Sides · By Sharon
Green Bean Casserole — Grandma's!
This was a holiday festive-meal constant in James' home growing up, and we quickly added it to our family repertoire. Everyone seems to love the richness and the textures of this dish! Cam and Joc grew up loving this incredibly flavorful take on vegetables, and have made it part of their festive cooking, adding their own glosses to the original.
Ingredients
- 10–12 mushrooms, sliced (Crimini preferred)
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 large red onion, finely diced
- 2 cans Campbell's "Cream of Crimini and Shiitake Mushroom Soup"
- ¼ cup 10% cream to slightly thin the soup
- Fresh ground pepper to taste — lots (around 2 tsp)
- 1 cup shredded cheese (aged cheddar and gruyere are good)
- 1 bag of frozen beans (cut beans are the best for this)
- 1 cup bread crumbs (or your favorite cracker crushed) mixed with 4 tbsp melted salted butter
Method
- 1
Sauté the mushrooms in the garlic and butter until they have lost most of their moisture, then add the onion and sauté until onions are translucent. Use a big frying pan or wok to fit everything in.
- 2
Whisk the cream into the 2 cans of condensed mushroom soup along with lots of fresh ground pepper, add in the cheese, then add this whole mixture to the sautéed mixture.
- 3
Mix in the frozen beans.
- 4
Pour into a suitably-sized buttered casserole dish.
- 5
Combine the butter with bread crumbs. Sprinkle this mixture on the top of the bean casserole.
- 6
Bake at 350°F for 35 minutes. Check the doneness of the beans with a fork — you want them just tender.
A note from Sharon
Mom finds that with the beans still partly-frozen the dish remains quite cold in the middle during the first half of the baking, resulting in the outside edges becoming overdone (beans mushy) while the middle is just getting done. So, put tin foil on the casserole for the first 20 minutes to hold in and distribute the heat, uncovering it for the last 15 to crisp up the crumbs and keep the sauce from being too runny. This recipe makes enough for 2 small casserole dishes or one big casserole. If making 2 smaller casseroles, the second freezes well (when cooking this second one, thaw for an hour or so, again cover with tin foil for the first 20 minutes, and extend the cooking time if necessary).
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