Green bean casserole made from scratch with fresh beans, bacon, a sharp cheddar cream sauce and a panko top, no canned soup anywhere. That makes it an easy make ahead side dish for Christmas dinner, Thanksgiving dinner or a holiday potluck. Most of it can be built the day before.
Toss the panko with a little melted butter before it goes on top. The source scatters it dry, and dry crumbs sitting on a wet casserole bake pale instead of golden.
Most people searching for this expect cream of mushroom soup and fried onions out of a can. There is neither here, so the sauce is a real roux with sharp cheddar stirred through it and the crunch comes from panko.
Green Bean Casserole
Course: Side DishCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy4
servings30
minutes40
minutes300
kcalFresh green beans blanched and shocked, then folded through a cheddar cream sauce with bacon, red pepper and onion. Baked under panko until the top turns gold, with nothing from a can.
Ingredients
2 pounds fresh green beans, ends cut off
Salt, for the blanching water
4 slices bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 large onion, chopped
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups whole milk, plus extra for thinning
1/2 cup half-and-half
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup grated sharp Cheddar
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
Directions
- Blanch the beans: Heat the oven to 350F. Drop the green beans into lightly salted boiling water for 3 to 4 minutes, then lift them straight into ice water to stop the cooking. Drain once cool.
- Cook the bacon and vegetables: Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes, then add the bell pepper, garlic and onion. Keep cooking until the bacon is done but not crisp and the onion is golden, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Make the sauce: Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, whisk in the flour and cook 1 to 2 minutes. Pour in the milk and half-and-half and whisk constantly for about 2 minutes, until it thickens.
- Season and melt the cheese: Add the salt, black pepper and cayenne, then stir in the Cheddar until it melts. Turn off the heat.
- Combine and bake: Stir in the bacon mixture, then fold in the green beans. Pour into a 9×13 baking dish, scatter the panko over the top and bake about 30 minutes, until bubbling and golden.
FAQs
What size dish do I need?
Two pounds of beans plus three cups of sauce fills about three quarts, so a 9×13 is the right size. The recipe says only baking dish, which is where people go wrong. Anything smaller and the sauce climbs the sides and spills before the panko browns.
What is the extra milk in the ingredient list for?
The list calls for extra milk for thinning if needed, then never mentions it again in the method. The sauce tightens as the cheese melts and tightens again off the heat. Splash a little in if it stiffens before the beans go through.
Can I make green bean casserole ahead?
Blanch and shock the beans a day early and keep them in the fridge, which is the slow part. Build the sauce and fold everything together on the day, because a roux sauce goes grainy after a night in the cold. Hold the panko back until the dish goes in the oven.
Is this the same as the classic canned soup version?
No, and that is the point of it. The classic leans on cream of mushroom soup and fried onions from a can, while this builds a cheddar roux and uses panko instead. For another from scratch side on the same table, try this sweet potato casserole.
What should I serve it with?
Roast meat, since the casserole is rich and creamy and wants something carved beside it. Ham is the easy pairing at Christmas because both go in at similar temperatures. A city ham on the table covers the main and leaves the oven free.
