This was a recipe from my former home-cooking blog, Gazing In, which I shut down in 2018. As a fall recipe, this one is one I have made often. I originally posted it in the fall of 2014.
Green Bean Casserole is something you either love or hate. There is no middle ground on this side dish.
At the same time, though, it isn’t a recipe one should mess with overall. Fancy dishes of just steamed green beans topped with panko crumbs? No, let’s keep it real but minus the can full of grey soup mix……make the soup base yourself in a few minutes, full of fresh mushrooms and onions. And bonus: you can have this dish plant-based (dairy-free) if you want/need it that way.
Handcrafted Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients:
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 8 ounces button or mini portabella mushrooms, finely chopped
- 1 small sweet onion, diced
- 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups milk, dairy or unsweetened non-dairy*
- 1 tsp vegetable broth base
- 1 Tbsp dry Italian seasoning blend
- 1 tsp soy sauce (lower sodium was used)
- Ground black pepper
- 2 14.5-ounce cans green beans, drained
- 6 ounces of French-fried onions*
Directions:
Heat oven to 350° and lightly oil a medium baking dish. Heat the milk in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes, until warm. Stir in bouillon base.
Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high, add mushrooms and onions, saute until tender. Sprinkle flour on top, and cook for a minute.
Slowly whisk in milk, Italian seasoning blend, soy sauce, and ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper. Cook until thickened and bubbling, whisking often.
Reduce the heat to medium, stir in the green beans, and cook until heated through. Remove from the heat and stir in ¾ of the fried onions. Transfer to a baking dish, top with the remaining onions.
Bake for 25 minutes.
Bonus points if you serve it in vintage Pyrex or Fire-King dishes.
Notes:
If you use non-dairy milk, unsweetened plain oat, soy, or almond works best. Coconut is naturally sweet and can affect the dish’s flavor.
Organic French-fried onions are available at most higher-end grocery stores and are not quite as bad for us. Still junk food, but slightly better.
~Sarah