Grown-up Green Bean Casserole!

Holiday food and Easter is coming up! I am behind in my usual meal planning. Today, I will buckle down and knock that out of the way so I can get into the week with more peace of mind.

My Honey loves the old standby Green Bean Casserole. I’ve never been much of a fan. When they are having a holiday meal at his job he always signs up to bring it and I make it for him but am thankful I don’t have to eat it. So I got to thinking, what is it about Green Bean casserole I didn’t like? And…can I make it better?

First thing I didn’t like is how mushy it gets…remember, I do not like mushy veggies! Even in casseroles. I like food that is an adventure for your senses…mushy foods just do not bring out the adventurer in me. I want to sink my teeth into something of substance. I’ve seen people use French cut green beans that instantly turn into much when you stir in the other ingredients. Yuk! No texture, no green beans flavor either. So, first thing to go is the canned beans. I opt for frozen cut green beans. *You can thaw them but do not cook them!!! * That’s important. Fresh green beans will need a 1 minute long dip in boiling water and then straight into cold and/or ice water. *Do not cook them*

I’m careful about salt these days and some canned soup can be very high in salt. It is easy to make a simple homemade sauce to replace the canned soup but if you go with the cans, do not add additional salt to the dish during preparation. People can add a bit at the table if they need more but canned anything, unless otherwise stated, has enough salt! So, assuming we are going with soup from a can for convenience sake, I prefer cream of mushroom. Here’s a tip** Generic cream of mushroom soup is every bit as good and a lot less expensive. I use it exclusively now.

As with the green beans, I want mushroom flavor and texture so I add fresh mushrooms for both. You can get them in bulk or in the package but make sure they are plump and pretty! Mushrooms of your choice but plain old white buttons work well. I like to lay sliced portabella mushrooms on top for that special appeal and richness of flavor.

Canned onions are a staple in the dish but they can be stale tasting. I decided to give them an edge by adding fresh bread crumbs I’ve run through my coffee grinder. To clean out the grinder and remove any coffee residue first, I take a slice of plain bread or a hunk of un-sliced and buzz it. It cleans the grinder our very well. Another tip**when you buy French bread or any other kind of bakery bread save any that didn’t get eaten in freezer bags. I save all left over rolls, breads, etc and then use them to make my own breadcrumbs when I need them. Nothing wasted here! You can use store bought bread crumbs if you have to. Adding the bread crumbs to the canned onions give them a boost and they go further, to boot! Wal-Mart has a bag of the fried onions that is far cheaper than the cans & you get more, too!

Here’s my Food Tweaked a Bit version of Green Bean casserole:

1-2 bags of frozen cut green beans (depends on size you are making)…generic work fine!

2 cans of generic mushroom soup or 1 large family sized can

1 large Portabella mushroom sliced or pkg of Portabella slices

1 pkg white button mushrooms sliced or chopped…not too small, you want the texture & flavor!

1 bag or can of fried onions

Bread crumbs…….

In large bowl mix thawed but uncooked green beans with soup and chopped or sliced button mushrooms. Stir gently but mix well. Spread out in 9X13 baking dish (or two smaller ones) that have been sprayed with cooking oil spray. Lay thick Portabella slices down the center of casserole…you can use more if you prefer. *Do not add onions and bread crumbs at this time, they will burn before casserole is done.* Bake in 425* preheated oven till bubbly. Remove from oven to add fried onion & bread crumb mixture over top. You can put just around the edges or cover whole top, my Honey’s preference! Everybody loves the crunch!!! Place back in oven till bread crumbs start browning a bit and onions are releasing their fragrance.

This version brings the comfort of the traditional dish, with more distinct flavor and texture your mouth will appreciate. It’s a more sophisticated, grown-up version of the holiday dish we all grew up with. It’s still easy to prepare, relatively inexpensive and far more interesting! Let me know how this works for you.