You have probably heard of green bean casserole…the version made with canned soup and those crunchy onions from a can. Well, leave it to Chris Kimball and his team of test cooks at America’s Test Kitchen to take this recipe and vastly improve upon it.
Sure, the original recipe, which can be found at CampbellsKitchens.com, is pretty easy to make, as well as inexpensive. But the version that ATK came up with is much, much better. Yeah, the ingredients cost a bit more, and yeah, it’s more work, but oh, so worth it. Also, Mike can’t eat any kind of Campbell’s soups, he’s allergic to some chemical in them. So CampbellsKitchens.com is not a website I look to for recipes.
But the folks at Cook’s Illustrated and America’s Test Kitchen are reliable recipe sources for me. I have all of the companion books from the TV series except for 2009, and have been subscribing to the magazine for years. They don’t just give recipes, they tell and show you what works, what doesn’t, and why.
This green bean casserole recipe is from the 2003 season of ATK, the book is pictured above. You can purchase books and DVD sets for all of the show’s seasons HERE. The TV show is on PBS, please check your lkocal listings to see if it’s carried in your market, and when.
I made this for our Christmas dinner, and as I said, well worth the extra expense and work. I was a little surprised that they still used the dreaded canned onions, but they explained that frying up your own onions was too time-consuming. What they did was combine the canned onions with fresh breadcrumbs, a little butter, salt & pepper. This really did improve upon the canned onions, giving them a much fresher taste.
Fresh green beans are a must here. Canned and frozen ones will make this dish too soggy. You want the beans to be cooked but still crisp.
Although this is a bit more work than the Campbell’s version, it can be assembled ahead of time. It only takes about 15 minutes to heat through and brown…but if you refrigerated it, you might want to let it come to room temp first, and heat it a little longer. Then you can pop it in the oven after the ham or turkey comes out, and is resting.
ATK/Cook’s also reviews and rates kitchen stuff. Guess what casserole pan they recommend for this and other dishes? A plain old basic Pyrex pan, which is inexpensive and available in just about any supermarket. But you probably have one right in your own kitchen.
Much Improved Green Bean Casserole
4 slices good sandwich bread, with crusts, torn into quarters (I found this a good way to use up *heel* ends that nobody seems to want to eat)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 (6 oz) can fried onions
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Salt
2 pounds fresh green beans, ends trimmed, and cut into 2-inch pieces
1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, minced
3 medium garlic cloves, minced or put through a garlic press (about 1 tablespoon in all)
12 ounces white button mushrooms, wiped clean, stems trimmed, and sliced into 1/4 inch slices
12 ounces cremini mushrooms (sometimes sold as “Baby Bellas”), wiped clean, stems trimmed, and sliced into 1/4 inch slices
2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme leaves
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup canned low-sodium chicken broth (you could certainly use homemade if you have it, but a good quality canned brand is fine. I prefer Swanson’s, which comes in a resealable box.)
2 cups heavy cream
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1. Make the topping. Put the bread pieces, softened 2 tablespoons butter, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper into a food processor. Pulse until it resembles coarse crumbs. Dump it into a large bowl, and mix in the fried onions. Set aside.2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
3. Cook the beans. In a large pot, set 4 quarts of water to boil, with 2 tablespoons salt. Have ready a large bowl of ice water, this will stop the beans from overcooking after the are drained. Cook the beans for 4-5 minutes, drain, and immediately put them into the ice water. Drain again and place them on a sheet pan lined with paper towels. Set aside.
4. Meanwhile, prepare the porcini mushrooms. Put them in a microwave-safe container and cover with 1/2 cup hot water. Cover container with plastic wrap, slit it a couple of times with a knife, and microwave on HIGH for30 seconds. Remove and let sit for 5 minutes, this re-hydrates the mushrooms. Use a fork to remove the ‘shrooms from the liquid, and chop them finely. Strain the soaking liquid through a paper towel lined sieve, and reserve.
5. Make the sauce. Melt the 6 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, button and cremini mushrooms, cook for about 2 minutes. Add the porcini and their soaking liquid, thyme, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and cook for about 5 minutes, until mushrooms are softened. Add flour and cook for 1 minutes. Stir in chicken broth and reduce heat to medium. Stir in the cream, and simmer gently for about 15 minutes; the sauce should have the consistency of a dense soup.
6. Assemble the casserole. Arrange the green beans in the casserole dish, and then pour the mushroom/cream mixture over them. Mix well so that the beans are all coated. Then sprinkle the fried onion/breadcrumb topping over all. Bake for 15 minutes. Serve ASAP. This serves 8-10 people.
Enjoy! 
