We’re excited to start our holiday series by introducing this classic that has just been upgraded. Fresh blanched beans that are tender and bright but not mushy. The sauce is rich and silky, with a hint of gruyere, shallot, and umami. It’s not thick or heavy. The sauce has a rich, deep flavor even without mushrooms. We are not monsters, so we still add crispy onions to the top. These are a necessity.
You might be like, “YES, PLEASE, pass it here” every time green bean casserole is served at the holidays. You might see it and think, “Hmm… mushy beans and kinda gloppy bits of gravy, no thanks” (a little harsh, but we understand). You might not be from the Midwest, and when you read this, you think, “I’m sorry. What??
Green Bean Casserole from Scratch, Nothing Canned
The “Green Bean Bake,” which was developed by Dorcas Reilly in Campbell’s test kitchens, is still a treasure to this day. We are eternally grateful to Dorcas for her work, but there’s a newer way to glory.
We are starting with green beans that are still fresh. To help maintain their color and texture, they are quickly blanched. That’s right! The green you see in your dish will be bright and vibrant, not the well…greenish-brown of a canned bean. It was easy to find pre-cut green beans in the French style, which saved us a lot of time. Of course, you can use any green bean.
Sauce For Green Bean Casserole
What about the sauce? We’ve ditched cream of mushroom soup. Please do not haunt our Christmas tables! We wanted to start fresh and eliminate mushrooms. You KNOW that we love these mushrooms, but not here.
It needed to be silky, ready to cover each bean beautifully. But not so thick as to take up the entire plate. It still had to taste like a veggie! You want something more balanced on your dinner plate. You can add something bright next to your mashed potato and sweet corn casserole. Start slowly and steadily by making a roux with shallot and onion. This will be boosted with a little white wine. Then add a little soy sauce for umami flavor. Did we mention that we also sprinkled gruyere in the sauce? Because we did. We sure did. The result is spectacular.
It’s creamy, savory, and just the right amount of saucy to make it feel special. After all, it is a holiday.
Ingredients To Make Green Bean Casserole
Many of the ingredients you need for this delicious side dish are already in your pantry or on your list. Here’s what you might be missing.
- Green beans (we cut them into pre-cut French green beans to make it easier, but any green bean will work.)
- Garlic and shallots
- White wine, whole milk, and vegetable broth as liquids
- soy sauce
- Shredded gruyere
- Crispy French-fried onions
Green Bean Casserole Recipe
This dish is easy to make, even without canned vegetables and soup. You’ll probably need a detailed oven rack plan and a precise schedule, but we understand how holidays are.
- Blanch beans. You may have to work in small batches. Toss the beans in boiling water for about 1-2 minutes until they are bright green and barely tender. Then, please place them in your baking dish.
- Start by building your sauce. Begin with butter and thinly sliced shallots to create your roux. Then, slowly add the milk, soy sauce, wine, and broth. When it is creamy smooth, stir in the gruyere and garlic.
- Cook it all up. Pour the sauce on top of the green beans and cover. Bake. You will pull it out and give it a quick mix to coat it, then add the crispy fried onion on top because you’re a champion. Bake it just a little more.
We hope that you will find something new to add to your holiday menu. It’s rich, special, and cozy. But it still feels like a veggie, so that you can pass it around your table.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds of green beans
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 1 The shallot Thinly sliced
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/4 White wine
- 3/4 Whole milk
- One vegetable broth
- Two teaspoons of soy sauce
- 1 Garlic cloves grated
- 1/2 Shredded gruyere
- One teaspoon Salt
- 1 Crispy fried onions
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot full of water to the boil. Blanch the green beans in two batches until they are bright green, tender, and crisp, approximately 1-2 minutes. Drain the green beans and place them in a casserole dish.
Melt butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook for a few minutes until it is tender. Stir in the flour and cook until golden brown. Add the milk, wine, broth, and soy sauce separately. Whisk after each addition. Pour the final thickening, simmer the sauce for a few moments, and whisk continuously until it coats the back of the spoon. Stir in the gruyere, garlic, and salt after removing it from heat.
Pour the sauce on top of the green beans. Cover the beans with foil and bake them for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for 15 more minutes. Toss the green beans in the sauce to coat them well. Wipe the sides of the casserole dish. Add fried onions to the top and bake for another 5 minutes. Allow the sauce to rest for 5-10 mins. This will allow it to become silky smooth.
