Best Ever Green Bean Casserole

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2007

Show: Good EatsEpisode: Bean Stalker

Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (214)

Cook Time:
45 min
Level:
Easy
Yield:
4 to 6 servings

Times:

Prep: 25 min
Inactive Prep: --
Cook: 45 min
Total:: 1 hr 10 min

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Ingredients

For the topping:

2 medium onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons panko bread crumbs
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Nonstick cooking spray

For beans and sauce:

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 pound fresh green beans, rinsed, trimmed and halved
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
12 ounces mushrooms, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup half-and-half

Directions

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.

Combine the onions, flour, panko and salt in a large mixing bowl and toss to combine. Coat a sheet pan with nonstick cooking spray and evenly spread the onions on the pan. Place the pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake until golden brown, approximately 30 minutes. Toss the onions 2 to 3 times during cooking. Once done, remove from the oven and set aside until ready to use. Turn the oven down to 400 degrees F.

While the onions are cooking, prepare the beans. Bring a gallon of water and 2 tablespoons of salt to a boil in an 8-quart saucepan. Add the beans and blanch for 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and immediately plunge the beans into a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside.

Melt the butter in a 12-inch cast iron skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to give up some of their liquid, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and nutmeg and continue to cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute. Add the broth and simmer for 1 minute. Decrease the heat to medium-low and add the half-and-half. Cook until the mixture thickens, stirring occasionally, approximately 6 to 8 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in 1/4 of the onions and all of the green beans. Top with the remaining onions. Place into the oven and bake until bubbly, approximately 15 minutes. Remove and serve immediately.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Best Ever Green Bean Casserole
Denise Springfield, MO 01-12-2010
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Excellent
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I will never open a can of mushroom soup for green bean casserole again. I've made this casserole for the past 2... Thanksgivings and it is the best!Read more
recipe Best Ever Green Bean Casserole
BRIDGETTE san diego, CA 01-11-2010
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Best ever is right.
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I made this dish for Thanksgiving and it was a winner.
recipe Best Ever Green Bean Casserole
Steve Tucson, AZ 01-10-2010
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Not "Easy"
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

It came out great! However, I question the "Easy" level. I'm a guy who took up cooking a couple of years ago so I'm far... from an accomplished chef. Thus, I usually zero in on those with an easy level and an occasional intermediate one. Based on the amount of work this took me yesterday, I do not believe it is "easy." Basically there are three elements to preparing this -- none of them are difficult, but when all three are put together with a lot of critical timings, it becomes somewhat challenging. Read more
recipe Best Ever Green Bean Casserole
Kristen O'Fallon, IL 01-10-2010
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Delicious!!!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This recipe was great! I don't think I'll ever make the canned version of green bean casserole again. I have to admit that... I caved and bought the French's fried onions, mostly because I didn't have a lot of time for cooking this evening but also because of some of the reviews. I'm sure it's even better with the homemade onion topping, but even with store-bought onions, it was excellent!Read more
recipe Best Ever Green Bean Casserole
Tim tampa, FL 01-09-2010
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Very good
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

You should really watch his video before cooking, it's a quick one but has great hints and visuals, Alton is always the most... descriptive and thorough. I especially liked the method for cutting the beans. Whole family liked this, very nice side dish, interesting and beautiful presentation if you use a real cast iron skillet like he calls for. My only critique would be that I had a hard time getting the bread crumbs to stick to the onions, so there was a pile of bread crumbs in my mixing bowl and burning bread crumbs (panko) on the sheet. Maybe a non-oily liquid like some milk would help (I would be concerned oil would result in burning). This does not reheat too well, eat it all up. Read more
recipe Best Ever Green Bean Casserole
Tiffany Brandon, FL 01-03-2010
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Love it!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I have made this recipe the last 2 years for Thanksgiving and everyone loves it! The only change I have made is I used the... store bought fried onions rather than making my own. I usually prepare everything the night before and right before dinner I top it with the onions and bake it off. Easy and delicious!Read more