What sets this Green Bean Casserole apart is its 5 layers of irresistible flavor! Canned green beans are topped with a creamy mixture of sour cream and cream of mushroom soup, Velveeta cheese (oh yeah!), and crushed Ritz crackers drizzled with melted butter.
With only 5 minutes of prep time and 30 minutes of cook time, you can make a creamy, cheesy Green Bean Casserole (southern style) that takes your Thanksgiving feast to the next delicious level.
Don't forget my Sweet Potato Casserole, too! These two easy casseroles are perfect side dishes for any holiday meal.
Quick Look: Cheesy Green Bean Casserole
- ⏲️Ready in: 35 minutes
- 👪Serves: 6-8
- 🥘Key Ingredients: Canned green beans, sour cream, cream of mushroom soup, Velveeta cheese, Ritz Crackers, butter
- 🍳Method: Oven
- ⭐Difficulty: Easy
- 👩🍳Texture/Flavor: Creamy, cheesy side dish with a crispy, buttery Ritz cracker topping
- ☀️Best For: Thanksgiving and Christmas meals, Sunday dinner, potlucks
- ✅Why You'll Love It: Only 5 minutes of prep with easy, familiar ingredients
Summarize & Save this content on:
Serve this Green Bean Casserole right alongside my Southern Mac and Cheese. It's easy to make with only 4 ingredients (pasta, cheese, milk, and butter).
Jump to:
- Quick Look: Cheesy Green Bean Casserole
- Why You'll Love This Casserole
- Key Ingredients
- Ingredient Substitutions and Additions
- Best Way to Crush Ritz Crackers
- How to Make Cheesy Green Bean Casserole
- Anne's Recipe Tips
- What to Serve With Green Bean Casserole
- Make Ahead Directions
- Easy Holiday Meal Plan
- Recipe FAQs
- More hOLIDAY Side Dishes to Try
- Recipe
- Comments
Why You'll Love This Casserole
- Family Recipe - My sister gave me this recipe, and I happen to think it's the best!
- Creamy, cheesy, and loaded with comfort.
- Buttery Ritz cracker topping = irresistible crunch.
- Easy to make with simple ingredients.
- Perfect for Thanksgiving or any cozy dinner.
- Guaranteed crowd-pleaser (good luck with leftovers!).
Most of the time, the turkey takes the spotlight, but to me, it's the delicious side dishes like this one that I look forward to!
If you're here, then you probably love Green Bean Casserole! And if you do, then I'm certain you'll also love my Ultimate Chicken Casserole! It's like chicken noodle casserole collides with green bean casserole; you'll be surprised how very creamy, comforting, and delicious it is! Southern-style comfort food!
Key Ingredients
Cut green beans - canned green beans are a convenient option that still delivers the classic taste and texture you're aiming for in this dish.
Sour cream - adds a rich, creamy, and tangy flavor to the casserole's sauce.
Cream of mushroom soup - when mixed with sour cream, it forms a creamy and flavorful sauce that coats every green bean! This sauce is what gives the casserole its signature flavor.
Velveeta cheese - serves as a star ingredient in a green bean casserole, adding a rich smooth texture and melty cheesy flavor! Instead of slicing the Velveeta cheese into cubes, it's cut into slices. This way, it melts into each and every nook and cranny!
Seasonings - garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper. That's it! No need to add salt because the soup, cheese, and crackers already provide enough salt for this casserole.
Ritz Crackers and butter - the buttery Ritz cracker topping is the proverbial cherry on top! It's crunchy, buttery, and salty that bakes up golden brown. It's perfect!
Ingredient Substitutions and Additions
- You can use canned French-style green beans instead of regular-cut canned green beans. They'll give the casserole a softer texture.
- Cream of celery soup or cream of chicken soup are good replacements if you don't like the flavor of mushrooms.
Best Way to Crush Ritz Crackers
If you've been taking the Ritz crackers out of their container, putting them in a zip lock bag, and crushing them with a rolling pen....you've been doing way too many steps!
The easiest way to crush Ritz crackers is to simply hold the sleeve of crackers, don't open it, and use your fingers to press on the crackers, going up and down the sleeve until they're the right consistency for your preference. That's it!
