It’s time for a makeover for one of America’s favorite holiday meal side dishes–the Green Bean Casserole. The traditional condensed soup is replaced with luscious Garlic Alfredo Sauce to make this a dish that will actually make you and your hungry crowd want a second helping! Garlic Alfredo Green Bean Casserole will be your new go-to version of this holiday classic.
Are your family members fans of the traditional green bean casserole, loaded with gummy condensed soup and mushy canned green beans? Sounds appetizing, I know. It seems that nearly every holiday table in America plans to have some version of this “classic” on the menu.
Sorry, but the version that winds up at most meals turns my stomach. I am certain that is one of the reasons why I hated vegetables as a kid. I mean, just the gloopy, globby nature of it hitting the plate was enough to turn me off. Ick.
I mean, who would want to eat this? <shudder>
Now that I’m an adult trying to eat my veggies like a good girl, I decided to give this revered dish another try. I have dissected the original recipe, which is credited to a woman named Dorcas Reilly who worked for Campbell’s. You know, the canned soup folks. It is basically 3 ingredients: frozen or canned green beans, condensed cream of mushroom soup, and of course the eponymous fried onions on top. I get why this dish became so popular when it was created and promoted back in the 1950’s. It’s easy, and can be made using items that most households had in their pantries at that time.
Fast forward to this century: more of us are trying (and I stress, TRYING) to be more conscious of the ingredients that go into our foods. While I will admit that not every single dish I make can say that, I’m trying to be more cognizant of standards like these.
So when it came time to create a side dish for my husband’s office Thanksgiving Day potluck, I decided to try my hand at switching up this “classic”. To get the creamy component normally provided by the condensed soup, I turned to an alfredo mix. What a great alternative to a blob of cream of (fill in the blank) anything! Don’t have a dry version? No problem. You can easily grab a jar of your favorite alfredo sauce at the store. Then I reached for frozen green beans, but not the short & stubby ones that get mushy when cooked in a casserole. I chose French green beans (or haricot verts, if you want to be fancy about it) because they have more flavor IMO, and retain a crisp texture even when cooked.
My shortcut here was the can of fried onions on top. Hey, I said I’m still working on getting to more healthy options! But I knew that folks who would be looking for the traditional casserole would expect this topping. So I caved.
While there were many versions of this dish at the potluck, I’m happy to say that there wasn’t much left at the end of the day. I think that’s pretty good given that there were probably 8-10 other green bean dishes, and nearly 100 or so people there. And did I mention that it was darned tasty? Creamy, garlicy, crunchy–all the things that make this Garlic Alfredo Green Bean Casserole a new updated classic.
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 8 people | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 50 minutes |
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Creamy, garlicy, and oh-so-satisfying, this new version of a classic holiday dish will be the version YOU reach for each year. And you can even brag that it's a healthier green bean casserole than before! You'll be the holiday meal hero!
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- 2# frozen French green beans (haricot verts)
- 8 oz. sliced baby portabella mushrooms
- 1 jar Alfredo sauce
- 3/4 cup low-fat milk
- 3 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 2.8 oz. can fried onions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together the frozen green beans, the sliced mushrooms, and the Alfredo sauce. Pour into a baking-spray coated, oven-safe dish. Top with fried onions.
- Bake, covered, for 30 minutes. Remove cover and bake for an additional 20 minutes. Serve immediately.
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That is interesting I would use alfredo sauce next time for my green bean casserole! PINNED!
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Alfredo sauce is an interesting twist on green bean casserole. I like it!
I wanted something that had the look and feel of the traditional version, without the gloopy nature of the condensed soups. And it was a success! Yay!
Garlic Alfredo Green Bean Casserole sounds like a dream come true for this Alfredo lover!
Alfredo is ALWAYS a good idea, and in this case, a smash hit!
A great side for my family! This looks absolutely amazing 🙂 The perfect classic!
It was such a hit that I don’t think we’ll be making it any other way in the future! Garlicky, creamy goodness. :o)