My Green Bean Casserole (not only for Thanksgiving!)

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Green bean casserole is a staple dish of the Thanksgiving season. And each year as I eat it, I promise myself to prepare it more often. When made from scratch, this casserole tastes simply amazing. And it’s a great opportunity to use season produced and enjoy all the gifts fall is giving us each year.

green bean casserole

The base of my green bean casserole is the mushroom sauce and I will not hide that it really makes or breaks the dish. I love mushroom and I put them everywhere I can but in the case of this casserole, they turn it into a spectacular meal that is just mind-blowing. It amazes me by how good well-prepared mushrooms can taste.

I also add in some gently sautéed onions, cream, butter, and of course the steamed green beans. The result is a delicious flavorful casserole that melts in your mouth.

And going back to the mushroom sauce (forgive me, I really think I love it too much sometimes!), I just want to say that I feel like making sauces from scratch instead of buying cans from the store is a great opportunity to improve your culinary skills. It sometimes feels like a lost art with all the variety and selection you can find at supermarkets. And these cans of sauces or condensed soups are rarely free of potentially harmful ingredients, like MSG and other preservatives. Whenever I have the time, I prefer spending a few extra minutes in the kitchen to make sure that no funny ingredients find a way into the sauce I serve my family.

Necessary equipment:

Ingredients:

Mushroom sauce:

  • 8 cups of steamed green beans
  • 32 ounces of sliced mushrooms (any kind will do but I usually go for half white button and half crimini mushrooms)
  • 2 chopped onions
  • ½ cup of butter (about 1 stick) plus 4 tablespoons
  • ½ cup of sprouted flour OR arrowroot powder
  • 4 cups of cream
  • salt and pepper to taste

Shoestring onions:

  • 4 very thinly sliced onions, separated into pieces
  • 1 cup of flour
  • 1 cup of arrowroot powder
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • healthy fat for frying (eg. palm shortening)

Instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Butter your casserole dish and set it aside.
  3. Mushroom sauce: Melt ½ cup of butter in a large cast iron skillet.
  4. Saute the mushrooms and onions over medium high heat. Do it for about 8 to 10 minutes. The onions should get a little color in them.
  5. Add the remaining butter and stir until it melts completely.
  6. Sprinkle the flour on top of the sauteed mixture and keep stirring so it’s fully coated. Cook for about two minutes.
  7. Continue to stir using one hand and pour in the cream using the other one. Keep the stream slow and steady as you gradually add in all the cream.
  8. Turn the heat higher until the sauce is simmering. Keep it at that level until it thickens, usually about 5 or 10 minutes.
  9. Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper as needed.
  10. Transfer the sauce to a large mixing bowl.
  11. Add in the steamed green beans and stir to combine.
  12. Now transfer the mushrooms and beans mixture to the bottom of your casserole dish and set aside.
  13. Make the shoestring onions: Whisk the flour, arrowroot, salt, and pepper together in a large bowl.
  14. Toss the sliced onions in and mix together so that they are well coated.
  15. Heat the oil in a large skillet.
  16. Fry the onions in the skillet until they brown nicely. Remove immediately and drain using a paper towel.
  17. Salt if needed.
  18. Sprinkle the shoestring onions on top of your mushroom sauce and green beans.
  19. Put in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. The top should be bubbling when ready.
  20. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

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