Green Bean Casserole, Cook's Illustrated Recipe

Green Bean Casserole from Cooks Illustrated

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Green Bean Casserole from "Cooks Illustrated"

Nothing stirs up controversy quite like the simple green bean casserole. My personal opinion is that the classic Campbell's Holiday Green Bean Casserole is a perfect dish, and luckily my family feels the same. I cook it year after year because they like it and they expect it. I guess that's part of the the secret to it's popularity.

Some people on the other hand would NEVER eat Campbell's Green Bean Casserole. For many of them this recipe from Cook's Illustrated is the only Green Bean Casserole Recipe they'd consider preparing or serving

To each his own!

Green Bean Casserole

Beans and Sauce:

Table salt
2 pounds green beans, ends trimmed, and halved
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 pound white button mushrooms, stems trimmed, wiped clean, and broken into 1/2 inch ieces
3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed (1 Tbsp)
Ground black pepper
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1.5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1.5 cups heavy cream

Topping:

4 slices white sandwich bread, each torn into quarters
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1/4 tsp. table salt
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
3 cups canned fried onions (6 oz, about one can)

For the topping: Pulse bread, butter, salt & pepper in a food processor until mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about ten 1-second pulses. Transfer to large bowl and toss with onions; set aside.

For the beans and sauce: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Fill large bowl with ice water. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large Dutch oven. Add 2 Tbsp. of table salt, and the beans. Cook beans until bright green and crisp-tender, about 6 minutes. Drain beans in colander and plunge immediately into ice water to stop cooking. Spread beans on paper-towel-lined baking sheet to drain.

Add butter to now-empty Dutch oven and melt over medium-high heat until foaming subsides. Add mushrooms, garlic, 3/4 tsp. salt, and 1/8 tsp. pepper; cook until mushrooms release moisture and liquid evaporates, about 6 minutes. Add flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in broth and bring to simmer, stirring constantly. Add cream, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until sauce is thickened and reduced to 3.5 cups, about 12 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add green beans to sauce and stir until evenly coated. Arrange in even layer in 3-quart (or 13x9-inch) baking dish. Sprinkle with topping and bake until top is golden brown and sauce is bubbling around edges, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

Serves 10-12
Cooks Illustrated November & December 2006

Tasty & Easy Green Bean Recipes

Armenian Green Beans with Ground Meat and Tomatoes
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Ginger Garlic Green Beans
Greek Green Beans
Greek Potatoes and Green Beans
Green Beans a'la Waterman's
Green Beans Almondine
Green Beans Almondine (with a hint of lemon)
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Green Beans Almondine (with mushrooms)
Green Bean Casserole (Campbell's)
Green Bean Casserole (Cook's Illustrated)
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Italian Green Bean recipe, St. Anna Bean recipe
This recipe comes courtesy of The Complete Mediterranean, The Beautiful Cookbook. There are several variations of this recipe. Another Tuscan variation of this recipe calls for the addition of one teaspoon of fresh marjoram, which we'd suggest you add right at the end of cooking for the freshest flavor. For a Lebanese flair you can use tomato paste in place of the chopped plum tomatoes and add parsley, mint, dill or oregano to taste.

Green Bean Salad, Provençal
This is an amazingly easy and tasty salad to showcase lovely haricots verts from the cookbook Simca's Cuisine by Simone &quot;Simca&quot; Beck. The French flair of this salad is unmistakable. We never knew that French cuisine could be so unfussy. We've made this salad many times but tend to enjoy it best when we can also showcase other produce grown right in our garden. We use our homegrown tomatoes, fennel, and basil.

Greek Potatoes and Green Beans
Another winning recipe from www.all-creatures.org. Keeping in the Greek tradition the green beans are cooked with tomatoe and potatoes. According to my Greek friend Karen this is the way her mother would present this dish, but she says that she would consider adding some garlic and oregano to jazz it up a bit.