By Sarah Jampel
- Total Time
- 45 minutes to 1 hour
- Rating
- 4(1,735)
- Notes
- Read community notes
If you think you don’t like green bean casserole, withhold judgment until you’ve tried this entirely from-scratch version. It has all the classic elements of the Thanksgiving favorite, but its base is a mushroom gravy amped up with red-wine vinegar, red-pepper flakes and fresh thyme rather than a can of soup. If you don’t want to fry the onions yourself (we understand), you can always substitute 1½ cups store-bought fried onions or even crispier fried shallots.
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Ingredients
Yield:8 to 10 servings
- 2medium yellow onions (about 14 to 16 ounces), halved and thinly sliced with a sharp knife or mandoline
- ¼cup all-purpose flour
- 2tablespoons bread crumbs (panko or regular)
- 1teaspoon kosher salt
- High-heat oil, like canola, safflower or vegetable, for frying
- 3tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the dish
- 1teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for the blanching water
- 1½pounds green beans, trimmed and halved
- ½teaspoon red-pepper flakes
- 1tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 12ounces mixed mushrooms (like a mix of cremini and shiitake), trimmed and sliced into ½-inch pieces
- 2garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 3tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1½cups chicken stock or vegetable broth
- 1½cups milk
- 1pinch ground nutmeg
- ¼teaspoon black pepper
- 1teaspoon red-wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
- 1teaspoon Worcestershire or soy sauce (optional)
For the Crisp Onions
For the Casserole
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)
390 calories; 34 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 20 grams monounsaturated fat; 9 grams polyunsaturated fat; 18 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 6 grams protein; 491 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Make the onions: In a medium bowl, combine the onions with the flour, bread crumbs and salt, and toss to coat the onion pieces.
Step
2
In a heavy skillet with high sides, pour enough oil to reach ½-inch up the side. Heat over medium-high until the oil is hot — a drop of water should sizzle and sputter when flicked into the oil.
Step
3
Add the onions in batches, taking care not to overcrowd them. Fry until golden-brown (they don’t have to be deep brown, as they’ll continue cooking in the oven), about 5 to 6 minutes, then use a slotted spoon or a pair of tongs to transfer to paper towels. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Repeat until you’ve fried all of the onions.
Step
4
Butter a shallow 4-quart baking dish and heat the oven to 400 degrees.
Step
5
Blanch the green beans: Bring a large pot of water to a boil with an ice bath nearby. When boiling, salt the water generously, add the green beans, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until slightly tender and bright green. Immediately transfer beans to the ice bath. When beans are chilled, drain and set aside.
Step
6
Pour water out of the pot, wipe dry and return to the stovetop. Over medium-high heat, melt 3 tablespoons butter. When melted, add the red-pepper flakes and thyme, and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until they start to brown significantly, 8 to 10 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon salt and sliced garlic and stir until fragrant, another 1 to 2 minutes.
Step
7
Sprinkle the flour all over and stir to coat the mushrooms. Gradually add the stock and milk, and bring to a simmer, stirring all the while. Turn the heat down to medium and continue to stir until the sauce is thick and creamy and coats the back of a spoon, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat. Add nutmeg, black pepper, vinegar and Worcestershire, if using. Taste for salt, pepper and acidity.
Step
8
Add the green beans and half of the onions, stir to combine, and transfer to prepared baking dish. Top with remaining onions and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until bubbling. Serve immediately.
- You can make the onions a day in advance. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and store at room temperature. The beans can be blanched and mixed with the mushroom sauce a day in advance.
Ratings
4
out of 5
1,735
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Cooking Notes
John Manor
This is starting to sound like FN. How is smoked paprika and black pepper a comparable substitute for fresh thyme? What about dried thyme? I certainly understand not wanting to trek to the store for one item, but the point of comments on NYT cooking is to assess the recipe as is, so others can determine its quality/ranking and, in turn, decide whether or not to try the recipe. Sorry to sound so critical.
Gina Mersman
Wow!!! Yummy. Great way to use the abundance of green beans from the garden. The mushroom sauce is exquisite, I used soy sauce since we didn’t have Worcestershire Sauce. Fried onions were so eatable. Hard to not eat them all before assembling the dish!
Puja
This is excellent. Frying your own onions takes this dish to the next level.
Amy
I have made this recipe twice as is and I just wanted to leave a note saying how delicious and complex and satisfying it is. Really hits all the notes.
allison
this is so easy and so deliciousI used coconut milk, because I am always looking to cut out dairy. I read in another recipe that coconut milk added a nutty taste to a Brussel sprout casserole - - so I tried it here. OMG. delicious and no guilt
Olivia
This recipe is such a winner. I've made it a few times now and it is a hit every time. It is great as-is, but I've also done a few modifications that worked well. Vegan: sub almond milk and olive oil for butter and milk, still delicious. Short on time: sub TJs canned fried onions, still delicious. Full meal: add some cooked chicken thigh chunks with the beans. Soup: blend the mushroom sauce into soup, delicious! I also use a full teaspoon of chili flake bc I like the heat.
