Not your Momma's Green Bean Casserole!
Confession: I strongly dislike mushy green beans.
Year after year I've been asked to post a lighter green bean casserole, and I've opted out because the thought of mushy green beans in canned soup with fried onions just doesn't do it for me. I'm very particular about how I like my green beans, I love them roasted so they get a little browned, cooked until tender crisp. I like them sauteed with a little garlic and oil, I even love them in a salad... but frozen or out of a can... I can do without them.
But, seeing how so many of you love green bean casserole, and after getting a Williams Sonoma Catalog with a (not light) recipe inside, I was inspired to give this a try.
I blanched my green beans for 2 minutes so they wouldn't turn to mush. If you like your green beans soft, I would boil them for 5-7 minutes.
I made a mushroom sauce with milk and chicken stock instead of heavy cream. After tasting it, I thought it needed a little extra something, so I added some Pecorino Romano.
That fixed the flavor problem! Then came the topping, I wasn't about to fry onions so I chopped up some shallots and decided to go with a toasted bread crumb topping instead. Next time I may add a little bacon to this (yes, there will be a next time). Put it in the oven and crossed my fingers. When it came out of the oven I served myself a plate and thought it was pretty good! In fact, I had to servings, but this was my lunch so I didn't feel guilty.
Tips: Next time I make this I will cut the green beans in half, I think it would be easier to serve. Panko would work great in place of the bread crumbs. Adding a little bacon or pancetta to the crumbs would be delicious in my opinion. You can certainly halve this to feed a family of 4. Hope you enjoy!
Click Here To See The Full Recipe...
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