Valentine’s Day dinner for MT and her mom: Lobster tail, twice-baked potato and a green bean casserole made from scratch (no canned soup or plastic packs of “crispy fried onions”)
Mark Guydish | for Times Leader
The green bean casserole still bubbling a bit out of the oven, which meant the some of the onion/bread crumb topping was covered. Once it cooled a bit, you could see more of the topping.
Mark Guydish | for Times Leader
The ingredients for green bean casserole from scratch.
Mark Guydish | for Times Leader
Long-time readers may remember that I made my first green bean casserole for Mother’s Day dinner in 2023 —just weeks after my own mother died at the age of 98. I have the great fortune of having a terrific mother-in-law, and cooking for her and MT back then helped make my first Mother’s Day without mom a good bit easier to take.
For that meal, I made some pork chops breaded with crushed corn flakes, and a casserole concoction from heb.com. The recipe called for canned beans and mushrooms, but I used fresh. I also cooked my own bacon rather than buy the fully cooked stuff. So it was partly from scratch, but not completely, thanks to the canned mushroom soup and and a container of those “crispy French fried onions.”
All three of us thought that dish was great.
For Valentine’s Day this month, I initially planned to just steam some green beans, but opted to take another stab at a casserole, and favored this recipe from allhealthythings.com. It includes making your own mushroom sauce and a variation of crispy onion rings by mixing sliced onions with bread crumbs, butter, Parmesan and some seasoning.
The 2023 version may have garnered solid praise, but in the company of two women who much favor everything fresh, this was an even bigger hit. Despite making a 13 by 9 inch casserole for three people, more than two-thirds of it was gone by the time I took it off the table (and served the strawberry shortcake recipe shared in last week’s test kitchen).
I didn’t double check, but I’m pretty sure I was a little light on both the beans and mushrooms, while overdoing the Parmesan (as usual). But it worked well. And when I try it again, maybe I’ll add some bacon.
Dobru chut!
Green bean casserole from scratch (allhealthythings.com)
For the “Fried” Onion Topping
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
¼ cup grated parmesan
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
For the Casserole Filling
24 ounces fresh green beans
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
16 ounces sliced baby Bella mushrooms
½ tablespoon fresh thyme
¼ cup flour
2 cups chicken broth
½ cup half and half
½ cup grated parmesan
1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Preheat oven to 375°, lightly grease 9×13 baking dish.
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet. Sauté sliced onions 4 to 6 minutes until lightly golden brown and tender. Transfer to a bowl and add bread crumbs, parmesan, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. Toss to evenly combine and onions are well coated.
Bring large pot of water to a boil and add green beans. Cook for 3-4 minutes to blanch. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to ice water. Drain and put in casserole dish.
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté mushrooms until brown and tender, 3-5 minutes. Add minced garlic and thyme and cook another minute. Sprinkle flour over mushrooms and stir until well incorporated.
Lower heat and slowly stir in the chicken stock until well incorporated. Stir in the half and half, parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Simmer 2-3 minutes until thickened. If the sauce is too thick, add an extra 1/4 cup of broth.
Pour sauce evenly over the green beans. Stir gently to ensure that everything is well combined and the green beans are evenly coated. Top with the “fried” onion mixture and bake for 25-30 minutes until bubbling along edges and the top is golden brown. If the top of the casserole starts to become too brown, cover with foil to prevent it from burning. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.
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