I have never really been a green-bean casserole girl. But I realized that I don't really like canned green beans very much, but I love fresh ones. And cream of mushroom soup is always best fresh, right? So, I found a recipe for the casserole with fresh green beans and homemade cream of mushroom, and it is honestly so delicious. It is extra work, and the cream of mushroom is rich, but for special occasions, this is such a great recipe!!!
Homemade Green Bean Casserole
Preheat Oven to 425.
Green Bean Prep
1 lb green beans, ends snapped, snapped into bite size pieces
1 Tb table salt (author recommends if you don't have table salt, you can use double of kosher or sea salt)
Large pot of boiling water
Prep green beans while bringing water to boil. Add the salt and the beans to the water, cover, and cook for 6 minutes, or until still crisp-tender and bright green. The beans won't get much softer after this, so cook them as thoroughly as you like them. While the beans are cooking, prepare a large bowl full of ice water. Drain the beans in a colander and plunge them into the ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain the beans again in a colander. Place the green beans in a single layer on paper towels to dry.
Cream of Mushroom Sauce (I think I may have needed to make more sauce than this, but I can't remember for sure.)
8 oz favorite mushrooms
1 Tb unsalted butter
1 Tb fresh garlic
1 tsp kosher salt
Fresh pepper to taste
1 1/2 Tb flour
3/4 C chicken stock
1 Tb dry sherry
3/4 C half and half or heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
Clean the mushrooms, break off and discard stems. Break the tops into pieces. (The author insists that cutting with a knife will change the texture of the soup!) Melt the butter in a skillet or pan. Add the mushrooms, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook about 6 minutes, till mushrooms soften, stirring often. Stir in flour and cook a minute. Start adding chicken stock and sherry 1 Tb at a time. Once the liquid and the flour start to gel into a sauce, you can add the stock and sherry more quickly. Bring to a simmer. Add the half and half, simmer till the sauce thickens, about 10-15 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Stir in cooked beans.
Place casserole ingredients into a casserole dish. Top with crispy onions, if you like them, and bake in the oven until cooked on top, about 20 minutes.
