Real Food Green Bean Casserole A Make Ahead Dish

MAKE-AHEAD GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Rehydrate dried mushrooms in 1 1/2 cups of scalding water for at least 30 minutes. Strain the mushroom rehydrating liquid into a measuring cup and mix (as needed) with broth to make 1 1/2 cups. Remove the rehydrated mushrooms and rinse. Chop finely.
• Blanch the green beans by boiling them 3-5 minutes, until still crisp-tender. Drain and plunge into a large bowl of ice water. When cooled, drain and pat dry with paper towels.
• Meanwhile, in a heavy-bottomed pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms have given up their liquid. Continue cooking until liquid is evaporated. Add the garlic and thyme; cook for ~1 minute more. Sprinkle flour over the mixture; stir to combine. Slowly stir in the rehydrating liquid (a tablespoon at a time), allowing each addition to absorb completely before adding more. (This will prevent lumps, so be patient!) Stir in the cream and wine; bring to a boil. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened (~15 minutes). Add the marsala (if using); stir. Simmer for 2 additional minutes.
• While the sauce simmers, toss the green beans with the cornstarch. Add to a 9x13 baking dish.
• Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning as needed with S&P. (NOTE: you want the sauce to be on the salty side, since the green beans are not salted.) Pour the sauce over the beans and push the beans down so that they're completely covered with sauce. Press plastic wrap over the surface of the casserole, making sure there are no air pockets. Cover the baking dish tightly with foil. Refrigerate or freeze (see below).
• You can do all of the above and freeze the dish; thaw three days before serving. Otherwise, make the dish up to two days before serving and keep in the refrigerator.
• Make the topping by mixing the melted butter with the panko, fried onions, and S&P. Unwrap the dish, discard plastic wrap. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the casserole; re-cover with foil. Allow the casserole to sit at room temperature for about an hour before it goes in the oven. Bake the casserole at 350° for 20 minutes, covered. Remove foil; bake an additional 10 minutes or until topping is golden-brown.

REAL FOOD GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE (A MAKE-AHEAD DISH)

Steps:

• Steam green beans until tender. Set aside.
• In a large saucepan, saute onion and butter together until the minced onion is lightly toasted.
• Turn heat down to low.
• Stir in cornstarch, then add milk.
• Turn heat up to thicken cream sauce, stirring constantly until sauce is thick and bubbly.
• Stir in cooked green beans, salting liberally.
• Pour the mixture into a 9x13 inch casserole dish.
• Top with grated cheese.
• Cover and bake in a 350° oven for 30 minutes.
• Uncover and bake for 10 minutes more.
• Serve.

MAKE-AHEAD GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Spray a 2 1/2-quart casserole dish with cooking spray. Mince shallots until you have 3 tablespoons; slice remaining shallots into 1/8-inch rounds. Set both aside.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add beans and cook until tender but still crisp, about 4 minutes. Drain, rinse, and pat dry; set aside.
• Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add minced shallots and cook until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in 3 tablespoons flour, then slowly add half-and-half, broth, and soy sauce. Bring to a boil while stirring.
• Reduce heat to a simmer and stir until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in green beans and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the prepared casserole dish, cover, and refrigerate 8 hours to overnight, or until ready to bake.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Remove casserole from the refrigerator and bake in the preheated oven until heated through and bubbly, about 30 minutes.
• While the casserole is baking, dredge shallot rings in remaining flour until evenly coated.
• Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Lower shallots carefully into the hot oil, working in batches if necessary. Fry until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes, then drain on paper towels.
• Remove casserole from the oven and top with fried shallots.

MAKE-AHEAD GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the green beans, and cook until bright green and crisp-tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and shake off any excess moisture; set aside.
• Melt the butter in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the onions, and cook, stirring, until soft, about 8 minutes. Add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt, and continue to cook, stirring, until they are soft and most of their liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables, and stir until all the flour has been absorbed, about 1 minute. Add the chicken broth, half-and-half, 3/4 teaspoon salt and several grinds of pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, add the green beans and stir to coat in the sauce. Transfer the mixture to a 3-quart baking dish.
• Let the casserole cool to room temperature. Wrap well with plastic wrap and foil, label and date, then freeze for up to 2 weeks.
• To serve, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Discard the plastic wrap and foil from the frozen casserole. Cover with new foil, and bake until warmed through, about 45 minutes. Uncover, and top with the fried onions. Continue to bake until the casserole is hot and bubbly and the onions have crisped slightly, about 20 minutes more.

EASY MAKE-AHEAD GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Spray a shallow 1 1/2-quart casserole dish with nonstick spray.
• Place beans in a large pot and halfway cover with salted water; bring to a boil. Cook until tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Blend in flour, salt, and pepper. Stir in sour cream, stirring constantly, cooking until smooth and thickened. Mix in cooked beans, then pour into the prepared casserole. Cover and refrigerate until ready to bake.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Remove casserole from the refrigerator and sprinkle Cheddar cheese over top.
• Bake in the preheated oven until bubbly, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve warm.

MAKE-AHEAD FRESH GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE (OAMC)

Steps:

• SAUCE: In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter on medium heat til melted, add the mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook for about 8 minutes, stirring often, until the mushrooms are cooked and the mushroom liquid has evaporated.
• Add the garlic and thyme and cook for about a minute. .
• Sprinkle the mushrooms with flour and stir in as best you can. A tablespoon at a time, stir in the chicken stock, letting each tablespoon become absorbed before adding another. (This will take several minutes, be patient or you'll risk a lumpy mess.).
• Stir in the wine and cream, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened, about 15 minutes, stir in the sherry. .
• Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper, if needed. (It should be slightly salty and slightly peppery since the beans themselves are unseasoned.).
• BEANS While the sauce cooks, toss the RAW beans and cornstarch well, transfer to 9x13 dish lined with foil and sprayed or smaller tins.
• Pour hot mushroom sauce over top. Gently press beans into the sauce so that all the beans are submerged. Cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap, making sure there's no air between the beans and the plastic. Wrap with foil. Freeze. Do NOT thaw before baking.
• TOPPING No more than a day before, mix the panko, butter, salt and pepper in a skillet. On medium heat, let the crumbs brown, stirring often, being careful not to burn. Stir in the fried onions.
• BAKING Preheat oven to 400°F IMPORTANT: remove plastic wrap from casserole, then replace the foil. Bake for 30 minutes, stir, leave the foil off and bake for another 45 to 50 minutes. (Mine are done in 75 minutes but that might be b/c container is small--original recipe says total of 90 minutes.) Spread topping over the casserole, bake for another 10 minutes until golden.

FORGET THE CANS- REAL GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Melt butter in a large skillet.
• Steam the green beans in a steamer basket until they are al dente (10-12 minutes)
• Saute diced onions and sliced mushrooms in the butter in a skillet while green beans are cooking.
• In a greased 1 1/2 Quart Baking Dish, combine your cooked green beans, onion/mushroom/butter mixture, and cream of mushroom soup, black pepper, garlic salt.
• Bake 25 minutes.
• Remove the casserole dish from the oven. Add fried onions and top with cheese.
• Set oven to broil, and put casserole dish back in, and leave it in for 1-3 minutes- just until the cheese is golden.