Description
A classic Green Bean Casserole recipe featuring fresh or frozen green beans in a creamy, flavorful sauce made with butter, flour, Dijon mustard, and seasonings, topped with crispy French fried onions and baked to golden perfection.
Ingredients
Scale
Green Beans
- 2 pounds fresh or frozen green beans
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 your oven to 375°F and position a rack in the center.
- Blanch Green Beans: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then add the green beans and cook until almost tender—about 3 minutes for fresh or 2 minutes for frozen. Drain and immediately transfer to an ice water bath for 2 minutes to stop cooking. Drain again, pat dry, and place the green beans in a 9x13-inch baking dish.
- Make Sauce Base: In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and Dijon mustard. Cook the mixture, whisking occasionally, until fragrant, roughly 2 minutes.
- Add Liquids and Thicken Sauce: Gradually whisk in the stock until smooth, then slowly add the half and half. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.
- Combine Beans and Sauce: Pour the thickened sauce over the green beans in the baking dish and toss gently to coat all the beans evenly.
- Bake First Phase: Bake the casserole until the sauce starts bubbling, about 20 minutes.
- Add Topping and Final Bake: Remove from the oven, toss the green beans once more, sprinkle the French fried onions evenly over the top, and return to the oven. Bake for another 10 minutes until the topping is golden brown.
Notes
- For extra crunch, add half the French fried onions to the sauce mixture before baking.
- If using frozen green beans, avoid overcooking during blanching to maintain texture.
- Substitute half and half with whole milk and cream for a richer sauce.
- You can use vegetable stock to keep the recipe vegetarian; chicken stock adds more depth for non-vegetarians.
- The nutmeg adds a subtle warmth; do not omit for best flavor.
- French fried onions can be found prepackaged or can be homemade for a fresher taste.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 180 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 350 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 15 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
