By Meg Hodson
If you are a frequent reader of my blog, you know that I like to post recipes that are cleaner, made from scratch, and don't involve processed products. That's hard to do sometimes, especially with a classic favorite like green bean casserole. But I have been making this recipe for 5 or so years now and my family and friends seem to be pretty happy with it.
This is by no means a healthy, lowfat recipe. There is plenty of cream and butter; but I will say I always have great success when I substitute unsweetened coconut milk for any recipe that calls for cream. I don't know what it is about coconut milk, but it is so creamy and there is no overwhelming coconut flavor when you cook with it.
Green Bean Casserole
Serves 4-6
7 cups frozen green beans (that's about 2 average size packages)
1/2 finely diced sweet onion
1/4 fresh leek, finely diced
2 cans button mushrooms OR 8 ounces fresh mushrooms (either option chopped)
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon soy sauce (I prefer to use gluten free tamari)
2 tsp, kosher salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. parsley
1 tsp. garlic
1 cup heavy cream
I can french friend onions (I like to use the ones from Trader Joe's)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees (if you are cooking immediately after cooking). This stores well and can be covered and kept in the refrigerator for cooking a day or two later.
Steam and cook the green beans about 2 minutes less than the directions say (I cook mine for 8 minutes). The sauce is so creamy that it will soften the beans up a bit once you add them. Drain well once cooked.
While the beans are cooking, in a large size frying pan, add butter, onions, leeks, and 1 tsp. of the kosher salt. Saute for 3-4 minutes over medium heat. Then, add the mushrooms and continue to cook for another minute. Then, add the cream, the remaining spices, and the additional kosher salt. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
Finally, blend in beans directly into the frying pan and stir well. Add about half of your can of fried onions directly into the mix and stir well. Transfer to an 9 x 13 casserole dish. Cook at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Add the remaining fried onions evenly across the top of the casserole and cook an additional 5 minutes.
Enjoy!
