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Thanksgiving: Ultimate Green Bean Casserole

Source of Recipe

From "America's Test Kitchen Thanksgiving Playbook"


Recipe Introduction

"Using fresh green beans rather than frozen or canned was our first update to the classic green bean casserole recipe. In place of canned soup, we made a mushroom variation of the classic French velouté sauce. Ultimately, we found that the canned onions couldn't be entirely replaced in our green bean casserole recipe without sacrificing the level of convenience we thought appropriate to the dish, but we masked their commercial flavor with freshly made buttered bread crumbs. This recipe can be halved and baked in a 2-quart (or 8-inch square) baking dish. If making a half batch, decrease the sauce's cooking time in step 3 to about 6 minutes (reducing it to 1 ¾ cups) and the baking time in step 4 to 10 minutes."

List of Ingredients

Topping:
â—¦ 4 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into quarters
â—¦ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon salt
â—¦ â…› teaspoon pepper
â—¦ 1 (6-ounce) can fried onions (3 cups)

Green beans and sauce:
â—¦ 2 pounds green beans, trimmed and halved crosswise
â—¦ Salt and pepper
â—¦ 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
â—¦ 1 pound white mushrooms, trimmed and broken into ½-inch pieces
â—¦ 3 cloves garlic, minced
â—¦ 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
â—¦ 1 ½ cups chicken broth
â—¦ 1 ½ cups heavy cream


Recipe

For the topping:
Pulse bread, butter, salt, and pepper in food processor until mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about 10 pulses. Transfer to large bowl and toss with onions; set aside.

For the green beans and sauce:
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Line baking sheet with paper towels. Fill large bowl halfway with ice and water. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in Dutch oven. Add green beans and 2 tablespoons salt and cook until green beans are bright green and crisp-tender, about 6 minutes. Drain green beans and transfer to ice bath to cool. Drain again, then spread green beans on prepared sheet and let dry.

Melt butter in now-empty pot over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, garlic, ¾ teaspoon salt, and â…› teaspoon pepper and cook until mushrooms release moisture and liquid evaporates, about 6 minutes. Add flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in broth and bring to simmer, stirring constantly. Add cream, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until sauce is thickened and reduced to 3 ½ cups, about 12 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add green beans to sauce and stir until evenly coated. Spread in even layer in 3-quart (or 13 by 9-inch) baking dish. Sprinkle with topping and bake until topping is golden brown and sauce is bubbling around edges, about 15 minutes.
Serve immediately.

Serves 10 to 12