favorites to make green bean mashed potato casserole too.

Top it with freshly made air fryer onions and this will be your new favorite way to make it. Yes you may have made this the old fashioned way for years and years but it is time for something new friends! There is a tip to doing just that, and making sure it is not mushy. Y’all need to use frozen green beans!

Green Bean Casserole with Frozen Green Beans

I start with right out of the freezer for this one so that they stay firmer while being baked. Somewhat similar to our Crack Green Beans but with that one I do run cool water over them first to defrost just slightly since the bake time isn’t quite as long. You will need;

• Baking dish
  • if using a Crockpot, use our slow cooker green bean casserole recipe
• Frozen green beans
  • fresh green beans could be used too, cut into 3rds
  • canned green beans drained come out quite soft, not recommended
• Bacon
• Plenty of french fried onions
  • or make your own crispy fried onions
• Cream of mushroom soup and milk
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• Mushrooms – optional

1/2 cup cheddar cheese on top is optional of course. Some prefer parmesan or id you wanted it totally dairy free you could leave that off totally.

Green Bean Casserole with Bacon

Why do we love this classic holiday casserole dish? Because this green bean mixture is loaded with bacon and crispy fried onions of course!

Here’s a holiday tip: Use crockpots, a Ninja Foodi and your Instant Pot too! It is impossible to keep all that food warm since cooking times vary. Most people don’t have a double oven to keep it all in until meal time so:

• Keep these things inside a slow cooker on warm with the lid on:
  • Air Fryer Corn on the cob is a cheap choice and a fave with kids
  • Mashed potatoes
  • Baked potatoes
  • Jiffy Corn casserole is always a huge hit for a side.

Foil on top of 1/2-quart casserole dishes left on your stovetop can keep the warmth in too.

Easy Cheesy Green Bean Casserole

Want to transition this to a cheesy dish? NO problem. You can either swap out the fried onions for shredded cheddar cheese, or have both. I go for all of it y’all. Just sprinkle on 1 cup of cheese on top of those and then bake to crisp and melt it all together.

We use this method every year! I have everyone cook their dishes and then transfer them into a crockpot to bring to my house. Then we aren’t waiting around and the kids don’t get as antsy.  It works great for a good hour or sometimes longer without changing the consistency or taste of the food.

I use crockpots to keep my easy green bean casserole recipe, yams, mashed potatoes warm. After we cut up the turkey you can put it in a warmed crock to keep it warm too so when you get seconds it isn’t cold! Now if you don’t want to make this in your oven you can try our Instant Pot green bean casserole recipe.

Can I freeze leftover green bean casserole?

Unfortunately, no. Especially since there are crispy onions on the top those would just become mush, no good.

Can you reheat leftover green bean casserole?

Of course. If you want to keep the top crunchy throw it into the oven at 350 for about 10 minutes. OR use an oven safe dish and do the same in your air fryer for about 6 min.! Stir halfway through so the top doesn’t get too dark this way.

After the holidays you’ve got to try out leftover turkey recipe too, it can be made with ham too so you can enjoy the day or so after….hope you enjoy your day!

Looking for more Thanksgiving side dishes??

1. Slow cooker no yeast rolls actually turn out quite amazing
2. Instant Pot cheesy bacon ranch potatoes are my girls’ favorite side
3. Swiss chard is a Southern fave.
4. or this easy roll recipe

Pressure cooker green beans turn out tender with just salt and pepper. Add onions on top for a healthier version of your traditional dish.

Green bean casserole with cheddar cheese soup

Here’s a quick step by step but there is a printable recipe card at the bottom of this post as well. First add your frozen green beans (or canned but frozen turns out better visually and isn’t as mushy) Mix in 1/2 cup of milk and soup into an oven safe dish (spray with non stick spray first)

Green Bean Casserole Recipe Easy

1. Cook your air fryer bacon or in a pan until slightly crisp and then chop up into small pieces and add to your bowl. If you like cooked mushrooms, slice them up without stems and add them too.
2. I shake some garlic salt on top, maybe 1/4 tsp, a bit of salt and pepper, and 1/2 cup of the fried onions. Fold ingredients together so onions don’t get totally smashed.
3. Empty mixture into dish that has been sprayed with non stick spray, then cover with foil. Bake for 25 min. at 350 degrees.

Remove from oven, take off foil and shake another 1/2 – 1 cup of fried onions to the top Put back into the oven for 5 more minutes just so they get crispy.