Upgrading the greenbean casserole?

[Jim Uran]

How can I make this better, I mean I like the recipe on the can but there has to be better ways to make it!

[flyfisher03]

Add some bacon....bacon makes everything better.

[reinhard1]

i agree with the bacon. my wife is looking for a southern style green bean casserole that her aunt used to make when she was a kid. i haven't found it yet and still looking. i like garlic also [actualy in a lot of things]. i'm thinking also of your favorite sausage crumbled in with the rest of the stuff and a lot of crumbled up cheese on top. real crispy onion rings or some tator tots or french fries. good luck.

[delcecchi]

from cooks illustrated, the top notch version

Published November 1, 2006.

The classic combo of green beans, condensed soup, and canned onions isn't bad. But for a holiday centered on homemade food, shouldn't every dish be great?

The Problem

It seems that almost everybody has a fond memory of the classic Campbell Soup green bean casserole—frozen green beans in a sauce made from condensed mushroom soup and topped with canned onions—but we found that the standard recipe had a bland and stodgy quality that came from using nothing but processed convenience products.

The Goal

We wanted to come up with a casserole that deserved a place alongside the homemade dishes at a holiday dinner table.

The Solution

Our first tasting determined that we definitely needed to use fresh green beans rather than frozen or canned beans. A preliminary blanching and shocking prepared the beans to finish cooking perfectly in the casserole, enabling them to keep a consistent texture and retain their beautiful green color. For our sauce, we made a mushroom variation of the classic French velouté sauce (chicken broth thickened with a roux made from butter and flour, then finished with heavy cream). Our biggest challenge was the onion topping. Ultimately we found that the canned onions couldn't be entirely replaced without sacrificing the level of convenience we thought appropriate to the dish, but we masked their "commercial" flavor with freshly made buttered bread crumbs.

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Serves 10 to 12

The components of the casserole can be prepared ahead of time. Store the bread-crumb topping in an airtight container in the refrigerator and combine with the onions just before cooking. Combine the beans and cooled sauce in a baking dish, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. To serve, remove the plastic wrap and heat the casserole in a 425-degree oven for 10 minutes, then add the topping and bake as directed. This recipe can be halved and baked in a 2-quart (or 8-inch-square) baking dish. If making a half batch, reduce the cooking time of the sauce in step 3 to about 6 minutes (1 3/4 cups) and the baking time in step 4 to 10 minutes.

Ingredients

Topping

4slices white sandwich bread , each slice torn into quarters

2tablespoons unsalted butter , softened

1/4teaspoon table salt

1/8teaspoon ground black pepper

3cups canned fried onions (about 6 ounces)

Beans and Sauce

Table salt

2pounds green beans , ends trimmed, and halved

3tablespoons unsalted butter

1pound white button mushrooms , stems trimmed, wiped clean, and broken into 1/2-inch pieces (see illustrations below)

3medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)

Ground black pepper

3tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour

1 1/2cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 1/2cups heavy cream

Instructions

1. FOR THE TOPPING: Pulse bread, butter, salt, and pepper in food processor until mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about ten 1-second pulses. Transfer to large bowl and toss with onions; set aside.

2. FOR THE BEANS AND SAUCE: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Fill large bowl with ice water. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large Dutch oven. Add 2 tablespoons salt and beans. Cook beans until bright green and crisp-tender, about 6 minutes. Drain beans in colander and plunge immediately into ice water to stop cooking. Spread beans on paper-towel-lined baking sheet to drain.

3. Add butter to now-empty Dutch oven and melt over medium-high heat until foaming subsides. Add mushrooms, garlic, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper; cook until mushrooms release moisture and liquid evaporates, about 6 minutes. Add flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in broth and bring to simmer, stirring constantly. Add cream, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until sauce is thickened and reduced to 3 1/2 cups, about 12 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Add green beans to sauce and stir until evenly coated. Arrange in even layer in 3-quart (or 13 by 9-inch) baking dish. Sprinkle with topping and bake until top is golden brown and sauce is bubbling around edges, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately

[c0untryf1sh3r]

+1 on the bacon

My grandma puts a can of cream of chicken in hers and it adds another subtle flavor thats not overpowering. May seem strange but it tastes pretty good.

[Jim Uran]

Delcecchi!!! That's what I'm talking about!!! Thanks for taking the time to type that up. I like the other ideas too, the Bacon seems like a no brainer, can't believe I never thought of that.

[reinhard1]

now that's a casserole!!!!!i also want to thank you for taking the time to post that recipie. good luck.

[Jim Almquist]

Thanks for posting this recipe from Cook's. I have always liked how they break down the bad and the good when making a recipe better. We have the hard bound books from 1993 through 2006 along with the guides that tell you where to find the recipes in the books. The tips and tricks are great as well.

[stoneeyes317]

I went looking for an updated green bean casserole a few years ago when we hosted Thanksgiving and I decided on one from Paula Dean. Her recipe can be found doing a search on the Food network, but I'll try and summarize:

Saute (fresh) sliced onions and mushrooms in butter. Boil 2C fresh sliced green beans in 3C chicken broth for 10 minutes. Add beans, 1 can cream of mushroom soup, and 1 can French's fried onions to sauted veggies; season with salt, pepper and garlic, stir to combine. Pour into a casserole dish and bake @ 350 for 20 min. remove and top with 1 C cheddar and return to oven for 10 min. more...

eyes317

[delcecchi]

Delcecchi!!! That's what I'm talking about!!! Thanks for taking the time to type that up. I like the other ideas too, the Bacon seems like a no brainer, can't believe I never thought of that.

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