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Green bean casserole on a plate with a fork.
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Green Bean Casserole

For the best Green Bean Casserole, make a simple homemade mushroom cream sauce and a crunchy topping with both fried onions and bread crumbs.
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 12 servings
Calories 295kcal

Ingredients

For the topping:

For the casserole:

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 6 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

  1. Butter: Salted or unsalted butter? Use what you have on hand. To soften butter in the microwave, cut each stick of butter in half, unwrap, and place on a microwave-safe plate. Then cook the butter at 10% power for 1 minute. Gently press on the butter with your finger, and if it still feels too firm, cook for another 40 seconds at 10% power.
  2. Green beans: To substitute frozen green beans, microwave 2 (12-ounce) 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).
  3. 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 (Culinary Hill may earn money if you buy through this link). For a vegetarian version, substitute vegetable broth.
  4. Mushrooms: Use fresh mushrooms to make a quick cream of mushroom soup from scratch for a flavorful addition to this Thanksgiving staple.
  5. Yield: This recipe makes enough for 10 as a side dish (or more depending on how many sides you have at Thanksgiving).
  6. Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 295kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 53mg | Sodium: 325mg | Potassium: 342mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1105IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 1mg