Advent Calendar Cookbook—Day 21: Green Bean Casserole

Recipe submitted by Sarah Wingo, Librarian for English Literature, Theatre, and Romance Languages & Literature

“Make a béchamel sauce out of the butter used to sauté mushrooms, then bake with green beans and fried onions in a casserole dish for about an hour.”

Photo courtesy of Alex Lau, via Bon Appetit.

Ingredients:

• About 2 lbs frozen green beans.
• About 2 lbs mushrooms (cremini, or white).
• About 3 cloves garlic.
• 1 package (6 oz) crispy fried onions.
• 2-4 Tbs butter.
• 1-3 Tbs flour.
• 1 cup heavy cream.
• 1 cup chicken stock.
• Dash of salt.
• Dash of pepper.
• Dash of nutmeg.

Instructions:

• Thaw 2 lb frozen green beans (and drain).
• Mince 3 cloves garlic.
• Wash and drain 2 lb mushrooms. Slice the mushrooms or just break them up by hand while draining.
• Sauté mushrooms in 2-4 Tbs butter. (The mushrooms will soak up the butter, then release it again after a few minutes).
• Add 3 cloves garlic (minced).
• Sprinkle with salt and sweat until translucent.
• Add 1-3 Tbs flour. Stir and continue heating to make a roux.
• Add 1 cup heavy cream and 1 cup chicken stock. Reduce heat slightly and stir to make a sauce (If it’s a little too thin, reduce heat and simmer until it reduces somewhat).
• Add salt (not too much, the fried onions are salty), pepper, and a little bit of nutmeg.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Combine mushrooms and sauce with green beans in a casserole dish.
• Mix in a quarter to one third of the fried onions, spread the remainder on top.
• Bake, covered, for about an hour.