Get ready to elevate your green bean casserole game! This Loaded Green Bean Casserole takes the old-fashioned family favorite and gives it a delicious upgrade. With crispy bacon, a rich and creamy cheese sauce, and a kick of zesty Ranch seasoning, this dish is perfect for holidays or any meal where you want to impress. It’s a comfort food classic, reinvented to be even more irresistible!
First published March 19, 2023. Last updated for editorial improvements and more information November 5, 2024.
Table of Contents
- 🗝️ Key takeaways: why this recipe is your new favorite
- 🧾 Gather your ingredients: what you'll need
- 📖 Make it your own: yummy variations
- 🔪 Step-by-step guide: instructions for success
- 🍴Must have tools: essential equipment
- 🎥 Watch and cook: step-by-step video tutorial
- ⏲️ Casserole times and temps
- 🥫 Leftover love: how to store and reheat
- Marye's Tip o' the day
- 💭 Insider tips: things to know
- 👩🍳 Let's answer those questions: FAQs
- 📚 More Southern comfort: related recipes you'll love
- 🍽️ No waste: creative ways to repurpose loaded green bean casserole
- 📞 Wrapping it up: the last word
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
Save this recipe by clicking on the ❤️ heart on the right-hand side of the screen or in the recipe card.
🗝️ Key takeaways: why this recipe is your new favorite
- The perfect combination of cheesy sauce and crunchy toppings makes this an easy (yet decadent and delicious) side dish recipe
- Tastes as great for a holiday meal as it does any day of the week.
- Reheat leftovers in the air fryer to get the topping crisp again.
Loaded green bean casserole is a staple on Easter and Thanksgiving tables, but it also makes a great addition to your weekly dinner menu rotation!
With crunchy french fried onions, crispy bacon, and lots of cheddar cheese, this classic side dish is loaded with all the good stuff.
🧾 Gather your ingredients: what you'll need
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
📖 Make it your own: yummy variations
- Instead of bacon, experiment with pancetta or prosciutto. You can also omit the meat if you need a vegetarian dish!
- Out of cream of mushroom soup? Swap it for the cream of celery, cream of chicken, or cream of cheddar varieties.
- TOO creamy? Cut back to 1 can of soup.
- Stir in some fresh mushrooms, minced garlic, or extra diced onion to amp up the texture and flavor.
- Like it extra crunchy? You can add crumbled Ritz crackers in addition to the crispy fried onion topping.
🔪 Step-by-step guide: instructions for success
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page. Click on the image to see it full size.
Microwave soup, buttermilk, and cream cheese in a microwave-safe bowl.
Whisk in the Ranch and cheese.
Mix with the green beans and bacon and add to the dish.
Top with crispy onions and bake.
🤫 Marye's secret for zhuzhing it up -
Sometimes I'll use smoked Cheddar cheese instead of regular Cheddar to add even more flavor.
zhuzh: verb. To make something more interesting or attractive
🍴Must have tools: essential equipment
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🎥 Watch and cook: step-by-step video tutorial
⏲️ Casserole times and temps
Sometimes you need to bake two things at once - here's how to adjust the time and/or temperatures of your casserole!
These times are only an estimate. Be sure to check your casserole often. It's done when an instant-read thermometer registers 165F when stuck in the middle of the casserole.
| Temperature | Time | Time From Frozen |
| 300F | 55 minutes | Do not freeze |
| 325F | 45 minutes | Do not freeze |
| 350F | 30 minutes | Do not freeze |
| 375F | 25 minutes | Do not freeze |
| 400F | Cover with foil and bake 20-25 minutes | Do not freeze |
🥫 Leftover love: how to store and reheat
Like a traditional green bean casserole, this loaded version is easy to store. Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
Spoon any extras into an airtight container, or cover the casserole dish with a tight layer of plastic wrap.
Of course, the crispy onions get a little soft the longer they're stored.
By the way, I don't recommend freezing this casserole. The texture doesn't hold up.
