The Best Crockpot Green Bean Casserole

Crockpot green bean casserole combines fresh green beans with luscious alfredo sauce and decadent parmesan cheese to create an updated version of a beloved classic.

Serves: 10 Time: 2 hours 45 minutes Cookbook: Southern Living

Green bean casserole is a classic dish that shows up on most tables during Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. However, it’s yet another dish that requires its own time in the oven, potentially sewing up that useful kitchen tool when you need it for other things. Until now!

Enter slow cooker green bean casserole! This updated version of the classic green bean casserole recipe features fresh green beans and mushrooms, and two secret sauces – alfredo sauce and parmesan cheese!

The whole thing gets cooked in a crockpot and bubbles away in the background, making this the easiest way to get the classic dish on your holiday table. This original recipe is courtesy of the Southern Living editors and easily makes it to the top of our list of easy casserole recipes.

Let’s get cooking! Scroll down for step-by-step instructions or jump all the way down for the recipe card!

Jump Ahead:

• ❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
• 🍽️ Ingredients Needed to Make Crockpot Green Bean Casserole
• 🍴 Equipment You’ll Need in the Kitchen
• 🥄 How to Make Crockpot Green Bean Casserole
• ♾️ Variations on Crockpot Green Bean Casserole
• ❓ Crockpot Green Bean Casserole: Tips, Tricks, and FAQs

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Holiday Favorite: This is one of those side dishes that shows up at all holiday meals alongside sweet potato casserole and cranberry sauce. It might just become one of your new favorite recipes.

Easy: This is such an easy green bean casserole! Did we mention this is an easy recipe? There’s enough running around already to get a holiday feast on the table, but the casserole doesn’t have to add to your stress. It uses a few simple ingredients and comes together in the crockpot. Done and done.

Updated: As much as the classic green bean casserole is beloved everywhere, we promise that this updated recipe will make everyone happy who comes to your holiday dinner. It uses fresh ingredients, flavor-packed extras, and classic toppings to please everyone.

Ingredients Needed to Make Crockpot Green Bean Casserole

• Green Beans: You want flash-frozen fresh green beans, not cans of green beans. Frozen green beans are picked at the height of the season, have all their nutrients, and have a far better taste and texture when compared to canned green beans. You don’t even have to thaw them and you’ll end up with deliciously tender green beans when the cooking is finished.
• Mushrooms: Get fresh mushrooms and slice them or pre-sliced fresh mushrooms to save a bit of time. Whatever you do, leave canned mushrooms at the store for this one. Fresh mushrooms pair incredibly well with fresh beans and really shouldn’t be substituted.
• Alfredo Sauce: This creamy sauce is pure magic in this dish. Choose your favorite jar of alfredo sauce to replace the cream of mushroom soup used in classic recipes. You’ll be glad you did!
• Parmesan Cheese: This is the other ingredient that turns this ordinary casserole into an extraordinary one. If you want to make it over-the-top amazing, get a wedge and shred it. Otherwise, pre-shredded parm works just as well in this dish.
• French Fried Onions: The crispy fried onions get incorporated into the casserole and placed on top, as well. This way you get their flavor throughout and crispy onions on top for a bit of texture.
• Pecans: Surprised? Pecans go into the topping along with the crispy onions. The flavor of the nuts pairs incredibly well with the fried onions and shouldn’t be left out.
• Black Pepper: A bit of freshly cracked black pepper adds the perfect amount of spice to this savory, creamy, delicious dish.

Equipment Needed In the Kitchen

Crockpot

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Mixing Bowls

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12-Inch Skillet

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Serving Plate

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• Crockpot: The magic of this dish all happens inside a crockpot or slow cooker. If you have a non-stick crock insert, you don’t even have to worry about buttering the inside! We love ours – it’s even dishwasher safe, making cleanup an absolute breeze.
• Mixing Bowl: You’ll need one large mixing bowl to mix all the ingredients together before putting it all into the crockpot. A medium bowl won’t be big enough.
• Serving Dish: While you can serve this in the crock insert, it looks stunning when plated in a serving dish. Sprinkle the topping on just before serving and you have a side dish that will wow your friends and family.

How to Make Crockpot Green Bean Casserole

Get ready to make the best green bean caserole ever! And thanks to this slow cooker version, you don’t even have to do the hard work of cooking it!

Make the casserole filling

First up, take out a large mixing bowl and add the green beans, alfredo sauce, sliced mushrooms, parmesan cheese, pepper, and half of the french fried onions.

Mix all of that goodness together until the mixture is thoroughly combined.

Slow cook the casserole

If your slow cooker crock is ceramic, you’ll want to grease it. If it’s non stick, you don’t need to worry about it.

Place all of the ingredients into the slow cooker and set the cooking time to 4.5 hours on LOW or 2.5 hours on HIGH.

Which cook time do you choose? If you don’t need to serve for 4-6 hours, cook it on low. If you need to serve within a couple of hours, cook on high. Should the casserole finish cooking and you still have some time before the meal, put it on the warm setting until you’re ready to serve.

Make the topping

While the crock pot green bean casserole cooks away, pull out a medium sized pan and add the remainder of your crunchy onions and all of the pecans to it.

Put it over medium heat, and toast the topping until the onions are fragrant. When finished, set them aside until you’re ready to serve.

Assemble the casserole

When you’re ready to serve, use a pair of tongs to transfer the casserole from your crock to the serving dish. Sprinkle the onion and pecan mixture generously over the top of the casserole.

Voila! An updated version of a classic recipe that everyone will love!

Variations on Crockpot Green Bean Casserole

This recipe is amazing as-is, but there are always ways to play around with it. If you’re planning on changing the flavor profiles, we highly recommend testing it before featuring it at a holiday gathering.

Switch up the sauce: The alfredo sauce used in this recipe replaces the cream of mushroom soup called for in the traditional green bean casserole. Consider switching back or even trying cream of chicken soup instead. You could even make a homemade mushroom sauce with mushrooms, whole milk, chicken broth, and a splash of Worcestershire sauce.

Add different seasonings: The seasonings in this recipe are limited to allow the parm and veggies to shine. That said, you could incorporate some Italian seasonings, onion powder, garlic powder, or even a package of your favorite soup mixture into the mix for a unique flavor profile all your own.

Crockpot Green Bean Casserole: Tips, Tricks, and FAQs

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