On the Table: Green Bean Casserole

Green Bean Casserole is not just for Thanksgiving anymore!  And making it from scratch makes it EXTRA delicious!  There are a lot of components, but it is worth it.

Prep:
Peel one medium yellow onion and slice it into 1/4 inch rings.  Separate the rings and dredge them in a small amount of flour.  Clean and slice 6-8 ounces of mushrooms (I used baby portabellos).  Cut the ends off about a pound of green beans, and slice them into one inch pieces.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Put a large pot of salted water on to boil.  Heat three cups of milk in a saucepan over low heat.

Cook:
Put about 1/2 inch of canola oil into a frying pan, along with a tablespooon of butter, over medium-high heat.  Once the oil is hot, add in the onions.  Cook until the onions start to brown.  Remove the onions from the pan and set them aside.  I used the same pan to cook the mushrooms (this dish produces more than enough dirty pots and pans already!).  Reduce the heat to medium and add in the sliced mushrooms.  Season with salt and black pepper, and cook until mushrooms are tender.

While the mushrooms are cooking, prepare the sauce.  Melt two tablespoons of butter in a pot.  Stir in five tablespoons of flour, and stir to combine.  Allow the roux to cook for 2-3 minutes (you do not want it to brown).  Whisk in the heated milk, then add in the sauteed mushrooms, a few dashes of salt, and a dash of nutmeg.  Allow the mixture to come to a simmer, stirring frequently.  Let the sauce cook until any raw flour taste has been cooked out.

While the sauce is cooking, cook the green beans.  Allow them to cook in boiling salted water for 2-3 minutes, or until they begin to get tender but still retain some crispness.  Remove the green beens from the pot with a spider or skimmer and put them directly into a 7x11 baking dish.  Cook the green beans in multiple batches so as not to reduce the temperature in the pot too much when they are added, and allow the water to return to a full boil before adding the next batch.

When the sauce is done cooking, pour it over the green beans.  Top with the friend onions.

Put the baking dish in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling and the top gets golden brown:

Serve and enjoy!