It’s the onions that make this an ultimate recipe. For crispy onions, use a mandolin to achieve uniform slices that fry up evenly. And don’t throw out that evoo–reserve it and use it throughout the rest of the recipe. The addition of delicate, tender pearl onions shouldn’t make you cry. Check out our easy, foolproof method for peeling them.
To make this casserole pareve, swap out chicken broth for vegetable broth.
Ultimate Green Bean Casserole
Servings
6 Servings
Ingredients
Crispy Onions
- 1 large onion sliced very thin
- 2 cups extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
Green Bean Casserole
- Reserved extra virgin olive oil from crispy onions
- 3 cups sliced mushrooms
- 2 cups pearl onions peeled*, or frozen (see below for peeling tips)
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1½ pounds fresh green beans trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Crispy Onions:
- Line a baking sheet with paper towels.
- In a large sauté pan over medium heat, cook sliced onions in evoo, for 20 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown and crunchy. Take your time with this step; the payoff is crispy, crunchy oniony goodness.
- Transfer crispy onions to prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt; set aside.
Green Bean Casserole:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a large casserole dish or Dutch oven.
- In a large sauté pan over medium high heat, sauté mushrooms in 1 tablespoon of reserved evoo for 5 to 7 minutes, until golden brown and slightly crispy on the edges. Season with salt and pepper, and transfer to a bowl. Set aside.
- Add 1 tablespoon more of reserved evoo to the pan, and brown pearl onions for 7 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Add garlic to the pan and continue cooking for 1 minute, until the garlic has softened slightly and is very fragrant. Transfer onions and garlic to the bowl with mushrooms.
- Add 2 tablespoons more of reserved evoo to the pan and scrape up any brown bits that may be stuck to the pan. Add flour and whisk together with oil. Pour in white wine and cook for 1 minute. Pour in broth, and whisk into a thick sauce. Add mushrooms and pearl onions back to the pan and stir to combine.
- Toss green beans with 1 tablespoon of reserved evoo, salt, and pepper. Then fold green beans into the sauce. Pour into prepared casserole or Dutch oven, and bake uncovered at 350°F for 20 minutes. Sprinkle crispy onions on top, and continue baking for 10 minutes more.
- Remove from oven and cool slightly before serving.
Notes
*Peeling Pearl Onions: Fill a medium saucepan halfway with cold water, and place over medium high heat. Once water is boiling, place the pearl onions in the pan, and cook for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, fill a metal or glass bowl with ice water. Insert a colander or mesh strainer inside the bowl. Remove onions from boiling water, and immediately plunge them into the ice water to stop the cooking process. Cool onions in bowl for 5 minutes. Lift the strainer from the ice water, and dry onions.
With a paring knife, cut the root end of onions off and gently squeeze the onion out of the skin. This trick works well for shallots, cipollini onions, and garlic cloves, too.
too much work and deep frying the onions is a non starter, for me. caramelized onions work and crumbling a few potato chips gives some crunch.
You might not use all of it, but you start with a lot for deep frying the onions and then use it to cook everything else.
Is 2 cups of olive oil the correct measurement? It seems like a lot.
Is this right, 2 cups of olive oil?
You could freeze it, but it is better made ahead by a day or so.
Is this freezable?
Yes. Just taste as you go so you don’t oversalt.
To double this recipe, everything x 2?
Sure you can. But homemade is always best and you get to use the oniony oil! Enjoy!
This looks amazing. Could I use French’s crispy onions on top instead of cooking them myself?