Need another side dish for your holiday feast? Here’s one that may look familiar. You remember that old standby …the green bean casserole? Check this out. Green Beans With Cremini Mushroom Sauce is an updated, lighter version of the original. And soooo delicious.
This recipe comes from our friend, Marcia Kiesel at Food & Wine. The sauce is not so overwhelming and so much tastier. The beans and mushrooms are fresh. And the crunchy onion topping is made on your stovetop with thinly sliced shallots.
The list of ingredients may seem lengthy but well worth it.
- Shallots – thinly sliced, the thinner the better
- All purpose flour – regular or gluten-free
- Vegetable oil – for sautéing, highly recommend using olive oil
- Kosher salt – coarse is best for sprinkling on crispy fried shallots
- Fresh green beans – ends trimmed
- Unsalted butter
- Onion – sliced vertically in thin strips
- Paprika, freshly ground black pepper & optional cayenne pepper
- Cremini (baby portabellas) mushrooms – caps thinly sliced, stems discarded
- Vegetable broth or stock – can be replaced with chicken broth or stock
- Crème fraîche – small amount for light creaminess
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice – to cut the richness
The shallots can be prepared ahead of time.
- Then quickly reheated in the oven before using.
- Be sure to make extra.
- Serve them on the side for your family to enjoy on their mashed potatoes.
- On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the shallots with 1/4 cup flour.
- Shake off any excess flour.
- In a large, deep skillet, heat one-inch of oil until shimmering.
- Add the shallots in 2 batches and fry over moderate heat until very crisp.
- Watch closely as it should take only about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels, then sprinkle with salt.
- In large pot of boiling salted water, cook beans until just tender, about 5 minutes.
- Drain and refresh under cold running water.
- Drain and pat dry.
The beans are parboiled just to the point where they become tender. Be careful not to let them boil for more than five minutes as they will continue to cook in the oven.
- Melt the butter in a large heavy-duty skillet.
- Add the onion and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened about 5 minutes.
- Add paprika, cayenne (if using) and pinch of freshly ground black pepper.
- Cook for one minute, stirring continuously.
- Add the mushrooms.
- Cover and cook over moderate heat until softened about 5 minutes.
- Uncover and cook, stirring, until browned, about 5 minutes longer.
- Stir in the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of flour.
- Gradually stir in the stock until smooth.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Simmer the mushroom sauce over low heat.
- Stir until thickened, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Stir in the crème fraîche, lemon juice, and beans.
- Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally til the beans are heated through, about 5 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Transfer to a large glass or ceramic baking dish.
If you prefer, you can prepare your Green Beans With Cremini Mushroom Sauce from start to finish in a cast iron skillet or any ovenproof skillet.
In that case, no transfer necessary. Cover the skillet and transfer the whole thing to the oven.
Totally up to you. Either way, your finished creation will be tempting and delicious.
- Cover the casserole with foil and bake until bubbling, about 20 minutes.
- Uncover, scatter the crispy shallots on top and serve.
- As you can see, the mushroom sauce is light and not overly creamy.
- Just enough to moisten and flavor each and every bean and slice of mushroom.
- When you add the crispy shallots on top, the perfect vegetable side dish has been created.
This recipe will make enough to feed 4 to 6 people as a side. For your larger gathering, simply double the recipe.
green beans with cremini mushroom sauce
Adapted from Food & Wine
Perfect side to serve with roast turkey, chicken, beef or pork.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces shallots, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour plus 1 1/2 tablespoon (or regular all-purpose flour)
- vegetable oil, for frying
- coarse kosher salt
- 20 ounces fresh green beans, trimmed
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 small onion, thinly vertically sliced (about 4 ounces)
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
- freshly ground black pepper
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, stems discarded, caps thinly sliced (baby portabellas)
- 1 cup vegetable broth or stock (or chicken broth / stock)
- 1/4 cup crème fraîche
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
-
On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the shallots with 1/4 cup of the flour; shake off any excess flour. In a large, deep skillet, heat 1 inch of oil until shimmering. Add the shallots in 2 batches and fry over moderate heat until very crisp, about 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels, then sprinkle with salt.
-
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the beans until just tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and refresh under cold running water; drain and pat dry.
-
Melt the butter in a large heavy-duty skillet. Add the onion and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened about 5 minutes. Add the paprika, cayenne (if using) and a pinch of freshly ground black pepper; cook for 1 minute, stirring. Add the mushrooms, cover and cook over moderate heat until softened about 5 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring, until browned, about 5 minutes longer. Stir in the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of flour and gradually stir in the stock until smooth.
-
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
-
Simmer the mushroom sauce over low heat, stirring, until thickened, about 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the crème fraîche, lemon juice, and beans. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally until the beans are heated through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a large glass or ceramic baking dish.
-
Cover the casserole with foil and bake until bubbling, about 20 minutes. Uncover, scatter the crispy shallots on top and serve.
Recipe Notes
Make Ahead - The assembled casserole (without the fried shallot topping) can be refrigerated overnight. Let return to room temperature before baking. The fried shallots can be kept overnight in an airtight container. Recrisp in a 350° oven and let cool.
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