You’ll be hard-pressed to find a Thanksgiving table without a classic green bean casserole. It’s a quintessential Thanksgiving dish that everyone knows and loves.
This year, skip the recipe on the back of the soup can and try this green bean casserole instead. It can be made in the oven, but if you want to kick it up a notch, then you can cook it on the smoker for an added smoky punch.
Once you make this green bean casserole, you will never return to the canned style again. But if you want something a little more classic, check out our Easy Smoked Green Bean Casserole.
Green Bean Casserole on the [TAG18]
The key to this recipe is the homemade cream of mushroom soup. While the canned stuff is the traditional choice for this dish, it’s easier than you may think to make from scratch.
Ingredients you’ll need
- Green beans – I like to use fresh green beans, but both canned and frozen will work. It really depends on the texture you’re going for. Canned green beans will be a lot softer, but the fresh and frozen options will maintain a nice crunch.
- Mushrooms – any type of mushroom will work. I love the flavor and texture of shiitake mushrooms so that’s what I used. They’re a little pricier than some other varieties, so if you want to swap for baby portabellas that’s fine.
- Aromatics – onion and garlic add a wonderful aromatic flavor to the cream of mushroom soup.
- Cream – I use a combination of half-and-half and heavy cream. You can substitute all half-and-half or all cream, but avoid milk because it won’t thicken the sauce properly.
- Crispy onions – this is the one part of the recipe that I don’t make from scratch. I’ve made crispy onions at home before, and you can find them in my Classic Smoked Green Bean Casserole recipe, but I’ve found that nothing quite matches the texture and crunch you will get from store-bought fried onions.
- Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and pepper
Equipment you’ll need
- Smoker or Pellet Grill – I cooked this recipe on my Traeger Ironwood XL pellet grill, but any grill or smoker that can maintain a steady temperature of 275°F will work fine.
- Large mixing bowls – you will need two, one to combine the casserole ingredients and the other to use for the ice bath for the green beans.
- Large stock pot
- Medium pot
- Slotted spoon – or tongs to transfer the beans from the pot to the bowl.
- Whisk
- Aluminum Pan – or any oven-safe baking dish will work fine. I usually use an aluminum pan as it creates the fewest dishes.
How to make green bean casserole
1. Prep the green beans
While you can use canned or frozen green beans, I really prefer the texture of fresh green beans for this recipe. The prep only takes a few minutes and is worth it. If you are using canned beans, you can skip this step.
You’ll start with 2 pounds of fresh green beans. Wash them, then you can snap off the ends with your hands. You can use a knife if you prefer, but it’s much faster to just snap off the ends by hand.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and blanch the green beans for 4-5 minutes. This will start the cooking process and soften them. You don’t want to cook them all the way because they will continue to cook in the casserole.
After the beans have boiled for 4-5 minutes, transfer them straight to an ice bath. The ice bath will stop the cooking process, prevent them from getting soggy, and lock in that bright green color.
Once they’ve cooled fully, you can strain them and set them to the side.
2. Make the cream of mushroom soup
The key to this delicious casserole is the cream of mushroom soup. Most traditional recipes call for canned cream of mushroom soup, but it’s extremely easy to make from scratch in just about 20 minutes. In my opinion, it’s worth every second of effort because the flavor is so much better.
Start by chopping your onions, mushrooms, and garlic. I use shiitake mushrooms for this recipe because I love the texture and flavor. You can alternatively use baby bellas or any white mushrooms you have available.
In a medium-sized pot, add half a stick of salted butter and let it melt.
Add the chopped onion and mushrooms. Saute until the onions are soft and translucent, then add the garlic and saute for 2-3 more minutes, until fragrant.
Once all of your veggies are soft, you can add the remaining butter and the flour. Mix it until a roux forms (a thick paste).
Add the half and half along with the heavy cream, and mix it well until a sauce forms. You may need to use a whisk to ensure that the ingredients are well combined.
Season it to taste with salt and pepper, then add a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce to finish. Bring it to a simmer for about five minutes, and it’s ready to go!
3. Build your casserole
To build your casserole, add the blanched green beans and half the crispy onions to a large mixing bowl. Pour the cream of mushroom soup into the bowl and stir until all of the ingredients are combined.
Once your green beans and onions are fully coated, you can transfer the mixture into an aluminum pan or casserole dish.
Add the remaining crispy onions to the top of the casserole, and it’s ready for the smoker.
4. Fire up the smoker
Preheat your smoker to 275°F.
I smoked this on my Traeger Ironwood XL pellet grill. It’s fantastic for maintaining a steady temperature and adding a great smoke flavor to anything you cook. Plus, it’s big enough to fit multiple side dishes, turkey, and ham on the smoker all at once—perfect for cooking for a crowd!
Once your smoker is preheated, you can place the pan directly on the grates and let it smoke for about 45 minutes.
You want the sauce to be hot and bubbly, and the onion topping should be nice and golden brown. Then you can remove it from the smoker, and it’s ready to enjoy!
What to serve with green bean casserole
Here are some amazing dishes that pair wonderfully with this green bean casserole. It’s perfect for any Thanksgiving dinner, but you can enjoy it all year long as well!
- Traeger Smoked Ham
- Twice Smoked Spiral Ham
- Smoked Pulled Ham with Peach Glaze
- Smoked Whole Turkey
- Smoked Cajun Turkey
- The BEST Deep-Fried Turkey
Smoked Green Bean Casserole With Homemade Mushroom Soup Recipe
This homemade Green Bean Casserole takes the classic Thanksgiving side to a whole new level with a creamy, from-scratch mushroom soup and a smoky finish on the Traeger. For a quicker option, try our Easy Smoked Green Bean Casserole with canned mushroom soup! If you loved this recipe, don’t forget to leave a 5-star review and share your thoughts.
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Smoked Green Bean Casserole With Homemade Mushroom Soup
Fresh green beans with a creamy mushroom soup sauce and crispy onion topper.
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Prep Time 30 minutes minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes minutes
Total Time 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes
Servings 8
Calories 457kcal
Author Breanna Stark
- 2 lb fresh green beans
- 16 oz shitake mushrooms diced
- 1 white onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 stick butter cut in half
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 6 oz crispy fried onions divided in half
Wash the green beans and snap off the ends, then blanch them for 4-5 minutes in boiling water.
Transfer them to an ice bath to cool. This will stop the cooking process and keep your green beans nice and bright. Once they’ve cooled, you can strain them and set them aside.
In a medium pot over medium-high heat, add a half stick of butter and let it melt.
Add the diced onion and diced mushrooms to the pot and saute until the onions are transluscent.
Add the minced garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until fragrant.
Add the remaining half stick of butter along with the flour and mix until a thick roux forms. The mixture should look like a paste.
Add the half-and-half and heavy cream while whisking. Continue to whisk until a thick cream sauce forms, and then let it simmer for 5 minutes.
Season the sauce with Worcestershire, salt and pepper.
In a large mixing bowl, add your blanched green beans along with the cream of mushroom sauce and half of your crispy fried onions. Mix until well-combined and each green bean is coated in that cream sauce.
Transfer the green beans to an aluminum pan or baking dish, then top with the remaining crispy fried onions.
Place the pan on the smoker and let it smoke for 45 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the onions are golden brown and crispy.
Remove from the smoker and serve immediately.
If using canned beans, skip the blanching and ice bath steps.
Calories: 457kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 75mg | Sodium: 512mg | Potassium: 520mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1682IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 107mg | Iron: 2mg
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