Green Bean Casserole

Merry Thanksgiving Eve!!  

Who is hard at work in the kitchen right now in preparation for the biggest meal of the year? 🙋🏻‍♀️  This is the point when I try to not dwell on on the fact that this meal takes hours and hours to prepare and is completely consumed by my family in under 30 minutes.🤦🏻‍♀️  Is it all worth it?  One hundred percent. 

I actually find a lot of satisfaction in the food preparation process.  A day spent in my kitchen with some fresh ingredients and a gas stove is a day well spent in my world.  Now all I have to do is convince everyone in my house to do a turkey trot with me tomorrow morning and I'll be an even happier girl.🏃🏻‍♀️   

If you happen to be on green bean casserole duty for tomorrows feast - I've got just the recipe for you.  I promise you that this dish with fresh beans and a homemade mushroom cream sauce is far better than any canned version of this recipe that you may be accustomed to.  Just be warned:  If you bring this dish - you will be on green bean casserole duty for the rest of your life.😂 

Green Bean Casserole
Topping
2 slices white sandwich bread
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups fried onions

Casserole
3 Tablespoons butter
10 ounces white mushrooms, sliced thin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 pounds green beans, trimmed and cut into 1" pieces
​1/4 cup cornstarch

For topping: pulse bread and salt in food process until coarsely ground. 

Add melted butter and onions. Transfer to a ziploc bag if freezing.  

Melt 3 T. butter in skillet.  Add mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook until liquid evaporates. 

Add garlic and cook 1 minute.  Stir in flour, wine, broth and cream. 

Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. 

Toss green beans with cornstarch.  

Transfer beans to a 9x13" baking dish.  

Pour warm mushroom mixture over beans.  ​

Let cool completely.  Cover with plastic wrap and then foil.  Freeze for up to 2 months.  To cook from frozen: ​Place frozen casserole in a 400 degree oven for 50 minutes.

To cook from fresh:  Cover dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Stir beans.  Replace foil and bake 30 more minutes. 

Remove foil.  Sprinkle topping over casserole.  Bake 8 minutes longer. 

​Ciao!

Click here for a printable version of this recipe