Green Bean Casserole is an old-fashioned dish that has been on Thanksgiving tables across our country for many years. Traditionally, it is made with convenience foods like canned beans, canned soup, and canned fried onions. What if we could enjoy it using fresh ingredients? It's totally possible! And yes, Fresh Green Bean Casserole is definitely an improvement.
And it just makes sense that we would use fresh green beans, right? Trim them and cut them in bite-size pieces, then drop them in salted boiling water for about 4 minutes. Rinse them with cold water to stop them cooking.
Mushroom Gravy
In the traditional recipe, this part is a canned soup that is concentrated and goopy. Not really appetizing. So let's step up the game a little ... or a lot! ... and start with sauteeing onions and mushrooms together.
Once the onions and mushrooms are done, add a bit more butter, then flour to thicken. Stir it around to coat the mushrooms, then add milk to make a gravy. If your gravy gets too thick, simply add more milk.
Mix the mushroom gravy with the blanched green beans and put the mixture in a baking dish.
Fresh Fried Onions
The topping is fried onions and very easily my favorite part of the casserole. The canned variety are heavily battered and tend to be greasy. Again, not appetizing, so we can easily make them ourselves!
Cut thin slices of onions and shallots.
I coated them with corn meal, corn starch, and spices, then fried them quickly in oil. You can also use chickpea flour and potato starch.
They turn out way better than the canned ones! You'll want to fry more than you need because you'll want to snack on them!
Bake the Fresh Green Bean Casserole for a few minutes, then top it with the fried onions before serving.
Recipe
Fresh Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients
FOR THE BEANS
- 1¼-1½ pounds fresh green beans
- Salt for the boiling water
- 1 large pot of boiling water
FOR THE MUSHROOM GRAVY
- 6 Tablespoons butter divided (See notes)
- 1 medium onion about ¼ pound
- 8 ounces mushrooms sliced and chopped
- 4 Tablespoons flour or gluten-free 1:1
- 2 cups whole milk See notes
- Salt and pepper to taste
FOR THE FRIED ONIONS
- 1 medium onion
- 3 shallots
- ½ cup yellow corn meal See notes
- 2 Tablespoons corn starch See notes
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon granulated garlic
- Salt and pepper to taste
- oil for frying
Instructions
FOR THE BEANS
- Put a large pot of salted water on to boil. Trim the beans, cut them into bite-size pieces, then put them in the boiling water. Allow to cook for 4-5 minutes, drain, and rinse with cold water. Set aside in a large mixing bowl.
FOR THE MUSHROOM GRAVY
- In a large skillet over medium heat, melt 2 Tablespoons butter. Add onion, and sauté until it begins to soften, about 4 minutes. Add mushrooms, and cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Move the onion mushroom mixture to the sides of the skillet, add 4 Tablespoons of butter and allow it to melt. Add ¼ c. flour, whisk constantly until mixture begins to turn golden, about 2 minutes. Mix it with the mushrooms, then pour in the milk, and continue whisking until mixture has thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat, and let cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Pour over beans, and toss to combine.
- If you are making the casserole ahead of time, cover it at this point and refrigerate it. Remove it from the refrigerator about an hour before baking.
- Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 20-30 minutes until it's heated through and the top is starting to bubble and brown.
FOR THE FRIED ONIONS
- Thinly slice the onions and shallots and place them in a large bowl. Add the corn meal, corn starch, and spices. Season with salt and pepper.
- Heat oil over high heat, then working in batches, fry till golden brown. Drain on paper towels or brown paper bags.
- When the casserole has baked, top it with the onions before serving.
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