Remember that green bean casserole with the crunchy onions on top?
Of course you do. Everyone’s mom made it right?
You know – then one made with condensed cream of mushroom soup and that can of French fried onions. I am probably dating myself here but there was something about the 80s and food made with condensed soup. It was a time of neon spandex, hair bands, and a million types of rice casseroles made with some type of frozen or canned vegetable and a can of condensed soup mixed in.
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Level up your Mom’s classic Green Beans with Onions!
I’ve always been a foodie.
You can ask my mom, she’ll confirm. She has even on occasion called me a food snob. I know – shocking. I started collecting recipes – probably dating back to elementary school. Even back then I was studying ingredients. Dissecting the flavors in sauces and dishes at restaurants. Confirming that a sauce surely had turmeric in it. I think my mom always found me a little odd. I mean what kid is subscribing to Food and Wine in high school?
Of course it makes sense that for Thanksgiving I need a food snob worthy version of my mom’s green bean casserole. I actually really love her version too. But I don’t alway love that I am not really sure what that condensed soup is made of. Or are those onions actually onions? Or are they just some weird onion-esc crunchy thing that tastes amazing but isn’t an onion at all? I like knowing what’s in my food.
This tastes even better than it looks! And, you know exactly what is in it!
This recipe consists of a made from scratch creamy mushroom sauce, blanched green beans and oven fried crunchy panko onion rings. And it is fantastic. The food snob in me approves of this elevated version of holiday green bean casserole. I know you will too.
Elevated Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients
For the Onion Topping:
- 2 medium onions thinly sliced
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- Nonstick cooking spray I use sprayable coconut oil
For beans and sauce:
- 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt divided
- 1 pound fresh green beans rinsed, trimmed and halved
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 12 ounces mushrooms trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour or use 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup half-and-half
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Make the Onion Rings
- Combine the onions, and milk. Let sit for 5-10 minutes.
- Dredge onions in flour and salt, set aside.
- Toss with panko and salt in a large mixing bowl and toss to combine.
- Coat a sheet pan with cooking spray and evenly spread the onions on the pan. Spray a thin coat of spray on the
- Place the pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake until golden brown, approximately 30 minutes.
- Watch closely as oven temperatures vary. Toss the onions 2 to 3 times during cooking.
- Once done, remove from the oven and set aside until ready to use. Turn the oven down to 400 degrees F.
Blanch Green Beans
- While the onions are cooking, prepare the beans.
- Bring a gallon of water and 2 tablespoons of salt to a boil in an 8-quart saucepan.
- Add the beans and blanch for 5 minutes.
- Drain in a colander and immediately plunge the beans into a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.
- Drain and set aside.
Sauce
- Melt the butter in a 12-inch cast iron skillet set over medium-high heat.
- Add the mushrooms, 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are a deep golden brown, approximately 10 minutes.
- Add the garlic and continue to cook for another 1 to 2 minutes.
- Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add the broth and simmer for 1 minute.
- Decrease the heat to medium-low and add the half-and-half.
- Cook until the mixture thickens, stirring occasionally, approximately 6 to 8 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and stir in 1/4 of the onions and all of the green beans.
- Top with the remaining onions.
- Place into the oven and bake until bubbly, approximately 15 minutes. Remove and serve immediately.
Nutrition
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