Classic green bean casserole is part of my family’s holiday tradition. How about yours? Yes, I thought so! For some people, it is the dish they look forward to the most. When making a big family dinner with only one oven, though, timing is everything! It is super-hard to roast a turkey all day long while cooking this casserole and other sides. Something has to give. I was so grateful to discover a way to make the green bean casserole in advance and still have it taste as if it all happened at the same time the rest of the dinner was cooking. This method works well.

Make your green bean casserole hours in advance. Allow 45 minutes before serving to return it to the oven with the remaining onions on top. You will be amazed at how perfect it turns out.

Tip: feel free to make more than you expect your guests to eat the first night. Green bean casserole rewarms beautifully and you can enjoy it the next evening as well!

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Make Ahead Classic Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients

2 16 oz. pkgs frozen cut green beans

2 cans Campbell’s condensed cream of mushroom soup

1 cup milk

1/8 tsp. black pepper

1 6 oz. can French’s crispy onions

Directions

Take packages of green beans out of the freezer and allow them sit, unopened, on the counter for an hour or two.

Tip: if you have never used your casserole dish for this recipe before, size it up. Just open the packages and put the green beans into it to assure that the dish is big enough. Now you are ready to go.

Using a large mixing bowl, combine cream of mushroom soup, milk and black pepper.

Blend well, using a large spoon.

Add the green beans and mix again.

Add ½ cup of crispy French’s fried onions and gently mix them in.

Pour the mixture into your casserole dish.

Bake on 350° for 1 hour.

Remove from oven.

Cool for 30 minutes then cover with foil and refrigerate. 45 minutes before dinner is ready to serve, add the rest of the fried onions to the top of the casserole and heat in the oven at 300°. Serves 8-10

Tip: if you must use the oven at a higher heat for making something last-minute, such as dinner rolls, just remove it till the oven is heated to that higher temperature. Return the casserole to the oven and leave it in until the rolls are ready.

Serving suggestion: tastes excellent with turkey, ham or prime rib. Twice-baked potatoes are a great complimentary side dish when serving green bean casserole!