The traditional Thanksgiving feast is loaded with calories, but it’s at least light on processed foods. One big exception is green bean casserole, with its reliance on canned soup and canned fried onions.
A totally from scratch version is a much healthier option, ditching those ingredients in favor of a fresh-made sauce. This recipe has several steps, but each one is simple and straightforward.
Start to Finish: 2 hours • Servings: 6 to 8 • Skill: Medium
Ingredients
- ½ ounce packaged dried porcini, morels or mixed wild mushrooms
- 1 ½ cups low-fat or non-fat milk
- ½ cup instant non-fat milk powder
- 2 large onions
- 1 bay leaf
- 10 to 12 whole peppercorns, lightly crushed
- 1 pound fresh button or Cremini mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons fresh-ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons oil, divided
- 2 pounds fresh green beans
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
Making the Mushroom Sauce
Step 1
Soak the dried mushrooms in a cup of lukewarm water for 30 minutes. Squeeze out any excess moisture from the mushrooms, and mince them. Strain the soaking water through a coffee filter to remove any grit, and reserve. Dry wild mushrooms can be found in the produce section of most supermarkets. They add a concentrated mushroom flavor to the casserole, but if you have trouble finding them feel free to leave them out.
Step 2
Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet until very hot. Slice two-thirds of the mushrooms thinly, then chop the remaining third into coarse pieces. Sear them in the hot, dry skillet in small batches, stirring each batch as it releases and re-absorbs its juices. Add the browned fresh mushrooms to the rehydrated wild mushrooms.
Step 3
Whisk the milk powder into the low-fat milk, until it’s completely dissolved. Pour the milk into a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add ¼ onion, coarsely chopped, as well as the bay leaf and peppercorns. Bring the milk to a simmer over low heat, then simmer for 10 minutes. Strain the flavorings from the milk, and return it to the saucepan.
Step 4
Add the mushrooms to the saucepan, and all but ¼ cup of the mushroom water. Whisk 2 tablespoons of flour or 1 tablespoon of cornstarch into that last ¼ cup, then stir it into the rest of the sauce. Stir continuously for 5 minutes, as it thickens. Season it with salt and pepper, then taste the sauce and add more if necessary.
Assembling the Casserole
Step 1
Warm a skillet over moderate heat. While it’s heating, slice the remaining onions into long shreds. Pour 2 tablespoons of oil into the skillet, than add the onions. Stir frequently until the onions are lightly golden (this should take about 10 minutes).
Step 2
Trim the green beans and snap them in half. Blanch them in boiling water for 5 minutes, then drain them and plunge them into a bowl of ice water so they stop cooking. Once they’re cold, drain the beans thoroughly.
Step 3
Heat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, and spray a 3-quart casserole dish with vegetable oil spray. Combine the sauce, green beans and half the onions in a large mixing bowl. Toss them until the beans are well coated with sauce, then scoop the mixture into your baking dish.
Step 4
Toss the breadcrumbs with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, and then with the other half of the onions. Sprinkle this topping over the casserole, then transfer it to the heated oven. Bake the mixture for 30 to 60 minutes, until the sauce is thickened and the beans are as tender as you like.
Nutritional Data (one serving)
- Calories: 177
- Total Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 2 mg
- Sodium: 393 mg
- Total Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Dietary Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 11 g
Tips & Warnings
- The sauce can be made a few days ahead of time. Alternatively, prepare the milk and mushrooms ahead of time and then assemble the sauce on the same day.
- Dried mushrooms add a lot of flavor, but it’s OK to leave them out if they’re hard to find.
- Adding milk powder to the non-fat milk gives it a richer, “creamier” taste but adds protein rather than fat.
- For a quicker-cooking casserole, cook the beans instead of simply blanching them. You can also use frozen beans or French-cut beans, rather than fresh.
- To make the recipe vegan, use soy or nut milk in place of the dairy variety. To make it gluten-free, thicken with cornstarch rather than flour and use gluten-free breadcrumbs.
- If the topping is golden brown before the casserole is finished, cover it loosely with aluminum foil to keep it from burning.
By: Fred Decker, Demand Media
Author Bio: Fred Decker is a trained chef and certified food-safety trainer. Decker wrote for the Saint John, New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal, and has been published in Canada’s Hospitality and Foodservice magazine. He’s held positions selling computers, insurance and mutual funds, and was educated at Memorial University of Newfoundland and the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology.
Sources:
BBC Good Food: Bechamel Sauce
Fine Cooking: The Bold Flavors of Dried Mushrooms
Photo Credit: Getty Images
