A healthier, fresher take on a classic holiday dish
For the holidays, there are people who absolutely love a classic green bean casserole made with condensed soup, canned beans and packaged fried onions.
I get the nostalgia. And the thought is a winning one: tender green beans enveloped in a creamy sauce and topped with crispy crunchy oniony things.
But how about a fresher take on the concept? Modern Green Bean Casserole Makes: 10 servings Start to finish: 45 minutes Crispy shallot topping 5 shallots, very thinly sliced Canola or vegetable oil for frying • Kosher salt to taste Green bean casserole 2 lbs haricot verts, ends trimmed 2 Tbsp butter 1 lb mushrooms, wiped clean and roughly chopped (any kind of mushrooms, button, cremini, wild, whatever you like) 3 shallots, minced 3 Tbsp flour 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth 1 cup half and half • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste • Fresh parsley or chervil to garnish (optional) Preheat the oven to 400 F. Butter a shallow three-quart casserole. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Line a plate with paper towels. Place the five sliced shallots in a small saucepan and pour in canola or vegetable oil to cover. Place the pan on the stove, turn the heat to medium and allow the shallots to cook, stirring occasionally until they turn medium brown. Drain them in a fine-mesh sieve, reserving the oil for another use, then turn the shallots onto the paper-plate lined plate and blot with another paper towel. Sprinkle with salt.
Fill a large bowl with water and some ice. Plunge the haricot verts into the pot of boiling water, and cook for about five minutes, just until crisp tender. Drain and plunge the partially cooked green beans into the ice water to stop the cooking. Drain.
Melt the butter in large skillet. Sauté the mushrooms until they’re browned and any liquid they have released has evaporated, about six minutes. Add the three chopped shallots and saute for another two minutes until the shallots are slightly softened. Sprinkle the flour over them, and continue to sauté for another two minutes until the flour coats the mushrooms well, and turns golden. Slowly pour in the broth while stirring. Stir in the half and half, and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the liquid thickens. Add the partially cooked green beans. Turn into the prepared casserole. Bake until hot and bubbly, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle the crispy sliced shallots over the casserole and bake for 5 more minutes until shallots are hot and re-crisped. Serve hot. Nutrition information per serving: 162 calories; 102 calories from fat; 11 g fat (7 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 39 mg cholesterol; 248 mg sodium; 13 g carbohydrate; 3 g fibre; 5 g sugar; 5 g protein. Katie Workman has written two cookbooks focused on easy, family-friendly cooking, Dinner Solved! and The Mom 100 Cookbook. She blogs at themom100.com/ about-katie-workman. She can be reached at Katie@themom100.com.