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Green Bean Casserole · From Scratch

From-Scratch Green Bean Casserole

Fresh green beans folded into a homemade mushroom cream sauce and baked under crispy fried onions. More flavor than the canned-soup version for a little more work, and it can be put together a day ahead.

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Prep
25 min
Cook
50 min
Total
1 hr 20 min
Serves
10 · One 9x13-inch casserole
Level
Easy

Ingredients

Beans

  • 2 lb green beans, stem ends trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 1 tbsp kosher salt, for the cooking water
  • ice, for an ice bath

Mushroom sauce

  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, plus more for the dish
  • 12 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
  • ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup chicken broth, or vegetable broth
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • ½ cup heavy cream

Topping

  • 2 cups crispy fried onions, divided

Steps

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and butter a 9x13-inch baking dish.
  2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon of salt. Fill a large bowl with ice and cold water.
  3. Blanch the green beans in the boiling water until bright green and just crisp-tender.
  4. Drain the beans in a colander and tip them into the ice water. Once cold, drain again and pat dry with a towel.
  5. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring now and then, until their liquid cooks off and they start to brown.
  6. Add the onion, garlic, salt, pepper and nutmeg and cook until the onion is soft.
  7. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir until no dry flour shows.
  8. Slowly stir in the broth, then the milk and cream, scraping the bottom of the pan as you go.
  9. Simmer, stirring, until the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon.
  10. Take the skillet off the heat. Fold in the green beans and 1/2 cup of the fried onions, then spread it all in the baking dish.
  11. Bake until the sauce bubbles around the edges.
  12. Scatter the remaining 1 1/2 cups of fried onions over the top and bake until they are a shade darker and crisp. Watch closely; they scorch fast.
  13. Let the casserole stand for a few minutes so the sauce settles, then serve.

Tip: Shortcut version: skip the homemade sauce and stir two 10.5-oz cans of condensed cream of mushroom soup with 3/4 cup milk instead. Use three 14.5-oz cans of cut green beans, drained, in place of the fresh beans. Bake the same way.

Tip: Frozen cut green beans work too: thaw them, pat them dry and skip the blanching.

Tip: Use vegetable broth for a vegetarian casserole.

Storage: Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours, up to 4 days. Reheat covered in a 350°F oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until hot in the center.

Make ahead: Assemble without the fried onions up to 1 day ahead, cover and refrigerate. Bake it cold, covered, for 20 minutes, uncover and bake about 15 minutes more until bubbling, then add the topping and finish as written.

Estimated nutrition per serving: 150 calories · protein 4 g · carbohydrates 14 g · fiber 3 g · sugars 6 g · fat 10 g (saturated 6 g) · sodium 290 mg. Estimate from USDA FoodData Central; not medical or dietary advice. Based on 12 of 13 ingredients.