Fresh Green Bean Casserole
This classic side dish is packed with flavor thanks to a delicious homemade mushroom cream sauce, fresh green beans and crispy bacon! Add this dish to your holiday menu.
Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 2 pounds green beans trimmed
- 1 pound bacon chopped
- 2 tablespoons diced onions
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 8 ounces sliced mushrooms (1 small package)
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary chopped fine
- 1 tablespoon parsley chopped fine
- 1 teaspoon thyme chopped fine
- 1 teaspoon granulated onion
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 6 ounces fried onions (see Note)
For the toasted breadcrumbs
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 4 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a large pot of boiling water, cook the green beans for 5 to 6 minutes. Immediately transfer them to a large bowl of ice and cold water to cool. Set aside.
- In a large skillet, sauté the chopped bacon until fully cooked. Remove from the pan, keeping the remaining bacon fat in the pan. (If there isn't much fat in the pan, you can add a few teaspoons of olive oil.)
- Add the onions and garlic. Stir until soft and fragrant. Then, whisk in the flour to made a creamy roux.
- Pour in the milk and broth, and simmer until you have a thick texture. Toss in the mushrooms and half of your cooked bacon and cook on low heat until the mushrooms are soft.
- Stir in the rosemary, parsley, thyme, granulated onion, granulated garlic, salt and pepper until combined. Remove from heat.
- Stir the blanched green beans into the cream sauce until well coated all over. Pour into a deep rectangular baking dish, and cook for 25 minutes.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add the breadcrumbs and butter. Stir until the breadcrumbs are toasted and golden.
- Remove the casserole from the oven and top with a layer of cheese, remaining bacon, breadcrumbs, then crispy onions! Bake for another 10 minutes! Serve hot
Notes
- You can use more or less fried onions, depending on how much crunch you like with your green bean casserole.
- To ensure that the breadcrumbs don’t burn, continuously stir them so that they evenly toast. You may also need to adjust the heat level if you find that your skillet is getting too hot.