Green Bean and Mushroom Casserole

I won't be cooking Thanksgiving dinner this year because we are heading to a friend's house to enjoy her amazing cooking. I decided since I wouldn't be cooking a turkey feast to share with you all, I could at least cook some of my favorite Thanksgiving side dishes to share.

I'll admit it... I love the green bean casserole using canned soup and French's onions. I wanted to make a homemade version of this classic holiday side dish. When looking at recipes in cookbooks and on the web, I noticed they all made this casserole with at least 6 tablespoons of butter and whole milk. I decided to try making it a little bit healthier while still keeping it delicious. It was fun to create this recipe and it tasted wonderful, we all loved it except for my son. When I asked him why he didn't like it he said "I just didn't". Oh well... you can't please them all. I loved this recipe and thought it tasted way better than the canned soup version. This will be on my table for future holiday dinners.

Green Bean and Mushroom Casserole:

Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

• 16 oz fresh green beans, ends trimmed
• 1 tsp + 2 tbsp butter (divided)
• 8 oz button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 shallot, sliced thinly
• 1 clove of garlic
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 cup of milk (I used non fat)
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
• French's fried onions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat a casserole dish with cooking spray.

Blanch the green beans in a pot of boiling water for 3-4 minutes or until just tender. Strain the green beans and rinse them under cold water to stop them from cooking.

Heat one teaspoon of butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the mushrooms and cook, without stirring for 2-3 minutes. Flip the mushrooms and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Add the shallot to the pan and sauté for 2 minutes, stirring often. Add the minced garlic to the skillet and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Season with a bit of sea salt, to taste. Remove the mushroom mixture from the skillet to a bowl and set aside.

Place the skillet back on the stove and add the 2 tablespoons of butter, once it has melted, add the flour and stir for 30 seconds. Add the milk to the flour mixture and whisk until thick and creamy without and any lumps. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Add the green beans and mushrooms to the mixture and toss to coat evenly. Place the green bean mixture into the casserole dish and cover with a lid.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle generously with French's fried onions. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 2-3 minutes or until the onions are golden brown. Be careful - the onions burn quickly. Remove from the oven and serve immediately. Enjoy.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - For the Love of Cooking.net