Ultimate Green Bean Casserole

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 1 25

Total Time 1 55

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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.