Green Bean Casserole with Bacon
This French-inspired re-do of the classic Green Bean Casserole replaces all the canned ingredients with fresh delicious ingredients and adds bacon. The same favorite flavors in a whole new way!
Servings 10
Calories 298kcal
Ingredients
- 2 ½ pounds Haricot Vert ends trimmed and cut in half (to yield approximately 1 ½ inch lengths) Tip: kitchen shears make this go quickly!
- ½ cup uncooked Bacon sliced across the slice in 1/8-inch strips (2-3 slices of bacon; will vary due to bacon thickness)
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) Unsalted Butter
- 1 pound Cremini Mushrooms sliced
- ½ pound Shitake Mushrooms sliced (tops only )
- 6 sprigs fresh Thyme leaves only
- ¾ teaspoon plus a large pinch Kosher Salt
- ¾ teaspoon plus a large pinch freshly ground Black Pepper
- 1 ½ cups Shallots 1/8 inch slices across the shallot; separate slices into individual rings
- ½ cup Flour regular or gluten-free
- 3 cups Whole Milk
- 1 cup low sodium Chicken Stock
- 1 ¾ cups Gruyere Cheese (.3 pounds), grated
- 1 cup French Bread crumbs* (refer to recipe notes below)
- ½ cup Slivered Almonds rough chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Blanch the Haricot Vert: process batches through boiling, lightly salted water for 1 ½ minutes then place them into an ice bath (large mixing bowl of cold water and ice) until they are full cooled. Place them on a clean kitchen towel to drain and pat dry.
- In a large pot (or large deep skillet) sauté the bacon over medium-high heat until the fat is rendered (begins to liquefy) and the bacon lightly browns; 2-3 minutes. NOTE: The bacon will not cook fully and should still be pliable. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Add 4 tablespoons of butter to the bacon drippings in the pan and allow it to melt over medium heat.
- Add the mushrooms and thyme, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and sauté until the mushrooms release their moisture and begin to reduce; 3-4 minutes.
- Add the shallots and continue to sauté until the shallots begin to turn translucent.
- Add the bacon and haricot vert to the mixture and stir to fully incorporate. Remove from heat.
- In a large saucepan melt remaining 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat.
- Once the butter is melted whisk in the flour forming a roux (a thickener base for French sauces). Slowly pour in the milk and chicken stock, whisking constantly to fully mix together smoothly. Continue to stir the roux over medium heat until it thickens (3-5 minutes).
- Add the cheese to the roux, whisking to help melt the cheese and to make a smooth mixture.
- Add the cheese sauce, along with ¾ teaspoon of each Kosher Salt and Pepper, to the bean mixture. Stir well to mix all the ingredients together.
- Spoon mixture into a 13 x 9 inch 4-quart baking pan and smooth to uniformly fill the pan.
- Mix together the bread crumbs and chopped almonds and spread evenly over the top of the casserole.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until heated through.
Notes
How to Make Bread Crumbs: This process can be used with regular or gluten-free bread. I used Udi’s gluten-free French Baguette to create gluten-free bread crumbs. Purchased bread crumbs of a different variety may be substituted as well; choose an unseasoned type.
- Toast bread in the toaster or underneath the oven broiler.
- Break into pieces and process through a chopper, food processor or blender to make crumbs.
- If the bread is still moist, place on a baking sheet and place underneath the oven broiler, checking frequently, to dry (about a minute); watch them carefully so they don’t burn.
Nutrition
Calories: 298kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 216mg | Potassium: 724mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1150IU | Vitamin C: 15.4mg | Calcium: 403mg | Iron: 2.7mg