You can microwave leftovers, but it's best to reheat the casserole in the oven if you've got a little extra time.
To do so, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the casserole uncovered for 15-20 minutes, or until heated through. If the onions get too dark, loosely lay a piece of aluminum foil overtop.
Marye's Tip o' the day
Spritz the blade portion of your cheese grater with a little bit of nonstick cooking spray to prevent the cheese shreds from sticking to it! They'll fall right off instead of clumping together.
💭 Insider tips: things to know
- If you don't want to use a canned soup then use the thick version of this homemade cream sauce and leave out the buttermilk.
- Using fresh green beans? You'll need 2 pounds - and be sure to cook them before using.
- Drain the green beans well before mixing them into the casserole. Sometimes I'll lay the beans on a paper towel-lined baking sheet to dry.
- Be sure to use a powdered Ranch dressing mix, rather than liquid dressing from a bottle.
- Top leftover green bean casserole with shredded Rotisserie chicken and pre-made mashed potatoes for a quick shepherd's pie dinner!
- This works with leftover Thanksgiving turkey and mashed potatoes, too.
👩🍳 Let's answer those questions: FAQs
Have other questions? Ask me in the comments!
Sure thing! Just let them thaw and drain, before stirring them into the loaded casserole and baking as directed.
This recipe uses a thick cheese sauce made from cream cheese and canned soup, so it's never watery! Just be sure to drain the green beans well and you'll be good to go.
⏲️ Marye's time saving hacks -
Make holiday time a little easier by prepping this easy green bean casserole recipe in advance. Assemble the casserole up to step nine (pouring everything into the prepared baking dish) and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Top with the onions and cheese just before baking.
📚 More Southern comfort: related recipes you'll love
🍽️ No waste: creative ways to repurpose loaded green bean casserole
- Green Bean Casserole Soup – Add chicken or vegetable broth, then heat for a creamy, comforting soup.
- Savory Breakfast Hash – Sauté the casserole with diced potatoes, onions, and leftover meat (like ham or turkey) for a hearty breakfast or brunch.
- Green Bean Casserole Pasta Bake – Combine with cooked pasta, extra cheese, and breadcrumbs, then bake for a creamy, crunchy pasta dish.
📞 Wrapping it up: the last word
I do love that old fashioned classic green bean casserole but sometimes it's nice to have ALL the flavor. Something a little over and above.
This easy side dish is exactly that. This recipe gives you a cheesy, creamy, and decadent casserole that it's hard not to obsess over.
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.
If you love this recipe please comment below and give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Loaded Green Bean Casserole
Print Pin Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 21 ounces condensed cream of mushroom soup, 2 cans - don't dilute!
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 4 ounces cream cheese, cut in 8 pieces
- 1 ounces dry Ranch salad dressing mix, do not used the bottled dressing
- 58 ounces green beans, four 14.5 ounce cans, drained well
- 2 cups cheddar cheese , shredded from a block - divided use
- 1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 6 ounces French fried onions
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with no-stick cooking spray.
- Cook bacon until crisp. Set aside.
- Whisk together the buttermilk and the soup until smooth and creamy.
- Add in the cubed cream cheese.
- Microwave in 20 to 30 second intervals until the cream cheese is very soft and can be whisked into the soup mixture smoothly.
- Stir in 1 cup of the cheddar cheese and the Ranch.
- Add the green beans and cooked bacon to the cheese mixture.
- Pour in prepared pan.
- Top with remaining cheese and crispy fried onions.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until casserole is heated through - 165°F on an instant read thermometer.
Notes
-
- Spritz the blade portion of your cheese grater with a little bit of nonstick cooking spray to prevent the cheese shreds from sticking to it! They'll fall right off instead of clumping together.
-
- Be sure to use a powdered Ranch dressing mix, rather than liquid dressing from a bottle.
- If you don't want to use a canned soup then use the thick version of this homemade cream sauce and leave out the buttermilk.
- Using fresh green beans? You'll need 2 pounds - and be sure to cook them before using.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
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Loaded Green Bean Casserole
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