WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS The original “green bean casserole” was created by the Campbell Soup Company in 1955 to showcase one of its star products: canned cream of mushroom soup. The recipe also called for frozen green beans. For our modern remake of this beloved Thanksgiving favorite, naturally we wanted fresh green beans and mushrooms, along with the richness that comes from fresh heavy cream. We jump-started the cooking of the green beans in the microwave, which took just a few minutes. For the sauce, we browned the mushrooms to drive off moisture (to avoid a watery sauce) and develop deep flavor. And for the topping? Absolutely nothing we tried in our test kitchen got a better response with tasters than the traditional canned fried onions. However, adding some panko bread crumbs to the onions did give the topping even more crunch and saved us from having to bake the casserole further after topping it. You can substitute white mushrooms for the cremini, if desired.
Serves: 6 to 8
Total time: 1 hour
INGREDIENTS:
TOPPING
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
- 2½ cups canned fried onions
CASSEROLE
- 2 pounds green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 pound cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced thin
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups chicken broth
- 1½ cups heavy cream
- ½ cup dry white wine
INSTRUCTIONS:
- For the topping Combine panko and melted butter in bowl. Microwave, stirring occasionally, until panko is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Let cool completely, then stir in fried onions; set aside.
- For the casserole Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Combine green beans and ½ cup water in large bowl. Cover and microwave until green beans are just tender, about 8 minutes, stirring halfway through microwaving. Drain green beans in colander; set aside.
- Melt butter in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper and cook until liquid is nearly evaporated, 6 to 8 minutes.
- Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in broth, cream, and wine and bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer green beans to 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Pour sauce over green beans and toss to combine.
- Bake until bubbling and green beans are completely tender, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven, top with fried-onion mixture, and let cool for 10 minutes. Serve.
