Green Bean Casserole

Is green bean casserole your favorite dish at Thanksgiving too? Being that it is mine, I felt it only appropriate to recreate with my own spin. Here is my take on the classic dish, dressed up with a bit more flavors that I love and made completely from scratch. This is a thanksgiving casserole for mushroom lovers like me. The addition of lemon and leek really brighten the flavors of this classic. This recipe was made in collaboration with March Party Goods to plan a Thanksgiving feast, scaled down in size but certainly not flavor. If you are looking for a new recipe to add to your table this year give this one a try, it’s green bean casserole, made better!

First you will prep the three main veggie ingredients of this dish. Wash, trim, and quickly blanch the green beans. Once the green beans are done and sitting in a colander to dry, I prep the mushrooms and leek. Slice the leek into 3/4 inch half circles, toss in olive oil, salt and pepper and roast in a preheated oven. While waiting on the leeks to cook, I rough chop mushrooms into quarters and sauté until edges are just started to turn golden brown. Once all three are done, you can assemble in layers in your casserole dish. I start with a layer of green beans, then mushrooms, and then leeks. Repeat these layers once more, ending with the last third of the blanched green beans.

Once your casserole veggies are assembled, it is time to make the sauce. Add heavy cream, milk, garlic, and AP flour to a sauce pan and bring to a simmer while whisking constantly so that the milk doesn’t burn to the bottom. As soon as mixture gets to a simmer, remove pan from heat and stir in salt and pepper, parmesan cheese, lemon zest, and red pepper flakes. Pour sauce over the veggies in the casserole dish and you are ready to bake! Cover dish with oven safe lid, or foil for the first half of the bake. Once you uncover the casserole for the last 20 minutes of bake time, make the crispy fried shallots by thinly slicing and frying in vegetable oil. Serve green bean casserole hot, and top with crispy shallots right before everyone starts to dig in.

Kitchen tip!

Why must I blanch my green beans you may ask? This quick cooking followed immediately by a cool down with ice cold water helps vegetables, such as green beans, maintain their bright flavor and firm texture. A quick blanch is especially important when vegetables will be additionally cooked in a sauce, such as green bean casserole. You want your green beans to be delightful to look at and bite into, not gray and mushy. This classic thanksgiving dish is more traditionally made with frozen green beans, however I think you will really enjoy this version using fresh produce!

Health benefit.

Generally, we associate orange produce such as carrots with vitamin A, but did you know both green beans and leeks provide a good amount of this family of nutrients? Vitamin A is fat soluble, and refers to a group of retinoids that aids in vision, immune function, cell growth, and reproduction.[1] So aim to include greens, whites, orange, and all other colors of the produce palette on your plate regularly.

Green Bean Casserole

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Yield: 8

Author: Paige Wollenzien

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 1 H & 20 Minactive time: 10 MinTotal time: 2 Hour

Here is a slight twist on the classic which incorporates some of my favorite flavors.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb fresh green beans, trimmed
• 1 medium leek
• 2 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil, divided
• pinch salt and pepper
• 1 lb cremini mushrooms
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 Tablespoons AP flour
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• Zest of one lemon
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
• 2 medium shallots
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
2. Add trimmed green beans to the pot of boiling water. Blanch by boiling for 3-4 minutes. Immediately drain using a colander and rinse thoroughly  with very cold water. Set aside to drain.
3. Slice leek in half lengthwise and wash the dirt from between the layers. Lay halves on the cutting board and slice diagonally into 3/4 inch pieces. Arrange cut leek on a rimmed sheet pan, drizzle with 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil and pinch salt and pepper. Toss leek in oil and spread evenly on the pan. Bake for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through. Leek should be cooked very well, with some dark pieces. Let cool.
4. Reduce oven temperature to 375 F. Rough chop mushrooms. I cut the smaller mushrooms into quarters, the larger mushrooms will have to be sliced into more pieces. Try to keep the sizing of cut mushrooms fairly consistent. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Sauté mushrooms until sides are starting to turn golden, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from pan so they don't continue to cook and cool.
5. Arrange 1/3rd of the green beans in the bottom of a medium (8x8 or 9x9) casserole dish. Next layer half of the mushrooms on top of the green beans. Then add half of the roasted leeks. Repeat with green beans, mushrooms, and leeks. The top layer should be the remaining 1/3rd of the green beans. Set aside.
6. In a small saucepan, add the heavy cream and milk. Whisk in flour so that no clumps remain. Stir in minced garlic. Heat slowly over medium heat, stirring often so milk doesn't burn to the bottom of the pan just until it start to simmer. 
7. Remove from heat and stir in salt and pepper, parmesan cheese, lemon zest, and red pepper flakes. Pour over green bean, mushroom, and leek mixture in the casserole dish. 
8. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 25 minutes. The sauce should be bubbling at this point. Remove foil and bake for another 20 minutes uncovered. 
9. While casserole is baking, make the crispy shallots. Thinly slice shallots using a mandolin if you have one. If using a knife, slice as thin as possible. Heat vegetable oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add slice shallots and fry, stirring often. Cook for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Keep a close eye on them, they can burn easily once they start to brown. Once done, immediately pour into a fine mesh strainer placed over a glass measuring cup or heatproof bowl. Let cool.
10. Once casserole is done, remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving. Top with crispy fried shallots right before serving. 

Notes:

Save the oil you used to fry the shallots in in a small glass container to make salad dressings later!

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References

1. Office of Dietary Supplements - Vitamin A. (n.d.). Retrieved November 23, 2020, from https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminA-HealthProfessional/