Chorizo Sausage Green Bean Casserole

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This is an update on a classic!  Creamy Chorizo Sausage Green Bean Casserole is an easy recipe that’s absolutely delicious!  You can also make this ahead and simply reheat for an easy side dish.  

Now THIS is a delicious side dish recipe the whole family can get behind!  Creamy Chorizo Sausage and Green Bean Casserole – because Chorizo makes everything taste better!  It has super easy homemade creamy sauce that is slightly smokey from the chorizo.  The mushrooms give earthy flavor and that familiar green bean casserole flavor.  This recipe is savory, smokey, hearty, and oh-so-yummy!  

You can also make this ahead and simply reheat for Thanksgiving Dinner!  If you want more tips for planning and prepped ahead for your Thanksgiving Dinner, click to get your Thanksgiving Dinner Guide today!  You will get:

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Update on Mushroom Soup Green Bean Casserole

I grew up with the traditional mushroom-soup-in-a-can-based Green Bean Casserole and I love it!  However, my husband and his family?  Not so much.  So, I decided to come up with a new green beans recipe that everyone will love!  Enter CHORIZO, a delicious sausage typically made with pork meat flavored with paprika. It adds such a great flavor and texture to this dish and a little goes a long way.  And just like that, this Chorizo Sausage Green Bean Casserole was born.  It’s fresher, has more texture, and has more depth of flavor. It’s also a super comforting casserole.

Sides can often be steamed broccoli in my house.  But special occasions, such as Thanksgiving, obviously need special sides.  Here are some of my other favorite side dishes that you can try next time!

Quick note!  This post contains affiliate links, which means I earn a commission (at no extra cost to you) if you purchase from them.  This commission is what helps me keep this blog afloat :).  I also share these links because I have used the products, genuinely love them, and want you to know exactly what I used. 

Simple Ingredients and Substitutes

• Spanish Chorizo, precooked links – Chorizo is a paprika-flavored smoked sausage that comes in a few different variations. You will find fully cooked sausage, raw sausage, and dry-cured. For this recipe, you will not want dry-cured. You can use either the fully cooked or raw sausage, if that’s all you have. Both of which will likely have a casing that you will want to remove.
• Fresh Green Beans – I love using fresh green beans in this recipe because the fresh veggies really hold their shape and texture (they don’t get too mushy). Frozen green beans work well too. Canned green beans honestly just turn to mush, so I do not recommend them. You can also substitute the green beans all together with brussel sprouts!
• Fresh Garlic cloves, minced – Fresh is best when it comes to garlic, but you can buy pre-minced cloves garlic to save time or mince it in bulk and freeze it for use when you need it! If you do not have fresh garlic, you can substitute dried garlic flakes or garlic powder.
• White Button Mushrooms – I used white Button Mushrooms and sliced them myself. You can buy them pre-sliced. You can also use cremini, or baby bella mushrooms.
• Scallions (green onions) – The scallions in this recipe provide the onion flavor, but you could also use grated or diced red or yellow onion or onion powder.
• All purpose white flour – This is the thickener to mix with the butter/fat. If you want a gluten free substitute, you can skip the flour and mix in 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with the cold milk instead. Then whisk in the cornstarch-milk slurry in Cooking Step 3 with the broth.
• Chicken Broth or stock – You can substitute with vegetable stock or broth or even beef stock or broth. You can also use water mixed with a chicken bouillon cube or chicken base.
• Milk – I used 1% milk vs. heavy cream to help bring the creamy-factor. Any milk will work, including unsweetened soy, almond, or coconut milk. If you want it even creamier, you can add half and half or heavy cream. You can also eliminate the milk and replace it with water or chicken stock.

No Special Equipment Needed

You need a large frying pan or large skillet plus a casserole dish. I use my absolute favorite 12″ Ceramic Pan, which is great because food really does slide right off with minimal oil and I don’t have to worry about food sticking and burning.  Then I transfer to a 9×13 baking dish or large casserole dish that’s approximately 10×10, 12×12, 10×13 or similar.

You could also make this in the oven in a dutch oven starting on the stove and then transfer it to the oven.

