Green Bean and Mushroom Casserole
5 colorsTHE WHY BEHIND THIS RECIPE
This is perfect for Thanksgiving or as a side dish to a main event! People often snooze on the green bean casserole - but at my last Thanksgiving gathering the TALK OF THE TOWN was this mushroom and green bean casserole with fried onions and leeks. This recipe is so good I’ll be making it as a side dish all year round. Forget creme of mushroom soup and store-bought fried onion toppings, this recipe uses grass-fed cheese (but there is also a vegan sauce option included) and thinly sliced leeks and onions to make a crispy topping.
This recipe first appeared in a Thanksgiving collab I did with Beth Bollinger. You can find the full thanksgiving menu here!
Yields: 6-8 servings
Total time: ~45 minutes
WHAT YOU NEED
TOOLS
9x13 rectangular baking dish (Caraway non-toxic or glass)
Large stock pot
Medium to large saute pan
Measuring cups and spoons
INGREDIENTS
FOR GREEN BEANS AND MUSHROOMS2 pounds of fresh green beans, rinsed, trimmed and cut in half
1 tbsp butter, or olive oil or ghee
1/2 onion - dice 1/4 of it and thinly slice the other 1/4 and set aside to be used in the topping
2 cups finely chopped mushrooms, button, baby bella, cremini, or any type!
1 tbsp fresh thyme
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup milk of choice (I suggest 2% or coconut milk)
1 cup gruyere, shredded
1 cup sharp cheddar, shredded
1 tsp kosher salt
dash of ground pepper
FOR BREADCRUMBS + FRIED ONION AND LEEK TOPPING 1/4 yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 large leek or 2-3 small leeks, washed well and thinly sliced (similar in size to the sliced onion)
1/4 cup arrowroot starch
1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs - keto bread, Beth Bollinger’s flax bread, or your bread of choice (roughly 4-5 pieces of bread makes 2 cups of breadcrumbs)
Option 1: To dry out your bread, slice into cubes and put in oven at 325 F for 15-30 minutes and then pulse in blender or food processor
Option 2: For faster results you can also lightly toast your bread and then add to a food processor or blender to crush them up! (does not work as well as option 1, but works in a pinch!
2 tbsp melted butter or olive oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp kosher salt
HOW TO DO IT
PREP EVERYTHING AND BLANCH GREEN BEANS1. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Get out a large baking dish and set aside.
2. Roughly chop the mushrooms. Cut an onion in half, dice 1/4 of the onion and then thinly slice the other 1/4 of the onion.
3. Wash and then thinly slice the leeks. Set the leeks and 1/4 of the onion aside for the topping.
4. Trim ends off the green beans. If they are especially long, cut them in half!
5. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add green beans and blanch for 3-4 minutes. Don't overcook here because you don’t want them to be mushy! Remove the green beans from the water with metal tongs and transfer to a large bowl of ice water so they stop cooking. You may have to do this in batches. Set aside.
MAKE BREADCRUMB, LEEK, AND ONION TOPPING6. If needed, pat dry the leeks (they can end up very wet after you wash and slice them).
7. Put the leeks and onions in a bowl with 1/4 cup arrowroot starch, 1 tsp garlic powder, and 1 tsp kosher salt. Mix well so onion and leek slices are mostly coated in the arrowroot starch.
8. In a large saute pan over medium heat, add 1/4 cup of olive oil. You want a decent amount of olive oil since you are basically frying these. Make sure the olive oil is hot before adding the onions and leeks.
9. In two batches to not overcrowd the pan, add onions and leeks to the hot pan and cook until golden brown (about 1-2 minutes) then flip and cook on the other side.
10. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate and let them drain while you do the rest!
11. Then combine the fried leeks, onions with the breadcrumbs into a bowl and mix in 2 tbsp melted butter (or olive oil) and a dash of kosher salt and pepper.
COOK MUSHROOMS AND ONIONS12. Using the same large saute pan you did the leek and onions in, add in 1 tbsp butter. Once butter melts, add in the 1/4 diced onion and garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes.
13. Next, add mushrooms, fresh thyme or oregano, and kosher salt and pepper. Cook and stir occasionally until mushrooms and onions are golden brown; about 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
14. Pour in milk, and bring to a simmer for 1-2 minutes, then whisk in the 1 1/2 cups of the shredded cheese (saving a bit for the top) with a dash of kosher salt and pepper. Stir and adjust heat as needed until the cheese has melted.
15. Add the mushrooms and green beans back into the pot. Stir to combine. Alternatively, you can just combine everything into the baking dish and mix within the baking dish.
BAKE AND SERVE
16. Add mixture into a 9x13 baking dish, sprinkle with the remaining ½ cup of gruyere cheese, and top with the fried onion, leek and breadcrumb mixture.
17. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling.
SWAPS, TIPS & TRICKS
Prepping in advance: You can blanch the green beans, and prep the breadcrumb, leek and onion topping in advance for easier assembly on Thanksgiving or day of your meal.
If you are not dairy free I highly suggest you do this recipe with the milk and grass-fed butter, it makes a difference!
If you are dairy free, I gotchu!! Here is a divine vegan sauce:
Ingredients:
1 half of a cauliflower, chopped into florets and roasted (or about 2 cups of frozen cauliflower florets
1 head of garlic, roasted (on the same sheet pan as cauliflower)
1 1/2 cups raw cashews, soaked in warm water for at least 20 minutes
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 cup vegetable broth
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp kosher salt
Instructions:
Soak 1 1/2 cups of cashews in a bowl with 2 cups of filtered water. Set aside for the sauce later (ideally they sit in the water for about 20 minutes!)
Cook garlic and cauliflower: Toss cauliflower florets and stems (you can roast and use the stems here!) with a little olive or avocado oil, kosher salt and pepper. Slice the garlic head in half across the middle and place both halves onto a large piece of foil (large enough to wrap around both parts). Drizzle the raw garlic with olive oil and lightly brush/rub it into the garlic cloves. Seal the tin foil around the garlic. If you don’t have foil, invert an oven safe ramekin on top of the head of garlic so it’s covered. Put both cauliflower and garlic on one baking sheet. Roast for 20 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender.
Remove cauliflower from the baking sheet and set aside. Keep garlic in for another 15-20 minutes while you prepare the rest. Set a timer so you don’t forget the garlic like I have in the past!
In a vita-mix, high speed blender, or food processor, combine all sauce ingredients.
Roasted garlic tip: Allow the garlic to cool enough so you can touch it without burning yourself. Use a small fork or your fingers to pull or squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins.
Taste test to see if you want to add any more salt or nutritional yeast. Mix in with the mushroom and green bean mixture!
Nutritional Info
Per serving, calculated with cheese based sauce
Calories: 202
Carbohydrates: 10g
Fiber: 6g
Net carbs: 4g
Protein: 13g
Fat: 11g
Sodium: 1136mg
Sugar: 5g
