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Thanksgiving: Extra-Crunchy Green Bean Casserole

Source of Recipe

From "One Hour Comfort" by America's Test Kitchen


Recipe Introduction

"Even though green bean casserole, like tuna noodle casserole, is also associated with canned soup, this comfort casserole is undeniably more beloved, maybe because of its nostalgic association with Thanksgiving. This modern remake is too good to be reserved for one holiday, though. It uses fresh green beans and mushrooms, along with heavy cream for a satisfying richness. Jumpstarting the green beans in the microwave shortens the baking time. Browning the mushrooms in a skillet drives off excess water and develops deep flavor. And for the topping? Absolutely nothing we tried in our test kitchen got a better response than the traditional canned fried onions, although adding some panko bread crumbs to the onions does make the topping even more crunchtastic."

List of Ingredients

Topping:
â—¦ ½ cup panko bread crumbs
â—¦ 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
â—¦ 2 ½ cups canned fried onions

Casserole:
â—¦ 2 pounds green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths
â—¦ 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
â—¦ 1 pound cremini or white mushrooms, trimmed and sliced thin
â—¦ 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
â—¦ 2 cloves garlic, minced
â—¦ 1 ½ teaspoons table salt
â—¦ ½ teaspoon pepper
â—¦ ¼ cup all-purpose flour
â—¦ 1 ½ cups chicken broth
â—¦ 1 ½ cups heavy cream
â—¦ ½ cup dry white wine or vermouth


Recipe

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 and mushrooms have browned, 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.

Serves 6 to 8