My daughter-in-law adores green bean casserole for holiday meals. I have to be honest, I’ve always disliked the dish, largely because it uses canned green beans. I find most canned vegetables to be awful and green beans are the biggest offenders in my world. But this year, she made the casserole from scratch. Oh my word, what a transformation! Here’s her recipe, cut down to serve two.
Ingredients:
Crispy Onion Topping
½ yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced (use a mandoline if you have one)
1/8 C flour
1 T breadcrumbs
Dash of salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Canola, safflower, peanut or other high-heat oil, for deep-frying
Beans in Mushroom Sauce
1 ½ T butter
6 ounces baby portabella mushrooms, thinly sliced or coarsely chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
Dash of salt
1 garlic clove, minced
1 ½ T flour
¾ C vegetable or chicken broth
¼ C milk
½ pound fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into pieces
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 325° F*
- Toss onion with flour, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper
- Heat oil in a skillet and fry the onions until light golden brown
- Remove and place on plate with paper towel – set aside
- Over medium-high heat, melt butter in a skillet
- Add the mushrooms, salt and pepper and sauté them until they start releasing their liquid, anywhere from 3 to 5 minutes
- Add the garlic and sauté one minute more
- Add the flour and stir it until it fully coats the mushrooms
- Add the broth, stirring the whole time
- Simmer mixture for 1 minute, then add cream and bring back to a simmer, cooking until the sauce thickens. Stir frequently.
- Add greens beans to sauce and stir until they are coated
- Put bean and mushroom mixture into a casserole dish
- Sprinkle crispy onions over the top
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until sauce is bubbling and onions are a shade darker
