Name: Green Bean Casserole
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 10
Ingredients: Salt; 900 g of Green Beans; 45 g of Butter; 450 g of Button Mushrooms; 3 cloves of Garlic; Black Pepper; 3 tablespoons of All Purpose Flour; 360 ml of Chicken Broth; 360 ml of Heavy Cream; 1 teaspoon of Soy Sauce; 170 g of Crispy Fried Onions

Green bean casserole is one of the most familiar side dishes of American holiday dinners: tender green beans in a creamy mushroom sauce, baked in a dish and topped with a golden layer of crunchy fried onions.

It was created in 1955 by Dorcas Reilly in the test kitchen of the Campbell Soup Company, which printed the recipe, then called Green Bean Bake, on its cans of cream of mushroom soup; in 2002 the original recipe card went to the National Inventors Hall of Fame. It soon became a Thanksgiving staple, and it comes back to the table at Christmas.

Here the mushroom sauce is made from scratch with butter, fresh mushrooms, broth and cream, while the topping stays the classic one.

Ingredients for 10 people

Salt to taste

900 g of Green Beans trimmed and halved (2 lb)

45 g of Butter unsalted (3 tablespoons)

450 g of Button Mushrooms trimmed, cut into 1 cm pieces (1 lb)

3 cloves of Garlic minced

Black Pepper to taste

3 tablespoons of All Purpose Flour

360 ml of Chicken Broth low-sodium (1 1/2 cups)

360 ml of Heavy Cream (1 1/2 cups)

1 teaspoon of Soy Sauce

For the topping:

170 g of Crispy Fried Onions store-bought (about 3 cups)

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Method

Preheat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F) and fill a large bowl with ice water. Bring a large pot of water to the boil, add 2 tablespoons of salt and the green beans and cook for about 6 minutes, until bright green and crisp-tender. Drain them, plunge them into the ice water to stop the cooking, then drain again and spread them on paper towels.

Melt the butter in the empty pot over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, the garlic, 3/4 teaspoon of salt and a pinch of pepper, and cook for about 6 minutes, stirring often, until the mushrooms have given up their juices and the pan is dry again.

Sprinkle in the flour and stir for 1 minute. Pour in the chicken broth little by little, stirring, and bring to a simmer. Add the cream and the soy sauce, lower the heat to medium and simmer for about 12 minutes, stirring now and then, until the sauce is thick and reduced to about 830 ml (3 1/2 cups). Taste and adjust the salt and pepper.

Stir the beans and about one third of the fried onions into the sauce until coated, then spread the mixture evenly in a 33 x 23 cm (13 x 9 inch) baking dish.

Bake for 20 minutes, until the sauce bubbles at the edges. Scatter the rest of the onions over the top and bake for 5 minutes more, until golden and crisp. Serve hot. Finally, remember to download our App with exclusive content and fewer ads!

Variations and Alternatives

For a crunchier topping, as some test kitchens do, toss the onions with fresh breadcrumbs pulsed with a little soft butter. To make the onions yourself, slice 2 onions very thinly, toss them in flour and salt and fry them in hot oil until golden. Use cremini mushrooms for a deeper flavor, or vegetable broth for a vegetarian casserole.

Tips

Cool the blanched beans in ice water straight away, so they stay bright green and crisp-tender. Let the mushrooms cook until their liquid has evaporated before adding the flour, or the sauce will be thin. Keep most of the onions for the top and add them only for the last 5 minutes, so they brown without burning. The common shortcut replaces the homemade sauce with 2 cans (about 300 g / 10.5 oz each) of condensed cream of mushroom soup stirred with 240 ml (1 cup) of milk, the soy sauce and a pinch of pepper: that is how the recipe was born, and many families still make it that way.

Storage

Leftovers keep, covered, in the fridge for up to 3 days; reheat them, covered, in a 180 °C (350 °F) oven for about 20 minutes. The beans and the cooled sauce, mixed in the dish and covered, keep in the fridge for up to 24 hours before baking: heat them in the oven for 10 minutes before adding the onions, then bake as usual.

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Green Bean Casserole