How to Make Cheesy Green Bean Casserole
Be sure to follow the recipe card when making this recipe!
Layer 1 - spread the drained green beans in the bottom of a casserole dish.
Layer 2 - combine the sour cream, cream of mushroom soup, and seasonings. Spread on top of the green beans.
Layer 3 - add a layer of sliced Velveeta cheese.
Layer 4 - sprinkle the crushed Ritz crackers evenly over the cheese.
Layer 5 - drizzle the melted butter on top of the crackers. Bake!
If you're planning a holiday or Sunday dinner menu, pair this green bean casserole with my Loaded Hash Brown Casserole for two easy crowd-pleasing Southern side dishes.
Anne's Recipe Tips
- Make sure to drain the canned green beans thoroughly to prevent excess liquid in the casserole.
- Don't skip the buttered Ritz Cracker topping! It adds a rich buttery crunch that contrasts beautifully with the creaminess of the casserole.
- Don't add salt automatically. The cream of mushroom soup, Velveeta cheese, and Ritz crackers already contain plenty of salt, so taste the mixture first.
- Use leftover Ritz crackers to make my famous Cabbage Casserole!
What to Serve With Green Bean Casserole
Green Bean Casserole is the social butterfly of Thanksgiving sides. It mingles splendidly with roasted turkey, cozying up to Creamy Mashed Potatoes no milk, Southern Cornbread Dressing, tangy cranberry sauce, and those buttery dinner rolls. It's creamy and savory so it's a must-have Southern side dish at your holiday table - it's like the best guest who gets along with everyone!
Make Ahead Directions
You can totally prep this casserole ahead of the big event! Here's how to do it in 3 easy steps:
- Assemble: Go ahead and layer those green beans, sauce, and cheese (don't add the cracker topping yet! We don't want it to get soggy).
- Cover and Refrigerate: Instead of baking it right away, cover your casserole tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, then pop it in the fridge. It can chill out there for up to a day.
- Bake When Ready: When it's go-time, simply take the casserole out of the fridge. Now you can add the crackers and butter. Then, slide it into the preheated oven and bake according to the recipe card. You might need to add a few extra minutes to the baking time since it's going in cold.
Easy Holiday Meal Plan
Planning Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner? Here are some of my favorite recipes to serve with Cheesy Green Bean Casserole.
Main dishes: Orange Marmalade Glazed Ham or Thanksgiving Chicken
Side dishes: Pineapple Cheese Casserole and Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad
Desserts: Old-Fashioned Pecan Pie or 3-Layer Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Recipe FAQs
Make sure the green beans are thoroughly drained of all liquid. You can also blot the green beans with a paper towel to ensure they are completely free of excess liquid.
While you can freeze it, the texture of the casserole may change due to the moisture content in the ingredients. If you choose to freeze it, avoid adding the topping until you're ready to bake. Freeze for up to 2 months.
Absolutely! Blanch fresh green beans until slightly tender before using them in the casserole. This might require a slightly longer baking time.
To maintain the crunchiness of the topping, add it just before baking. If you're concerned, you can also slightly pre-toast the Ritz crackers before crumbling them over the casserole.
More hOLIDAY Side Dishes to Try
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Recipe
Cheesy Green Bean Casserole
Equipment
- 9 x 9-inch pan
Ingredients
- 3 cans cut green beans, drained
- 8 ounces sour cream
- 10.5 ounces cream of mushroom soup
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 8 ounces Velveeta cheese, cut into 16 thin slices
- 1 cup Ritz crackers, crushed or crumbled About 20 crackers, but add more, if needed, to fill in any gaps.
- ½ cup melted butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F. Spray a 9 x 9 inch pan or casserole dish with nonstick spray.
- Spread the green beans in the pan.
- In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, cream of mushroom soup, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper.
- Spread sour cream mixture on top of the green beans.
- Evenly spread the sliced cheese on top.
- Evenly sprinkle the crushed crackers on top.
- Drizzle melted butter all over the crackers.
- Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy to my readers. I'm not a nutritionist and I don't guarantee the accuracy of this data. The data may differ according to the brands I used versus the brands you use. To calculate the data yourself using your brands, try using an online nutrition calculator or app.
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