a healthier green bean casserole

[chiver78]

Green Bean and Pearl Onion Casserole
for the casserole:
Kosher salt
1 1/4 lbs green beans, trimmed
2 cups pearl onions
2 tablespoons EVOO
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, chopped
2 bay leaves
3 cups assorted mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
2 tablespoons fresh thyme
freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups whole milk

for the topping:
vegetable oil, for frying
4 shallots, thinly sliced
all purpose flour, for coating
Kosher salt

1. Prepare the casserole: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the green beans and pearl onions, and cook until the beans are a bright green - 2 to 3 minutes. Drain the vegetables, then plunge into an ice bath to stop the cooking. Drain, then remove the skins from the pearl onions.

2. Combine the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and shallot and cook, stirring, until the shallot is caramelized - about 5 minutes. Add the bay leaves, then the mushrooms. Stir to combine, then add the thyme and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the mixture with the flour to tighten it up. Add the milk and boil 3 minutes to thicken. Remove the bay leaves.

3. Place the green beans and pearl onions in a 3-qt casserole dish. Pour the "mushroom soup" over the vegetables and toss to make sure they are well coated. Transfer to the oven and bake for 30 minutes.

4. Make the topping: Heat about 2" of vegetable oil in a large pot or Dutch oven until a deep-fry thermometer registers 360 degrees. Toss the shallots in a bowl with enough flour to lightly coat. Working in batches, fry the shallots until golden brown and crisp - about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove to paper towels to drain. Season lightly with salt. Scatter over the casserole before serving.

[Peace Of Mind]

LOL!  No wonder so many of us love the usual Green Bean Casserole dish.  It's way easier to put together and it's fabulous!

Recipe:

Open various cans of Fresh Cut green beans and cream of crap soup.
Throw in baking dish with added mushrooms if so desired.
Salt & Pepper to taste.
Bake for approx. 30 minutes on 350 degrees and add the French fried onions the last few minutes until lightly browned.

Watch Chiver continue to do all that work while eating the green bean yumminess. 

[thyme4change]

Why not just eat some yummy green beans without smothering them in inneccessary cream. Even easier.

[chiver78]

lmao, I'm not making this. I posted it by request, I mentioned it the other night in the T-day plans thread. I saw it when I was flipping through my Food Network Magazine, thought it sounded tasty. I re-posted it here for future reference

I've never had the typical recipe before.....I think I've only even seen it a couple of times. none of my extended family is big on the cream of crap varieties. I've never had tuna noodle casserole either. that's a pretty common one too, eh?

[thyme4change]

Casseroles are gross.

[ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ]

Nov 21, 2013 18:09:43 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

Casseroles are gross.

And green bean casserole is in the top-ten ranking of gross.

And while the recipe that Chiver posted sounds a lot more tasty than POM's Traditional Green Bean/Cream of Crap recipe, it's still green bean casserole.

I think it's time for this old relic side-dish to be retired to the Smithsonian.

[busymom]

We like it at our house (except for DH, but he's the picky eater of the family).  If I don't have green bean casserole on my Thanksgiving table, I'm afraid DD will leave early to go back to college.  She loves the stuff! 

[Deleted]

Instead of the whole "ice bath" step, I cook my green beans last so they won't be overdone. I like to render out a little salt pork or a couple of pieces of bacon, and then use the "grease" in the hot skillet to saute/stirfry the green beans for a couple of minutes... then I throw in a couple of tablespoons of water and cover it and remove it from the heat to a trivet. Then I let it sit (and coast) until I've plated the entree and other sidedishes, then I portion it out.