Superior Green Bean Casserole

Every­body loves this Thanks­giv­ing tra­di­tion, but if you want to hear peo­ple rave about how good yours is, this recipe is the way to go!

  • THE BEANS AND SAUCE!
  • 2 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. kosher salt, divid­ed
  • 1 lb. fresh green beans, rinsed, trimmed and halved
  • 2 tbsp. unsalt­ed butter
  • 12 oz. mush­rooms, trimmed and cut into 1/2‑inch pieces
  • 1⁄2 tsp. fresh­ly ground black pepper
  • 2 cloves gar­lic, minced
  • 1⁄4 tsp. fresh­ly ground nutmeg
  • 2 tbsp. all-pur­pose flour
  • 1 cup chick­en broth
  • 1 cup half-and-half
  • THE TOPPING!
  • 2 medi­um onions, thin­ly sliced
  • 1⁄4 cup all-pur­pose flour
  • 2 tbsp. panko bread crumbs
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • Non­stick cook­ing spray

Pre­heat the oven to 475°.

Com­bine the onions, flour, panko and salt in a large mix­ing bowl and toss to com­bine. Coat a sheet pan with non­stick cook­ing spray and even­ly spread the onions on the pan. Place the pan on the mid­dle rack of the oven and bake until gold­en brown, approx­i­mate­ly 30 min­utes. Toss the onions 2 to 3 times dur­ing cook­ing. Once done, remove from the oven and set aside until ready to use. Turn the oven down to 400°.

While the onions are cook­ing, pre­pare the beans. Bring a gal­lon of water and 2 tbsp. of salt to a boil in an 8‑quart saucepan. Add the beans and blanch for 5 min­utes. Drain in a colan­der and imme­di­ate­ly plunge the beans into a large bowl of ice water to stop the cook­ing. Drain and set aside.

Melt the but­ter in a 12-inch cast iron skil­let set over medi­um-high heat. Add the mush­rooms, 1 tsp. salt and pep­per and cook, stir­ring occa­sion­al­ly, until the mush­rooms begin to give up some of their liq­uid, approx­i­mate­ly 4 to 5 min­utes. Add the gar­lic and nut­meg and con­tin­ue to cook for anoth­er 1 to 2 min­utes. Sprin­kle the flour over the mix­ture and stir to com­bine. Cook for 1 minute. Add the broth and sim­mer for 1 minute. Decrease the heat to medi­um-low and add the half-and-half. Cook until the mix­ture thick­ens, stir­ring occa­sion­al­ly, approx­i­mate­ly 6 to 8 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in 1⁄4 of the onions and all of the green beans. Top with the remain­ing onions. Place into the oven and bake until bub­bly, approx­i­mate­ly 15 min­utes. Remove and serve immediately.