Green Bean Casserole

4.4 Stars (5 Reviews)

Yield: 8 servings

prep time: 35

cook time: 40

total time: 1 15

This is the best Green Bean Casserole recipe - it rivals anything that comes out of a can! Made from scratch, with fresh green beans in a creamy, flavorful homemade gravy, this beloved dish is topped with crispy bacon and fried shallots for the ultimate holiday dinner side.

Ingredients

Fried shallots:

⅓ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon cayenne
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon Morton kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
4 large shallots, peeled and thinly sliced into rings
canola oil or your favorite neutral frying oil

Green beans, bacon & gravy:

2½ pounds fresh green beans, trimmed and halved (use 2 lbs. if you like a larger gravy to beans ratio)
8 ounces bacon
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
16 ounces sliced button mushrooms, (for more mushroom flavor, use cremini variety)
⅓ cup finely chopped shallots
3 large cloves garlic, minced
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
2 cups half & half
2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
⅔ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

For the fried shallots

In a medium bowl that has a lid, whisk together flour, cayenne, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper.
Add sliced shallots. Place lid tightly on bowl and shake the bowl a few times to evenly coat shallots with flour mixture.
Pour oil into a medium saucepan to a 1" depth and place over medium-high heat. Heat to 325°F, using a kitchen thermometer to track the temperature.
Fry shallots in batches until golden brown and lightly crispy. Take care to not let them get too dark, as they will also bake for a bit in the oven on top of the casserole. This should take 3-5 minutes per batch. Transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with kosher salt and set aside.

For the green beans, bacon, and homemade gravy

Preheat oven to 375°F.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add green beans. Cook beans for 2-3 minutes, until bright green in color and tender-crisp. Drain beans and transfer to a large bowl of ice water to stop from cooking. Drain again and set aside.
In an extra-large skillet with tall sides, over medium to medium-high heat, fry bacon until chewy-crisp. Transfer bacon from skillet to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and cool. Once bacon has cooled, roughly chop and set aside.
Discard all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat from the skillet. Return skillet to stove top over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter to the skillet. Once butter is melted, add the mushrooms and stir to incorporate. Cook, stirring regularly, until mushrooms are softened. Add chopped shallots and garlic, stirring to incorporate. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, until garlic is fragrant.
Now slide everything in the skillet to one side. Add remaining 4 tablespoons of butter to other side of skillet. When butter is melted, sprinkle flour over the butter, whisking all the while. A flat whisk works awesome here. Draw in as much liquid as you can, into the flour. The mixture will be very thick. Let it cook for one minute, until slightly browned and fragrant. Then slowly whisk in chicken stock until flour mixture is smooth. Whisk in the half & half. Now bring the entire contents of the skillet together, scraping the bottom of the skillet, and folding to incorporate. Turn heat up to medium-high and cook until thickened and bubbly, about 4-5 minutes, stirring periodically.
Remove skillet from heat. Stir in soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Then sprinkle Parmesan, rosemary, and thyme over the top and stir to combine. Now is the time to taste test and add more salt and pepper, if desired. I usually add about ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of black pepper at this point.
Fold in blanched green beans. Transfer mixture to a large baking dish and place in oven for 30 minutes. Remove casserole from oven and arrange fried shallots and chopped bacon over the top, leaving green beans exposed around the perimeter of the dish. Place in oven and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, or until edges of casserole are bubbling and the top is golden. Remove from oven and let rest for a few minutes before serving.

Notes

To prepare (mostly) ahead of time: Simply fry the bacon, chop, place in a container, and refrigerate. Fry the shallots, place in a container, and refrigerate. Prepare the casserole all the way through placing it in a baking dish. Cover tightly and refrigerate. Remove casserole, bacon, and shallots from refrigerator 30 minutes prior to baking and preheat the oven to 375°F. Place foil over the dish and bake for 30 minutes. Then remove foil and bake for another 5-10 minutes, or until center is hot (dip a spoon into the center to test) and edges are just starting to bubble. Then top with bacon and fried shallots and bake for another 5-10 minutes, or until casserole edges are bubbling. To crisp up the shallots, place under broiler for 1-2 minutes.

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1 Calories: 466kcal Carbohydrates: 33g Protein: 20g Fat: 29g Saturated Fat: 14g Polyunsaturated Fat: 14g Cholesterol: 79mg Sodium: 1084mg Fiber: 7g Sugar: 11g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Spoonacular. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your own favorite calculator.