It’s not Thanksgiving without green bean casserole!
The original recipe for this classic holiday dish is credited to Campbell’s soup. It contains canned condensed cream of mushroom soup and is often made with canned green beans.
The original is delicious and a crowd-pleaser in its own right. For my version, I use fresh green beans and mushrooms and make bechamel sauce for casseroles. Of course, neither version is complete without those crispy deep-fried onions. I suppose you can make a homemade version, but deep-frying isn’t my thing.
Ingredients
Fresh Green Beans: Select bright-colored, similar-sized beans.
Butter: Used to sauté the mushrooms and garlic and help create the sauce.
Fresh Mushrooms: We always keep portabella mushrooms on hand. They are especially delicious when sautéed. I find portabellas tend to stay fresh longer than traditional white mushrooms.
Salt & Pepper: Brings out the flavors.
Garlic: Fresh sauteed garlic is a wonderful part of the creamy sauce.
Flour: Combines with the butter to thicken the sauce.
Chicken Stock: The liquid base of the sauce. This recipe would be a splendid use of fresh chicken stock.
Half & Half: Adds rich, creamy color and flavor to the sauce.
Crispy Fried Onions: The perfect crunchy finishing touch for this irresistible casserole. Frenchs onions are the classic brand. I used a 2.8-ounce container for a light coating. The larger, 6-ounce container can also be used for a more generous amount of onions. The onions get extra crispy and delicious when baked on top of the casserole.
Instructions
Start with the green beans. I like to steam the beans until tender. You could also blanch them if you prefer. Keep in mind, the beans will only spend 15 minutes in the oven, so you will want to steam or blanch them until they are quite tender.
While the beans are steaming, sauté your mushrooms and garlic and create a bechamel sauce. Stir in the flour until the flour is incorporated with the butter. This mixture will thicken your sauce. The chicken stock and half & half are then added. Allow the sauce to simmer and thicken.
Next, you will stir the tender green beans and some crispy onions into the sauce. Transfer the mixture to a casserole dish and sprinkle with the remaining crispy onions.
Bake until hot and bubbly.
This dinner of roast chicken, glazed carrots, and this wonderful green bean casserole was pure cozy, comfort food.
Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh green beans trimmed and halved
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 12 ounces fresh mushrooms trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3 Tbsp flour
- 1 cup low sodium chicken stock
- 1 cup half & half
- 1 package crispy fried onions
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400℉
- To prepare the beans, add to a steamer and steam the beans until tender to your liking. I like the beans quite tender for this casserole.
- Melt the butter in a skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to give up some of their liquid, approximately 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and continue to cook for one minute. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute. Add the stock and simmer for 1 minute. Decrease the heat to medium-low and add the half-and-half. Cook until the mixture thickens, stirring occasionally, about 6 to 8 minutes.
- Stir in ¼ of the onions and all the green beans. Sprinkle the remaining onions over the top of the bean mixture. Place into the oven and bake until bubbly, approximately 15 minutes. Remove and serve immediately.
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