Parmesan Bacon Green Bean Casserole

Skip the same old green bean casserole this year. This easy Parmesan Bacon Green Bean Casserole gives the classic a whole new flavor that will rock the holiday season! Crispy bacon, parmesan cheese and topped with everyone’s favorite fried onions. Only a few ingredients and it comes together in no time!

Are you team green bean casserole?

It’t not everyone’s favorite, but I don’t think it would be the holiday season if it wasn’t on the table. I am a big fan. A BIG fan. Those crunchy fried onions get me every time.

However, since we bounce around to quite a few houses over the holiday season, having the same casserole over and over and over gets reeeeeally old. That is a problem, friends.

My solution? Make my own!

What’s better than green bean casserole, you ask? Green bean casserole with bacon. And parmesan cheese. Now we are talking!

Was green bean casserole part of the first Thanksgiving meal? Hardly. It was actually created by Campbells in the 1950s–any surprise? It was originally not well received but eventually picked up popularity and now it seems to be everywhere.

The perks of this green bean filled dish?

1. It’s so easy to make.
2. You only need a handful of ingredients–a lot you probably have around!
3. It’s cozy and comforting.

Aside from cooking up the bacon, this green bean casserole recipe just requires you to toss everything in a dish and bake. Who wouldn’t get behind that when it comes to holiday food prep?

Can you make this Parmesan Bacon Green Bean Casserole the night before?

You most certainly can! If you are planning on making this dish for a gathering, throw it all together the night before, leaving out the French fried onions, and then bake it up just before serving.

I add the fried onions into the green bean mix as well as on top. Just wait to mix the fried onions into the green bean mixture as well until you are ready to cook. If you don’t want the onions mixed into the dish, then just add all of them on top!

What you will need to make this Green Bean Casserole Recipe:

1. green beans: I used frozen in my recipe. I honestly used frozen for the rich green color. I like that they stay really green and look better in photos. Ha, that’s the food blogger in me! You could use fresh, but you will want to boil them for 5-7 minutes before adding them into the casserole. If you use canned, make sure to drain and pat them dry.
2. bacon: whatever your favorite is or whatever you have on hand will work fine. Regular, turkey, heck, I am sure a vegetarian bacon will work as well!
3. parmesan: I used grated parmesan. I always have some around and I like the way it blends right into the mushroom soup as it is baked.
4. cream of mushroom soup: there is so much nostalgia in this soup for me. So may recipes of childhood make me think of this and good old Campbell’s is what I used. Can’t go wrong! One thing you may opt for is a reduced sodium version.
5. milk: whole milk is what I used. You could opt for cream as well.
6. French-fried onions: These seal the deal for me. Sure your breath is gonna carry the flavor all day long, but once a year is certainly worth it, right??
7. pepper

That’s it! The only other thing I like to add, depending on who I am serving this to, is mushrooms. You could add a can or sauté some fresh mushrooms and toss them in.

How to make this bacon green bean casserole:

This is really your easy as 1,2,3 kind of recipe.

• Cook the bacon, crumble or chop.
• Toss all the ingredients together–reserving fried onions for the end. Pour mixture into a baking dish.
• Bake for 25 minutes, add the remaining onions, and extra bacon if desired and bake until the onions are crispy.

I know you can handle that! I just know it!

Some things to note when making this casserole:

• Make sure you use condensed soup in this recipe. You want it to be nice and thick when it goes into the oven.
• I am sure there is a way to make your own French-fried onions. If you are feeling inspired, by all means, go for it. I find the kind you buy at the grocery to be perfect and look forward to them every holiday season.
• If you are using frozen green beans, make sure to thaw them completely before adding to the mixture. I always pat mine dry as well with a paper towel.
• If adding the French-fried onions to the green bean mixture sounds like it may be a bit too much for you, either lessen the amount or just skip them and add more crunchy goodness to the topping!

Try these other holiday recipes you will love:

• SIMPLE APPLE SAGE STUFFING
• EASY PARMESAN ROASTED GREEN BEANS
• WARM BRIE CROSTINI WITH CRANBERRY CHUTNEY
• CRANBERRY PECAN SWEET POTATO BITES
• POMEGRANATE, ROSEMARY AND BRIE STUFFED CRESCENT ROLLS
• INSTANT POT GARLIC PARMESAN MASHED POTATOES
• ROASTED SWEET POTATO CRANBERRY QUINOA
• NO BAKE PUMPKIN CRUMBLE BARS
• SNICKERDOODLE CHEESECAKE STUFFED CRESCENT WREATH
• PUMPKIN PIE CRUMBLE

DID YOU MAKE ONE OF MY RECIPES? LEAVE A COMMENT AND LET ME KNOW! I ALSO LOVE TO SEE YOUR LEMONS + ZEST RECIPES ON SOCIAL MEDIA–TAG ME @LEMONSANDZEST ON INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK!