I totally stole this one and am putting it here so I will have it always and forever.1
WORLD’S BEST GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE
Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated, November-December 2006
Hands-on time: 30 minutes
Time to table: 45 minutes
Serves 8 in small-ish servings for a big dinner
BEANS
2 quarts water
1 tablespoon table salt2
1 pound fresh green beans, ends snapped, snapped into bite-size pieces
Bring the water to boil in a large pot or Dutch oven. While it comes to a boil, prep the beans. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Add the salt and beans to the boiling water. Cover and cook for 6 minutes or until crisp-tender and still bright green. Drain beans in a colander, then plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. Drain a bit in the colander again. Place a double layer of paper towels on a baking sheet, arrange beans in single layer to dry, top with a double layer of towels. If doubling/tripling the recipe means cooking the beans in batches, start each batch with fresh water; at minimum, re-salt the water with each new batch. Don’t skip the drying process.
MUSHROOMS & SAUCE
8 ounces baby portabella mushrooms3
1 tablespoon unsalted butter4
1 tablespoon fresh garlic, minced
Kosher salt to taste
Fresh pepper to taste
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon dry sherry 5
3/4 cup half & half 6
Salt & pepper to taste
Clean the mushrooms; break off and discard the stems.7 Break the mushroom tops into pieces.8 Melt the butter in a skillet til shimmery.9 Add the mushrooms, garlic, salt and pepper. Stirring often, cook til mushrooms begin to soften and exude their liquid, about 6 minutes. Stir in flour and cook a minute. Add the chicken stock, sherry and bring to a simmer. Add the half & half, simmer til sauce thickens, about 10 – 15 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Stir in the cooked beans till they are evenly distributed throughout the sauce.
TOPPING10
1 slice good whole grain bread
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 a 2.8 ounce can of French fried onions
1/8 teaspoon table salt
1/16 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
In the food processor, process the bread, butter and seasonings in about 10 quick pulses. Stir in the onions — but don’t process. If making ahead, transfer to a storage container and refrigerate.
COOKING RIGHT AWAY Preheat oven to 425F. Transfer bean mixture to a greased quiche pan or baking dish. Top beans with topping and bake for 15 minutes.
COOKING LATER Transfer bean mixture to a greased quiche pan or baking dish, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Return to room temperature.11 Remove plastic wrap. Heat in 425F oven for about 10 minutes.12 Add topping and bake for another 15 minutes.
- you know how links can be. ↩
- salt is key to the flavor so don’t skimp; if you don’t have table salt, use twice as much as the relatively ‘less salty’ kosher salt or sea salt. ↩
- I uses white button mushrooms, I really liked the color of the brown portabella however … ↩
- Cooks Illustrates uses 1 1/2 tablespoons ↩
- my addition, adds a new flavor dimension. ↩
- I use heavy cream, don’t use fat-free half-n-half, it won’t thicken. ↩
- Better yet, use the stems to make a night-before-Thanksgiving mushroom soup ↩
- Breaking the tops is important to the texture for slicing them with a knife makes the mushrooms more like the ones in canned soup ↩
- Or to save a pan, use the pot used for cooking the beans. ↩
- the quantity below is half what CI used ↩
- It takes about 3 hours for a triple batch to reach room temperature. ↩
- Cook’s Illustrated’s 10 minutes might work for a one-pound batch in a relatively shallow pan like a quiche pan. For a triple batch, however, allow at least 30 – 40 minutes for a deeper dish, especially one prepped in advance or not quite at room temperature. ↩
I made this casserole last Thanksgiving and I’m making it again this year, it’s AWESOME! Didn’t change a thing and it feeds six people.