Green Bean Casserole
Classic Homemade Green Bean Casserole is a favorite in my home around holiday time. It was a favorite of mine from my youth, and now it’s a favorite among my kids. The flavors in this dish are fresh, and the texture is creamy and crunchy. What more can you wish for? Green Bean Casserole goes with just about any meat and can be served at nearly every occasion, from very casual events to very elegant ones.
Although I often make Green Bean Casserole with the canned cream of mushroom soup and canned green beans, it’s really just so simple to make the mushroom gravy from scratch and to blanch the green beans. I often use green beans I’ve already blanched for the freezer when putting them up from the summer’s harvest. This works beautifully for me.
The gravy is so amazing that I’ve served it over roasted chicken, so it does double duty! It is incredibly easy to make. It’s just a matter of sautéing the onions, mushrooms, and garlic , then adding the flour to thicken and the broth to make it lusciously creamy.
The other great things about this Classic Homemade Green Bean Casserole is that you can prepare it a few days ahead without the fried onion topping, or freeze it for a few months and get ahead of the holiday cooking! Just tightly wrap it and bring to room temperature, and top with the fried onions before you cook it!
Classic Homemade Grean Bean Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fresh or frozen green beans halved and ends trimmed
- 2 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 pound button or baby bella mushrooms cleaned and sliced
- 4 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 12 ounces French's fried onions divided
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- If using fresh green beans, blanch the beans by bringing a large pot of water and 2 1/2 tablespoons of salt to a boil, then add green beans and boil for about three minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove green beans to a bowl of ice water. If using frozen green beans, thaw, rinse, and drain the green beans and set aside.
- In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook for about 5–7 minutes or until reduced by half. Add garlic, one teaspoon of kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook together for about one minute longer.
- Sprinkle flour over the mushroom mixture and stir for about two minutes. Add broth and milk to the mixture. Continue stirring until the sauce thickens, about five minutes. Add the cream and cook for about two more minutes. Remove mushroom gravy from the heat.
- Add the green beans and about eight ounces of the fried onions and gently mix until combined. Transfer the green bean mixture to a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining four ounces of fried onions and transfer to the oven for about 15 minutes or until the mixture is bubbly and the fried onions are crisp and brown. Allow to cool for about ten minutes and serve!
– Happy Thanksgiving from Stacy Lyn!
Here are more of my top holiday recipes.
