In today’s world where everyone’s busy with their career, casserole dishes come to their rescue when it’s a question of easy-to-cook dish. Casserole makes a simple, comforting and delicious meal. The green bean casserole dish, invented by Dorcas Reilly, is one such comfort food loved by many families. It is one of the most popular dishes you can find at any Thanksgiving feast in US and is widely enjoyed by all for its simplicity and persistent flavors. This easy-to-make casserole is prepared with the simplest of ingredients and can also be made a day or two before serving, making it perfect for parties and holiday festivities. Read on to learn how you can accomplish the task of preparing that perfect casserole of green beans.
Complexity Level: Basic
Time Required: 1 hour 10 minutes
Resources Required:
- 2 medium sized onions
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Non stick cooking spray
- 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 pound fresh green beans
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 12 ounces mushrooms
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup half-and-half
- Casserole dish
- Mixing bowls
- Spoons
- Colander
- 20 Sheet pan
- Skillet
- Sauce pan
Instructions:
1. Preparations
- Slice the onions thinly and mince the garlic finely.
- Wash the mushrooms, trim off the stem and chop them up into 1/2 inch pieces.
- Rinse the green beans, trim them and halve each one of them.
- If you are making bread crumbs from scratch then beat them in the food processor till they get powdery.
- Pre-heat the oven to 475 degrees F and grease a sheet pan with some oil or non-stick spray.
2. Prepare the onion topping
- Into a large mixing bowl, add chopped onions, bread crumbs and salt and toss well to combine.
- Spread the onions evenly on to the greased sheet pan.
- Place in the middle rack of the oven and bake for about 20 minutes or till they are golden brown.
- While the onions are cooking, remember to toss them two or three times to assure that they are browned evenly.
- Once done, remove from the oven and set aside.
3. Blanch the beans
- While the onions are baking, blanch the beans.
- Add about a gallon of water and 2 table spoons of salt into a saucepan and on high heat bring it to a boil.
- Add the beans and blanch for 5 minutes.
- Once done, drain it in a colander and immediately plunge into a bowl full of ice to stop the cooking process.
- Drain and keep aside.
4. Make the casserole
- Turn down the oven temperature to 400 degrees F once the onions are done.
- Place a skillet over medium high heat and melt the butter.
- Add the mushroom and 1 teaspoon of salt and pepper and cook, stirring continuously till they are done and the water starts oozing out, approximately 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add minced garlic and nutmeg and continue to cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.
- Sprinkle some flour on to the mixture and stir well to combine.
- Cook for 1 minute, add the broth and bring to a simmer.
- Then decrease the heat to a medium low and add the half-and-half. Stirring in between, cook till the mixture starts to thicken. It would take about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Once thick, remove it from the heat and stir all of the blanched beans and 1/4 of cooked onions.
- Pour it into a casserole dish, top with the remaining onions and bake for about 15 minutes or till the mixture is slightly bubbling.
- Remove and serve immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Can I make the casserole with canned beans and soup?
Using instant soup mix and canned beans for making casserole is a way easier than making it from scratch. The only thing you would need to prepare are the fried onions. Get a can of cream of mushroom soup and mix it with some milk and pepper into a casserole dish. Stir in the green beans and about 2/3rd cup of fried onions. Bake it uncovered for about 30 minutes and then top with the remaining onions and bake for a further five more minutes. The green bean casserole is ready to serve.
Quick Tips:
- For a healthier version, you can use a low fat, low sodium cream of mushroom soup.
- For a gluten free casserole dish, replace the all purpose flour with rice flour and make your own bread crumbs using a gluten free bread.
- Add 1/2 cup of cheese along with the soup and sprinkle another 1/4 cup on top of the casserole when you are about to bake for a thicker and creamier dish.
Things To Watch Out For:
- If the onions are not baked to perfection, they may become soggy and not crispy as required.
- While baking the casserole, make sure you don’t burn the fried onions scattered on top as the burnt flavor can ruin the entire taste of casserole.
