Homemade Green Bean Casserole
Green bean casserole was a regular Tuesday night side dish when I was growing up. The canned green beans, the cream of mushroom soup and the crunchy French fried onions was served along meatloaf, chicken tenders and ham all year long. We didn’t usually have it on Thanksgiving unless an family or friend showed up with it.
Aaron’s family on the other hand only has it on Thanksgiving and there’s a deep family divide over who likes it and who doesn’t. It’s downright comical the opinions and feelings over green bean casserole.
As I started to plan our own 2020 Thanksgiving and realized it will most likely just be the five of us, I decided to make a batch of green bean casserole but skip the cream of mushroom soup while of course, keeping the crunchy fried onions.
I loosely followed themoderproper.com’s recipe, dialing back the dijon and sautéing mushrooms in butter before making the rue. The result was a fairly light tasting casserole with lots of flavor and of course, lots of French fried onions. I briefly considered making my own and then nixed that idea. There’s enough cooking to take on, frying onions doesn’t need to be added to that list.
Homemade Green Bean Casserole
2.5 pounds frozen or fresh green beans
8 ounces sliced button or white mushrooms
2 tablespoons salted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 cup heavy cream
11/2 cups chicken stock
1 can French’s crispy fried onions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat a large pot of salted water over high heat. Add the green beans to the water and black for 5 minutes if beans are fresh or 3 minutes if frozen. Drain them in a colander and then place in a large baking sheet.
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring constantly until the mushrooms are tender, about five minutes. Add the flour, onion powder, garlic powder, nutmeg, and dijon, stirring well. Add the chicken stock and mix until combined and there are no lumps. Allow the stock to simmer and thicken, stirring occasionally, another five minutes. Pour the cream into the sauce, simmering another two to three minutes, stirring constantly. Turn the heat off tot he skillet. Pour the sauce over the green beans in the baking dish and gently combine. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, remove rom oven, stirring so the bean stay evenly coated. Cover with the crispy fried onions, return to oven and bake an additional 10 minutes. Remove and serve immediately.