The Ultimate Green Bean Casserole

GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE😍

For all you Green Bean Casserole lovers, your new favorite recipe is here ;) Perfectly creamy and flavorful mushroom sauce, crisp green beans, and that crispy fried onion topping that made you fall in love with green bean casseroles in the first place, but made SO much better with a few key secret ingredients. Using frozen green beans is a wallet friendly shortcut that allows you to skip the blanching step but still results in a perfectly tender and crisp green bean, you won’t even know the difference. You are going to love this!!

A few tips before you begin:

• One of my secret ingredients that adds a great umami boost is dried mushroom powder. I use the Mushroom Umami seasoning from Trader Joe’s, but you can find dried mushroom powder online or at specialty grocery stores. You can also make your own by grinding up dried mushrooms in a spice grinder. If you’re having a hard time finding it, just leave it out and add ¼ tsp more thyme. 

• Wait to season the casserole with salt until after adding the parmesan. The parmesan and mushroom powder are salty on their own, so you may not need as much salt as you think.

• You can make this dairy free by using vegan butter instead of regular, original nutpods or unsweetened full-fat coconut milk instead of heavy cream, and skip the parmesan. Depending on how thick your coconut milk is, you may need to use more flour to thicken since you won’t be adding parmesan cheese.

• Using part broth and part heavy cream keeps this creamy without making it too heavy. The result is a creamy light sauce that pairs perfectly with crisp green beans.

Prepping Ahead:

• There’s two main ways you can go about prepping this ahead.

• The first is making the casserole up until step 11. Bake before serving.

• The second, beneficial for if you are transferring the casserole to a separate location like a Friendgiving, is you can also bake the casserole ahead of time for 15 minutes WITHOUT the onions, then keep warm. Just before serving, top with onions and bake at 350 for 5-10 minutes. If your casserole is cold, you may need to bake longer without the onions to reheat.

• Reheating instructions: Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes, then uncover and bake an additional 5 minutes.

Serves 6-8.

Ingredients:

For the Green Bean Casserole:

• 1 lb french trimmed green beans (frozen or fresh)

• 8 oz cremini mushrooms

• 1 shallot, minced

• 5 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tsp dijon mustard

• ½ tsp dried thyme

• ½ tsp dried mushroom powder* (optional, but adds great flavor!)

• 2 tbsps flour

• 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth

• ¾ cup heavy cream

• ½ cup parmesan cheese

• 1½ cups fried onions

Directions:

For the Green Bean Casserole:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. If you are using frozen green beans: remove from the freezer 1 hour before cooking to bring to room temperature or follow the package instructions for defrosting. Drain and transfer to a 9x13” baking dish. Set aside.

3. If you are using fresh green beans: bring a pot of water to boil. Grab a large bowl and fill it with ice water. Add the green beans to the boiling water and cook for 3 minutes until bright green and tender. Transfer to the ice bath to stop the cooking process. Once cool, about 1 minute, drain and transfer to a 9x13” baking dish. Set aside.

4. Now work on your mushroom cream sauce. Heat a large skillet on medium high heat and add in your oil. Add the mushrooms and cook undisturbed for about 2 minutes or until browned underneath. Toss and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until browned all over. You can do this in batches to create even browning. 

5. Add 1 tbsp of butter to the mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Toss, cooking for another minute. Remove from the skillet and set aside.

6. Add 1 tbsp butter to the skillet and add in your minced shallot. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until soft, then add in your garlic and cook for 30-60 seconds more.

7. Add in 2 tbsps of butter and stir until melted. Once melted, add in your flour and cook, whisking often, for about 2-3 minutes or until golden brown and fragrant. 

8. Slowly stream in the chicken broth while whisking constantly until smooth. Whisk in the heavy cream and cook on medium heat until thickened and bubbling, about 4-5 minutes.

9. Whisk in the dried thyme, mushroom powder, and dijon mustard. Shut off heat and whisk in the parmesan. Add back in the mushrooms, stir, and taste to adjust for seasoning.

10. Pour mushroom cream mixture over the green beans and stir to combine. It may not look like enough at first, but it will get saucier as it bakes.

11. Transfer to a 375 degree oven and bake uncovered for 15 minutes. Top with the crispy fried onions and bake for an additional 6-8 minutes or until the onions are golden brown and crispy.

12. Serve immediately and enjoy!