Description
This Green Bean Casserole is a Thanksgiving classic featuring fresh or frozen green beans in a creamy homemade sauce made from scratch, topped with crispy French fried onions. It’s a delicious, vegetarian-friendly side dish that requires no canned soup and is ready in just 50 minutes.
Ingredients
Green Beans
- 2 pounds fresh or frozen green beans
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 cup vegetable or chicken stock
- 2 cups half and half
Topping
- 1 ½ cups French fried onions
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and position a rack in the center of the oven to ensure even baking.
- Blanch the Green Beans: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Prepare a large bowl with ice water. Add the green beans to the boiling water and cook for about 3 minutes if fresh, or 2 minutes if frozen, until just tender. Drain and immediately immerse in the ice water bath for 2 minutes to stop cooking. Drain again and pat dry thoroughly.
- Arrange Green Beans: Place the blanched and dried green beans into a 9×13-inch baking dish, spreading them out evenly.
- Make the Cream Sauce: In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and Dijon mustard. Cook for about 2 minutes until the mixture is fragrant and forms a roux.
- Add Liquids: Slowly whisk in the vegetable or chicken stock, making sure the mixture is smooth. Slowly add the half and half, continuing to whisk to combine. Bring the sauce to a simmer over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Combine Sauce and Beans: Pour the creamy sauce over the green beans in the baking dish and toss gently to coat all the beans evenly.
- Bake the Casserole: Place the baking dish in the preheated oven and bake until the sauce bubbles, approximately 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, toss the green beans gently to mix, then sprinkle the French fried onions evenly on top.
- Final Bake: Return the casserole to the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the onions are golden brown and crisp.
Notes
- Use either fresh or frozen green beans depending on availability; blanching before baking ensures even cooking.
- For a vegetarian version, use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.
- You can prepare the sauce a day ahead and refrigerate it for convenience.
- Make sure to pat the green beans dry after blanching to avoid a watery casserole.
- French fried onions can be found in most grocery stores or homemade for extra crispness.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
