I usually don’t make green bean casseroles for Thanksgiving, but after making it, I think I’m gonna start making it every Thanksgiving!
It’s much easier than my normal stir fried garlic green beans because I can assemble it ahead of time and just stick it in the oven 30 minutes before eating. That way, I’m not in the way in the kitchen when others need the space. Plus you use frozen cut green beans, so no need to pre boil the beans ahead of time like with the fresh green beans; but it doesn’t have a tin taste from the canned green beans if using canned. So easy!
Sorry, no final picture of the dish….I left the casserole in the oven a bit too long as I was carving the turkey, so the top got a little burnt and my sister in law had to pick off the burnt bits. Oops…So yeah, TIP: don’t go doing other things during that last 5 minutes of crisping the onions. Watch it like a hawk! Ha!
Yields 8 servings as a side dish
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs frozen cut green beans
- 4 T butter
- 1/3 c all purpose flour
- 2 c milk
- 12 oz baby Bella mushrooms, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- Olive oil
- 1 t Salt, divided
- 1/4 c shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 c shredded pepper Jack cheese
- 3/4 can of Trader Joe’s fried onions, divided
Procedures:
1. In a pan, add some olive oil, 1/2 t of salt, and minced garlic. Sauté 30 seconds. Then add the mushrooms and sauté until mushrooms are cooked down. Set aside.
2. In a pot, melt the butter. When the butter is melted, lower the heat and add flour and stir until a roux forms.
3. Add milk and the remaining salt to the pot and stir until the mixture is thickened.
4. Add sautéed mushrooms and stir. This is your mushroom cream sauce. Turn off the heat.
5. Add the bag of frozen green beans (no need to defrost ahead of time). Mix so that sauce coats the green beans. The residual heat from the cream sauce should thaw out the green beans. The mixture should be cold at this point, not hot.
5. Add the cheeses and 1/4 can of the Trader Joe’s fried onions. Mix to combine.
6. Pour out onto an oven safe casserole dish and spread to an even layer.
7. Bake at 350F for 25 minutes or until bubbly and hot. (Or if in a hurry, bake at 375F for 15-17 minutes or until hot and bubbly)
8. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 can Trader Joe’s fried onions. Bake for 5 minutes at 350F until onions are crispy.