Homemade Green Bean Casserole

Homemade Green Bean Casserole

This classic oven-baked Green Bean Casserole is made with a homemade creamy mushroom sauce, plenty of fresh green beans, and crunchy topping made with both bread crumbs and canned fried onions.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 45

Total Time 55

Servings servings

Calories 294kcal

Author Meggan Hill

Ingredients

For the topping:

4 slices white sandwich bread torn into quarters
2 tablespoons butter softened
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 cups canned fried onions (about 6 ounces)

For the casserole:

Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds green beans ends trimmed, halved (see note 1)
3 tablespoons butter
1 pound white button mushrooms wiped clean, trimmed, and sliced (see note 2)
3 cloves garlic minced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth (see note 3)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

To make the topping:

In a food processor or blender, pulse bread, butter, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper until coarse crumbs form (about 10 pulses). Transfer to a large bowl. Add onions and toss to combine.

To make the casserole:

Adjust an oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a Dutch oven or stock pot, bring 4 quarts water and 2 tablespoons salt to boil. Fill a large bowl with ice water.
Add green beans and cook until bright green and tender-crisp, about 3 to 4 minutes. Drain in colander and immediately transfer to ice water. Spread on paper towels to dry.
To the same pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat until foaming. Add mushrooms, garlic, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Cook until the mushrooms have released most of their liquid, about 5 minutes.
Stir in flour and cook for one minute. Whisk in broth, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly.
Reduce heat to medium. Whisk in cream and simmer until the sauce has thickened and reduced to 3 1/2 cups, about 10 to 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Add the green beans to the pot with the mushroom sauce and toss until evenly coated. Pour into a 3-quart or 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with topping.
Bake until the top is golden brown and the sauce is bubbling around the edges, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

Video

Notes

Green beans: To substitute frozen green beans, microwave 2 (12-oz.) bags of frozen cut green beans according to the package instructions (or microwave on HIGH power for 4 to 5 minutes; let stand 1 minute before removing from the microwave). Drain well (I like to use a salad spinner to spin them dry).
Mushrooms: Use fresh mushrooms to make a quick cream of mushroom soup from scratch for a flavorful addition to this Thanksgiving staple.
Chicken broth: Do not use low-sodium chicken broth or the sauce may be bland. Homemade chicken broth is fine or you could mix up a batch with Better than Bouillon chicken base. For a vegetarian version, substitute vegetable broth.
Yield: This recipe makes enough for 10 as a side dish (or more depending on how many sides you have at Thanksgiving).
Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Slow cooker green bean casserole: Follow the recipe through Step 6, but instead of using a baking dish, transfer the mixture to a slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 to 3 hours or LOW for 4 to 6 hours. Omit the bread crumbs and top with 3 c. of French-fried onions or fried shallots immediately before serving.

Nutrition