Description
A classic and creamy Green Bean Casserole made with fresh or frozen green beans, a savory cream sauce flavored with onion powder, garlic powder, Dijon mustard, and topped with crispy French fried onions for the perfect holiday side dish.
Ingredients
Scale
Green Beans
- 2 pounds fresh or frozen green beans
Cream Sauce
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 cup vegetable or chicken stock
- 2 cups half and half
Topping
- 1 ½ cups French fried onions
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat the oven to 375°F with a rack positioned in the center.
- Blanch Green Beans: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add green beans and cook until almost tender—about 3 minutes for fresh beans or 2 minutes for frozen. Drain and immediately transfer to a bowl of ice water for 2 minutes to stop cooking. Drain again, pat dry, and place in a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Make Cream Sauce: In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, melt butter. Whisk in flour, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and Dijon mustard. Cook, whisking occasionally, until fragrant and bubbly, about 2 minutes.
- Add Liquids: Slowly whisk in the stock until smooth, then slowly whisk in the half and half. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium heat, cooking and stirring occasionally until thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Combine and Bake: Pour the thickened cream sauce over the green beans in the baking dish and toss to coat evenly. Bake in the preheated oven until the sauce starts to bubble, about 20 minutes.
- Add Topping and Finish Baking: Remove the casserole from the oven, toss the green beans gently, then sprinkle the French fried onions evenly over the top. Return to the oven and bake until the topping is golden brown and crispy, about 10 minutes more.
Notes
- Use fresh green beans for the best texture, but frozen works well if fresh aren’t available.
- To make this dish vegetarian, use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.
- If you prefer a thicker sauce, you can cook the cream sauce a little longer until it reaches your desired consistency.
- For a gluten-free version, substitute all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour blend and use gluten-free fried onions.
- The casserole can be assembled a day ahead and baked just before serving.
