An excellent main dish or side on cold winter nights, this Green Bean and Wild Rice Casserole is savory, comforting, and hearty. It’s also naturally vegetarian!
Sit on down, cozy up, grab your favorite drink, and prepare for a night of comfort. Isn’t that what this season is about, after all?
I’ve loved this recipe for years. What once started out as a simple green bean casserole has turned into a hearty meatless meal with the addition of wild rice.
It’s also worth mentioning that it got an upgrade with homemade cream of mushroom soup instead of anything from a can.
Hello real-food, hello all my now vegetarian-friendly-favorites, that are now made without mystery ingredients. Ahem, like this Tater Tot Hot Dish. More on that in a minute.
When it comes down to it, this green bean and wild rice casserole is the ultimate Midwest comfort. It’s rich and savory, and creamy. It has texture and a bit of hearty chewiness thanks to a good ol’ Minnesota wild rice blend.
Tips for Making Wild Rice Casserole
First things first: that wild rice? Use a wild rice blend.
I’ve found that using a blend reduces the cooking time and provides a much more casserole-like texture to the dish. It’s also cheaper. If there’s one thing that’s better than a cozy comfort-food meal, it’s knowing you made it within budget – am I right?!
Using fresh green beans is also key. As long as you can get them, they should be used.
The fresh green beans hold their structure better, and have more flavor, than their canned counterparts.
You can’t forget about the creaminess. It’s gotta be wild rice casserole with cream of mushroom soup, after all, wouldn’t it? Otherwise, forget about it being midwest, and forget about it being a casserole.
I’m team homemade all the way here. Making it at home means it’s going to be significantly less processed. I also guarantee it has more flavor.
Now I know there’s a time and place for an easy fix and if you need to do that I totally understand and no it won’t change this recipe. If you’ve got a little extra time to go the 100% homemade route? Do it.
Hint: You can even make the condensed soup ahead of time and freeze it! See tip in the recipe card below!
How to Make Green Bean and Rice Casserole
As any good recipe starts, onion and celery sautee tenderly in a bit of olive oil. In go some spices and herbs – white pepper (really, it adds a beautiful warm subtle kick to the casserole!), salt, and fresh thyme.
Next up are our MVPs: the fresh green beans and the wild rice blend (uncooked).
In they go, stirred around, and not really having time to cook. You see, they will get plenty of cook time in the oven, so don’t worry about making them tender now.
Next up goes the condensed cream of mushroom soup and vegetable stock.
Stir them all to combine and transfer to an oven-safe baking dish. SERIOUSLY, WAS THAT NOT EASY?! Here for the ease, for the comfort, for the delicious vegetarian dinners! ALWAYS, FRIENDS, ALWAYS.
The casserole will bake for a bit (remember, it takes time for the rice to become tender) and once it’s bubbly, and the rice is cooked through, it’s time to grab that glass of wine (who am I kidding…refill it) and cozy up around the table.
Or with your favorite holiday movie. The table can get a pass.
The real question is: to top or not to top with crispy fried onions? That my friends, I’m leaving up to you.
What Makes This Recipe Work
I already mentioned it was easy, right?
I wish I could say it was quick, but it’s an easy recipe that’s going to leave your house smelling like Thanksgiving. And once it’s in the oven, it’s completely hands-off. So I’ll take easy.
It’s also versatile. Dinner? Check. Side dish? Check. Holiday recipe? Check. You really cannot go wrong.
Vegetables! Yep, we get our greens in with this one. 😉 Mushrooms would be a perfect addition to this green bean and rice casserole recipe, too. Like, hello mushroom and wild rice combo.
Sautee them up with the onions for an even heartier meal.
Looking to add a meat protein? You know chicken and wild rice have had a thing for a while now. I’d recommend boiling, shredding some up and letting it bake with the other ingredients.
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Green Bean Wild Rice Casserole
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
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Description
A savory blend of fresh green beans, wild rice, and cream of mushroom soup baked into a comforting casserole! Easy to make and perfect for cold nights or a holiday side!
Ingredients
- 1–2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 3/4 cup celery (~2 stalks, halved and chopped 1/2 inch pieces)
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups fresh green beans, 1 inch cut pieces
- 1 cup wild rice blend
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 1/2 cups homemade condensed cream of mushroom soup
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 375°F. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with olive oil. Add onion slices and celery; cook for 3-4 minutes until translucent and soft. Add garlic, thyme, white pepper, and salt (additional black pepper as desired). Stir in green beans and wild rice. Remove from heat and stir in vegetable broth and cream of mushroom soup until well combined.
- Transfer green bean and rice mixture to 9×13 baking dish. Bake for 45-55 minutes, until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Let sit for 10 or so minutes before serving to set up. Garnish with fresh parsley and/or crispy onion pieces.
Notes
To bake in an 8×8 pan increase the cooking time to 65-80 minutes until rice is tender.
If you’re using exclusively wild rice instead of a blend, reduce vegetable stock by 1/4 cup and cook an additional 10 minutes.
If using Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup that’s been previously frozen, place in a small saucepan over low-medium heat and stir frequently until warm.
Depending on the cream of mushroom soup used, this recipe may be gluten-free.
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Midwestern
Keywords: thanksgiving, easy, casserole, midwest, vegetarian, gluten-free
This post was originally published in December 2016; the photos and text were updated in December 2019.
DessertForTwo
I’m sorry if I missed this, but should the rice be cooked or raw? I have some wild rice in my pantry to use up, and I really want to make this today 🙂
Becca
Hi Christina! The wild rice goes in raw and soaks up all the liquids while baking. 🙂
David Gelatt
If I wanted to use a slow cooker to make this, any tips?
Becca
I’d lean towards low for 5-6 hours, but I haven’t done it myself so I can’t be certain. I’m interested to hear how it works if you try it!
Kayley Schoonmaker
I love this dish! I make it with full on wild rice- I’m from northern MN and we LOVE our wild rice. I do actually cook the rice all the way through as per instructions on the bag, before I mix it all together and pop it in the oven. Usually only takes the 45 min or less to be ready. I’ve just found that if I dont cook the rice, it ends up a little hard. I’ve done this probably 10 times now and my friends and family LOVE it! Thank you!
★★★★★
Becca
I am SO glad you commented with your 100% wild rice tip! Yes, every time I’ve made it without cooking before it does end up a bit hard, so I love knowing that just cooking it beforehand works well! <3 I'm happy to hear everyone loves it!