Serve a crowd with this mostly-from-scratch green bean casserole — with fresh green beans, homemade cream of mushroom soup, and crispy fried onions! Sherry and thyme fill this holiday side dish with extra flavor. Make ahead to make Thanksgiving day a little easier! What’s a holiday meal without a delicious, creamy green bean casserole? Add in some
rosemary sweet potato casserole with candied pecans or garlic truffle mashed potatoes along with a moist, juicy turkey or ham and you’ll have a feast! But don’t settle for a dish full of limp canned green beans and canned mushroom soup when it can be sooo much better! This casserole uses
freshly blanched green beans and a homemade cream of mushroom soup enriched with freshly browned mushrooms, thyme and plenty of sherry. While this recipe makes enough for a Thanksgiving crowd (serves 12!), I have a
small batch green bean casserole recipe that’s easy and accessible enough for a weeknight if you love this dish as much as I do! This recipe is from scratch where it makes the biggest difference — fresh green beans and homemade cream of mushroom soup — and uses convenience ingredients where it saves the most time and effort without sacrificing taste and texture — crispy
fried onions. Let’s take a look at what we’re using and how. Essentially, the process is this: My mom came over for dinner when I was testing this recipe, and said she didn’t know you could make green bean casserole without canned green beans. She didn’t think fresh beans would cook enough to be tender while baking the casserole, and she’s right. The secret is blanching them first. Just throw 1 1/2 inch fresh green bean pieces in a salted pot of boiling water for 5-7 minutes or until they’re
tender-crisp, and then shock them in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking and keep them bright green. That way they’re perfectly tender but not soggy, and baking the casserole only has to heat things up rather than doing the work of cooking the ingredients to perfection. Fresh button mushrooms are the base of the homemade cream of mushroom soup. Dicing them takes a little time, but I do it for for two reasons. First, it gives them more surface area to brown and makes it easier too —
you can just stir with a wooden spoon to brown all sides instead of having to make sure you flip over each mushroom slice. Second, we will eventually be blending them into the creamy soup with either an immersion blender or a regular blender. I like to pulse the immersion blender until it’s semi-blended but not completely, so I have some pureed mushrooms and some pieces left in the soup. Dicing the mushrooms before sautéing and blending them ensures none of the pieces remaining are too
large. The mushrooms are sautéed in two batches (to help them brown instead of steaming them) in plenty of butter, which gives them amazing flavor and helps them brown. When you add the flour, it combines with the butter to make a roux that thickens the soup. SherryA little wine makes any recipe better! The sherry deglazes the pan and helps you scrape up any brown bits, adds tons of flavor to the mushrooms, and starts forming the creamy soup when mixed with the roux! Chicken broth and half-and-halfThen we add broth for flavor and half-and-half for that luscious creaminess! Add them slowly and stir well in between to ensure the soup stays smooth and doesn’t become clumpy. Thyme, salt, and pepperSimple seasonings, but with the sherry and butter it’s all you need to make it a decadent soup! After adding the spices and simmering for a bit, you blend up the soup with an immersion blender straight in the pan, or if you don’t have one, in a blender. I like to pulse it until it’s partially blended but still has some pieces left. If my sister was joining us for dinner, I’d completely puree it since she likes the flavor but not the texture of mushrooms. It’s your call how much to blend it! Crispy fried onionsWhile this recipe is mostly from scratch, I do use readymade fried onions (like French’s). To me, these are the only “convenience ingredient” worth using in a traditional green bean casserole. I could munch on crispy fried onions straight out of the can or bag. They’re light and airy, perfectly salty, and add that crunch that rounds out the casserole! While you could batter and fry your own onions, it would add a lot of time and cleanup to the process and your result would probably not have the same potato-chip-like quality as the premade ones. Also, if you’re making this in advance, you know your storebought onions will be crunchy and take no time to sprinkle on top! Homemade fried food is best (and crispiest) when it’s freshly made, and you may not have time to fry onions if you’re making other sides and a turkey! After mixing the blanched green beans into the soup and transferring the mixture into a casserole dish or 9×13 baking pan (optional), I coat the entire top of the casserole with crispy onions and keep some extras on the side to add as I please! FAQsWhat size casserole dish do I need to make green bean casserole? I recommend using either a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish or a 9×13 baking pan. The one in the photo is an 8×13 baking pan. Can I bake this straight in my cast iron skillet? Absolutely! A 12-inch cast iron skillet will be full to the brim but can go from stovetop to oven and will save you a dish. Can I make green bean casserole in advance? If you’re making a turkey and 4 other side dishes, I’d highly suggest making it in advance so you aren’t trying to do a hundred things on Thanksgiving itself! Other Thanksgiving side dishesLike this recipe? Try these other sides to round out your holiday meal! Be sure to FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM, and TWITTER for more great recipe ideas! Or SIGN UP for my EMAIL NEWSLETTER to get updates and recipes straight to your inbox! Serve a crowd with this mostly-from-scratch green bean casserole — with fresh green beans, homemade cream of mushroom soup, and crispy fried onions! Sherry and thyme fill this holiday side dish with extra flavor. Make ahead to make Thanksgiving day a little easier! Print Recipe Course: Side Dish Cuisine: American Servings: 12 servings Calories: 225kcal Prep Time:20 mins Cook Time:40 mins Total Time:1 hr
To prepare in advance
Sodium: 207mg | Calcium: 93mg | Vitamin C: 17mg | Vitamin A: 1105IU | Sugar: 5g | Fiber: 4g | Potassium: 510mg | Cholesterol: 30mg | Calories: 225kcal | Trans Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Fat: 14g | Protein: 6g | Carbohydrates: 18g | Iron: 2mg Is green bean casserole better with canned or fresh?To kick things up a notch, I also use fresh green beans rather than canned ones because it gives the casserole the most refreshing flavor that's just to die for. That isn't to say that you can't use canned or frozen, if that's easier for you then go right on ahead!
How do you make Paula Deen's fresh green beans?Add green beans to pan and sauté over medium heat for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add boiling water to pan and cover. Cook for about 15 minutes, just until beans are tender. Add vinegar, butter and salt and pepper and stir.
Should you cover green bean casserole when baking?Bake in the preheated oven, uncovered, until hot and bubbly in the center, about 30 to 40 minutes.
How do you keep green bean casserole from getting soggy?If your topping is soggy, it's probably because the casserole itself is too wet. Before you add your topping try to thicken the casserole up with flour or cornstarch so the topping sits on top and doesn't sink to the bottom.
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