Roald
Seriously? A teaspoon of vinegar and 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes? Leave the red pepper out if you think that's too much.
Sarah
Fantastic version of this classic dish. Mushroom quality is a must on this one. I used all shiitake and it was insanely savory - I can stop trying new recipes for gb casserole now.
Holly
Thanksgiving snobs rolled their eyes at first, but even the anti casserole crowd approved and adored in the end. Those crispy onions will convert anybody!
Koryne
Will omit the Sherry vinegar and Worcestershire sauce next time, this seemed to overpower all other flavors for me. Will skip blanching green beans next time as they were too soft after baking for my preference. Will follow suggestion and bake the onions after frying in retain crunch.
Omelight in the kitchen
The 45- hour suggested time to cook is too short. You’re making sauces and baking. Add an additional 20 minutes.
Lisa
This is my new favorite way to fry onions. SO GOOD.
Nicole
I found this sadly disappointing. I used oyster and shiitake mushrooms. Did the rest of the recipe exactly. Not sure why it just didn't wow me. I'm never one to not appreciate a recipe because it is time consuming, but this was not worth the time, effort, or the cost.
deborah
I make a similar recipe from Alton Brown. Totally changes the idea of “green bean casserole”, and people love it!
Stacey
I would use rice flour for the onions and probably a cornstarch slurry for the sauce. Good luck!
Chris A.
This is a major holiday hit in our home! I added about 12 pieces of cooked bacon into the sauce as it was simmering down. Amazing.
Jen
Best Thanksgiving green beans I've ever had.
GoNico
Terrific -- it's tough not to just have the mushroom sauce as a soup and the fried onions as a snack on their own. The sauce is rich and addictive, but not too creamy. I made it with homemade onions last year. This year, I may add canned onions to the inside and then the home-fried onions on top, because I'm not sure the homemade ones added a lot to the inside and I'd rather just hand them around as delicious snacks to those hanging around the kitchen.
Roberta
I'll make this for prime rib dinner over Christmas - looks great.The BEST fried onion recipe is from cookbook 'Felastin' and I thought they would be great for burgers, garnishes for sandwiches, casseroles ,etc (instead of the store-bought ones).Felastin recipe: 2 cups thinly sliced onions; toss with 1.5-2 tbsp cornstarch, Fry in about 1.5" canola (I used grapeseed oil) Keep an eye on them, brown till dark golden. Have plate with paper towels at ready to sop up oil.
Tomato
Kinda bland and boring except the hot from the pepper flakes that I didn't like. I won't make this again.
ShadyPrincess
I’ve made this 2 thanksgivings in a row. The first year I made the homemade onions. This year I added store-bought and it was so much better this year. Lots of raves this year vs last year. Sadly not worth the effort on the onions. Nevertheless the mushroom base is divine and the dish itself is fantastic.
Tish
Had this for Thanksgiving and it was divine! I made some extra fried onions - added more to the mixture and more on top. My husband always lived the green bean casserole using a can of soup, the fried inions in the can, but I never was a fan. This was gobbled up by all! The only bad part… no leftovers!
Gina in Denver
This is the third year that I've made this casserole. If one is to make their own crispy onions I truly think this takes 2.5+ hours. I've begun leveraging store bought onions for reasons obvious to those who have toiled making their own crispy onions and so I've reduced my active time from trimming green beans to serving to just shy of 2 hours.
Sarah R H
Has anyone used French-cut green beans for this dish?
Louise Gray
This was the best homemade green bean casserole I've tried. I didn't make the crisp onions, as my son can't eat alliums, and omitted the garlic. Great mushroom sauce. It's on the yearly menu now.
Allie G.
Used airfryer for the onions (cooking spray in basket, 400 deg. 9 minutes, tossing every 3, two batches of onions); instead of 3 tbls butter used 2 tbls olive oil + 1 tbls buter; other than those changes, followed recipe and it made for a great dinner party contribution.
Irena
Can I use chicken broth? I don’t have veggie broth in my pantry.
lindsay
Converted even the die hard canned bean enthusiast. I used French’s onions vs frying my own (sorry not sorry) and it still worked beautifully. I also more finely chopped the mushrooms — had to visually hide them from some picky eaters and that also seemed to make no difference on the final outcome. Definitely recommend for Thanksgiving!
kari
so so good time consuming but worth it!
Laura K.
Delicious! I do not like canned green beans and everything-canned green bean casserole so this was a welcome treat for me this Thanksgiving. If, and when, I make this again, I would make the mushroom sauce the night before to allow flavors time to blend together more.
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