Save Time! Prep-Steps for Sausage and Green Bean Casserole

We are all extremely busy and making dinner during the week can be overwhelming. Here are the steps you prepare in the day(s) in advance and store in the fridge as your meal Kit… (See the recipe below for more details)

There should only be about 10 minutes of prep time, but to get ahead on this recipe, you can prep these ingredients up to 4 days in advance!

Slice your mushrooms and slice the scallions.  If your Chorizo is precooked, you can also peel off the casing and break apart the sausage into bite-size pieces.  Store everything separately in the fridge until ready to cook.

Cook your Sausage, Green Beans, and Mushrooms

To cook this recipe, you will start on the stove and then transfer everything to a casserole dish into the oven. 

You could also make this recipe in a dutch oven on the stove, then add the green beans, mix, and move it to the oven to bake.

Preheat frying pan to medium high heat and cook the chorizo for 4-minutes to start rendering out the fat. You shouldn’t need any olive oil for the following steps if fat renders out. However, if the pan is relatively dry, you can add a tablespoon of olive oil.

Add the sliced mushrooms, salt and pepper.  Then reduce the heat and add the scallions to the skillet over medium heat and stir. Stir in the flour until everything is coated and the flour is all moistened.

Add 1 cup of the broth and stir until you have a very thick mixture. Then mix in the second cup of broth and the milk. Bring back up to a simmer stirring frequently as it thickens.

Taste for seasoning and add a pinch of kosher salt or black pepper or fresh cracked pepper if you like.

Pour the sauce and sausage mixture over the green beans in the casserole pan.  Heat oven to 400 F degrees and bake the casserole for 20 minutes.

Green Bean Potato Casserole Variation

If you want to make this an even heartier dish that’s a complete meal, you can add potatoes! To turn this into a Sausage Green Bean Potato Casserole, two large Yukon Gold or red potatoes that are peeled and diced into ½ inch pieces are a great option. You could also use a pound of baby creamer potatoes or baby potatoes quartered or two medium sweet potatoes diced.

The easiest way to incorporate them is to cook the potatoes first. You can roast them in a 400 F degree oven for 20 minutes or boil them in a large pot of salted water for 10 minutes. Then simply add them to the pan with the chorizo sausage and continue with the rest of the recipe.

Chorizo Sausage and Green Bean Casserole FAQS

What kind of Chorizo do I need for Green Bean Sausage Casserole?

You want to look for Spanish Chorizo that has lots of delicious and smokey-flavored paprika.  Of course, if you prefer another variety, you can get that instead.  You can also swap with Bacon!

I find that the precooked variety are the easiest Chorizo to find and they are typically in the deli section.  Sometimes you can find raw Chorizo sausage in the meat section.

Can I use a different kind of sausage?

Yes, you can use any preferred sausage. Sweet Italian Sausage is a delicious mild alternative and Andouille sausage is a spicy cajun option. You can also use chicken sausage, turkey sausage, or even polish sausage. If you use another sausage but still want big flavor, you can always add 1-2 teaspoons of Smoked paprika or cajun seasoning blend. If you go with fresh/raw Italian Sausage, just make sure to cook it through in Step #2.

How far in advance can I make this to save time later?

You can cook these Green Beans and Mushrooms with Chorizo up to 3 days in advance and reheat them before cooking.  To reheat, you can place the casserole dish in a 350 F degree oven covered for 20-25 minutes until heated through. 

Can this recipe be frozen?

You can freeze these after it’s cooked.  However, beware that the beans will likely get a bit mushy once they thaw and are reheated.  You will want to chill it in the fridge and then seal it in an airtight container in the freezer.  It can be stored in the freezer up to 4 months.  To reheat, you can thaw it and then place the casserole dish in a 350 F degree oven covered for 20-25 minutes until heated through. 

What’s the best way to add heat to this Green Bean Casserole?

If you want to add a kick to this recipe, a bit of spicy heat, then you have a few different options. You could add a pinch of red pepper flakes or cayenne powder. You could also add jalapeno or serrano peppers. Finally, you could add a splash of hot sauce.

ENJOY!  😍 Carrie