African American Green Bean Casserole

African American Green Bean Casserole – Some of you may think this is boring, but green bean casserole is one thing I can’t get enough of on Thanksgiving. It really looks like a crack to me. We always have to add and sometimes we have to make a second batch to go with the leftovers.

For a long time I just made a standard recipe. Let me give you a hint…it involves a lot of canning. A can of fried onions. Canned green beans. Canned Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup.

African American Green Bean Casserole

But since I now avoid canned ingredients as much as possible, I made it my mission this year to recreate this recipe with fresh ingredients.

Sautéed Green Beans With Garlic

(Update 11/7/2013: I’ve been making this for the past two years and my family loves it! I plan on making it again this year, so I’ve updated it with a few new photos).

Let’s start with mung beans. This is the easy part. Trim and cut into 2-inch pieces. Cook the green beans in the chicken stock for 4-6 minutes, depending on the consistency you want your vegetables to have. To stop the cooking process and preserve the bright green color of the beans, place them in an ice bath. Reserve about 1/4 to 1/2 cup broth for later use. (Actually, you can save all the broth and use it in other recipes, such as stuffing, etc.).

Next…fried onions. I decided to use shallots because they were the perfect size to replicate the onions in the can. You will need about 3 green onions. (About 2 cups sliced).

Supermarket Green Beans

Thinly slice the shallots and set aside. Soak in a glass of milk for five minutes. Remove from milk and place in a gallon ziplock bag. Pour in the seasoned flour, seal bag and shake to coat shallots.

Heat safflower oil (or other high-vaping oil) over high heat. Fry the shallots for about five minutes or until golden brown (in 2 batches if necessary). Drain on paper towels and season with salt while still hot. Try them and see how delicious they are. Then try some more. Then put the plate out of sight so you don’t eat them all. (Make ahead: Fried shallots can be made the day ahead and stored in an airtight container.)

Now for the soup. This is the tricky part. I had to do it twice to get it just right. The problem is you can’t use regular soup because it’s too watery. The contents of the can are thick because they are not diluted. If you don’t want to make a mess, you can still use the canned stuff, but it usually contains partially hydrogenated oils, lots of sodium, and other weird chemicals. (Powerful!) I was determined to get this right. This is what I came up with after some trial and error and reading some advice online.

Star Makeover: Retro Aspic Green Bean Casserole

Heat butter in skillet over medium heat. Sauté the chopped mushrooms and garlic until soft. Sprinkle with onion powder and white pepper and stir in whole milk. Make a slurry by mixing about 2 tablespoons of the reserved broth (or you can use water) with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Pour into mushroom mixture and stir until thickened. If necessary, make another powder and repeat. Cook until puree consistency. Season with salt and pepper. If you like a smooth soup, puree it in a blender. I like big chunks of mushrooms in my casserole, so I left them as is. (Make Ahead: Can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated. Can also be made ahead and frozen for up to 3 months.)

Combine soup, beans and 3/4 of fried shallots in a bowl and pour into square casserole dish. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, sprinkle with remaining fried shallots and bake for another 5 minutes. result? Just as delicious, but without all the nasty preservatives. I’m making a double batch for Thanksgiving. tasty!

*Prepare ahead: Cream of mushroom soup can be prepared up to two days ahead, or longer if frozen. Stores in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Fried shallots can be made the day before and stored in an airtight container. Mung beans can be boiled in broth the day before. This is the ultimate green bean casserole recipe ~ made from scratch. Everything in this classic holiday side dish is quick and easy to make, no jars required. The flavor is out of this world and if you try it this Thanksgiving, I guarantee you’ll be craving green bean casserole all year long.

Homemade Green Bean Casserole

I’ve never understood why so many traditional holiday foods contain candied fruits. Since the holidays only come once a year, wouldn’t it make more sense to put in a little extra effort to spend them the right way?

This easy but 100% homemade green bean casserole is the ultimate. Should I start with homemade cream of mushroom soup? Is it so delicious that it gets its own post? Or do I skip right to their crispy fried shallots? Maybe I should mention now that the sauce for this casserole contains Gruyère cheese along with sherry and nutmeg for the best flavor ever.

You guys have a lot of green bean casseroles to choose from, I get it, but this one is really special…

Home Style Green Bean Casserole Recipe

Buy the best you can find if you can find them, I like thin French beans. No need to cut them off, I like to keep them long and skinny. It’s important to blanch them briefly before assembling the casserole to remove the burrs from the beans. Simply place them in boiling water for a few minutes and then place them in an ice bath to stop cooking and lock in their bright green color.

I was able to get so much flavor by putting dried shiitake mushrooms into the hot skins. It sat for about 30 minutes and then I pureed it. To thicken the sauce, I made a quick pate from flour and butter, adding sherry, salt, pepper and nutmeg. This sauce has incredible wild mushroom flavor.

NOTE: The first few times I made this casserole, I used a food processor to blend the mushroom sauce, which gave it a thicker texture (see above). Last time I used a Vitamix blender, the texture was silky smooth (see below). Either way will work, it just depends on whether you want a little bit of mushroom in the sauce. Either way, the taste is the same.

Why Frozen Green Beans Are A Better Choice For Green Bean Casserole

Oooooooorrrr, you can do the right thing and whip up a quick batch of super crispy homemade fried shallots…(a better idea!)

I hope I convinced you to try it, we love it and it’s on our permanent Thanksgiving menu. We may do a smaller version a few more times this winter.

Favorite Green Bean Casserole from Scratch is a classic Thanksgiving side dish recipe that can be made without canned soup. The taste is out of this world!

Extra Crunchy Green Bean Casserole

You can use whole milk instead of half-and-half or cream, but the sauce won’t be as rich and creamy.

Calories: 255 kcal · Carbohydrates: 17 g · Protein: 9 g · Fat: 17 g · Saturated fat: 10 g · Polyunsaturated fat: 1 g · Monounsaturated fat: 5 g · Trans fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 52 mg Sodium: 197 mg Potassium: 346 mg Fiber: 3 g Sugar: 4 g Vitamin A: 1089 IU Vitamin C: 12 mg Calcium: 269 mg Iron: 1 mg

Nutritional information is provided for informational purposes only. This information comes from an online calculator. While Big Island View strives to provide accurate nutritional information, these numbers are only estimates.

Classic Vegan Green Bean Casserole

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Hello~ I’m Su. I love making delicious food, taking photos and writing articles, but mostly I just love eating. Isn’t that what it’s all about? My recipes are creative, dynamic and completely easy to follow, no matter your skill level. Let’s bite together! This Southern Green Bean Casserole with fresh green beans and cheese is the perfect Thanksgiving casserole and side dish. It uses my homemade cream of mushroom soup and bacon (if you prefer)! Make this green bean casserole with or without fried onions. Plus, you’ll get tips on how to keep them from getting soggy and how to add flavor to your green beans.

I’ve simplified the preparation of this dish into four main steps. See the recipe card below for all the details.

Green Bean Casserole’s Jewish Pedigree

You can use different cheeses to add flavor to your green bean casserole.

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