Green Bean Casserole

Green bean casserole with crunchy onions

Ingredients

   "Fried" Onions

  • 1 large onion
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 Tbsp milk

   Casserole

  • 1 Tbsp and 1 tsp salt, divided
  • 1lb fresh green beans
  • 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 8oz mushrooms, sliced into halves or quarters*
  • 1/2 pepper
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1 and 1/4 cups half and half

Directions

  • Preheat the oven to 475°F (246°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set it aside.
  • Thinly slice the onion and separate the slices. Pour flour in one small bowl, Panko + salt + pepper into a medium bowl, and whisk the egg and milk together in another small bowl (To bread the onion slices, you’ll want to use one hand for dry and one hand for wet). First, dip a few slices into the flour. Then into the egg mixture. And finally, coat them well in the bread crumbs. Place onto a baking sheet and repeat with the rest of the slices. Bake onions until golden brown, about 25 minutes, flipping every 8 or so minutes. Set them aside.
  • Reduce oven to 400°F (204°C).
  • While the onions bake, bring a gallon of water and 1 Tbsp of salt to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the beans and blanch for 5 minutes. Drain and immediately place into a large bowl filled with ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain again and set aside.
  • Over medium-high heat, melt the butter in a large 10 to 12 inch ovenproof skillet. Add the mushrooms, 1 tsp salt, and the pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to give off some of their moisture—about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, stir, and cook for another 2 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and stir until combined. Add the chicken broth and simmer for 3 minutes.
  • Decrease the heat to medium-low and add the half-and-half. Stirring occasionally, cook until the mixture is thick—about 10 minutes, or more if you prefer a thicker sauce.
  • Remove from the heat and add around 1/4 of the onions and all of the green beans. Give it a nice stir, combining the sauce and beans. Top with remaining onions and bake until bubbly, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve warm.

*If desired, leave the mushrooms out or replace them with one thinly sliced bell pepper

This recipe is courtesy of sallysbakingaddiction.com