Description
A classic Green Bean Casserole made from scratch featuring fresh green beans, a creamy mushroom sauce, and crispy homemade buttermilk French fried onions on top for the perfect comforting side dish.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Buttermilk French Fried Onions
- 2 sweet onions, thinly sliced
- 2 cups buttermilk
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- Vegetable or canola oil for frying
Green Bean Casserole
- 2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed and snapped in half
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 large sweet onion, diced
- Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
- 16 ounces cremini mushrooms, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, plus more for topping
Instructions
- Prepare the French Fried Onions: Place the thinly sliced onions in a large bowl and cover them with buttermilk. Let them soak while preparing the oil. Heat vegetable or canola oil in a large stockpot or saucepan to 375 degrees F. Season the flour on a plate with salt and pepper. Dredge a few soaked onions into the flour, coating completely.
- Fry the Onions: Fry the floured onion slices in the hot oil, tossing occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels. Set aside for topping the casserole.
- Preheat Oven: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F in preparation for baking the casserole.
- Blanch the Green Beans: Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add green beans and blanch for 5 minutes. Immediately transfer the beans to a bowl of ice water to stop cooking. Drain and set aside.
- Sauté Vegetables: In a large skillet, heat olive oil and butter over medium-low heat. Add diced onion with salt and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes until softened. Stir in chopped mushrooms and cook another 5 minutes until softened. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
- Make the Roux and Sauce: Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and stir to form a roux. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant and slightly nutty. Slowly add stock while stirring continuously. Cook for about 5 minutes until thickened and simmering. Stir in heavy cream, nutmeg, and grated Parmesan cheese. Remove from heat.
- Combine Green Beans and Sauce: Add blanched green beans to the creamy mushroom mixture and toss to coat evenly. Pour the mixture into a 9×13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle additional Parmesan cheese over the top.
- Assemble and Bake: Top the casserole evenly with the prepared French fried onions. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes until the sauce is bubbly and the topping is golden.
- Serve: Remove from oven and serve immediately while warm. To serve different portions, halve or double the recipe accordingly and adjust the French fried onions as desired.
Notes
- Store-bought French fried onions can be used as a convenient substitute if desired.
- Use vegetable or canola oil with a high smoke point for frying the onions to achieve crispiness.
- Blanching the green beans preserves their bright color and crisp texture before baking.
- Adjust salt and pepper to taste throughout the recipe for balanced seasoning.
- For a vegetarian version, use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.
- Make sure to soak onions in buttermilk sufficiently to achieve tender fried onion rings.
- Grated Parmesan cheese adds a nutty flavor but can be substituted with a similar hard cheese if unavailable.
