The Best Real Green Bean Casserole Made with Fresh Ingredients
Upgrade your holiday dinner with this homemade green bean casserole made with fresh green beans, real mushrooms, and a crispy herb topping. No canned soup, just amazing flavor.
Ingredients
Casserole:
- 2 lb green beans trimmed and blanched
- 16 oz mushrooms sliced
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 cup broth
- 1 cup cream
- 2 small shallots minced
- 1.5 tsp salt plus more to taste
- 1/2 tsp pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
Crispy Herb Topping or Onion Topping (see note):
- 1 cup vegetable oil I used grapeseed ooil
- 5 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 3 shallots thinly sliced
- 2 leeks white and light green parts, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp rosemary chopped
- 2 tbsp sage chopped
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Microwave mushrooms for 2 to 3 minutes, then drain.
- Sauté mushrooms in butter with 1 tsp salt and pepper until browned.
- Add shallots and garlic, cook 2 minutes.
- Sprinkle flour in and cook 1 minute.
- Slowly pour in broth and cream. Simmer until thick.
- Stir in white wine vinegar, adjust seasoning.
For The Topping (see note):
- Heat oil. Fry leeks and shallots until crispy. Use a spider skimmer to remove and place on a plate lined with a paper towel. I did this in two batches so the onion were not crowded.
- Next add the garlic and herbs into the hot oil. Fry for a minute or so until garlic is golden
- Use a spider skimmer to place these on the same plate lined with a paper towel. Season with salt.
- Combine green beans with sauce in 9x13 dish, top with crispy herbs, and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.
Video
Notes
- You can keep things simple by using just onion for the crispy topping instead of the shallots, leeks, and herbs. To make the crispy onion topping, thinly slice a yellow onion and toss the pieces in a mixture of flour, salt, and pepper. Heat a bit of oil in a skillet over medium heat, then fry the onions in small batches until golden brown and crisp, about 3–4 minutes per batch. Transfer them to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and sprinkle with a little extra salt while they’re hot.
- Some suggest soaking your onions in cold water or buttermilk for 30 minutes first and draining the excess. This can cut down on that sharp onion flavor.
