Green Bean Cassarole

 

The holidays are right around the corner, so I thought how about sharing my holiday menu items with you each day. One recipe a day to cover the entire month. I’m going to start off with green bean casserole as a side dish. Ingredients

Ingredients:

2 pounds fresh green beans, ends cut off

Pinch of Salt

4 slices bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1/2 whole large onion, chopped

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 1/2 cups whole milk, plus extra for thinning if needed

1/2 cup half-and-half

Freshly ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 cup grated sharp Cheddar

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut the green beans in half if you like the pieces to be a little smaller. Blanch the green beans: drop them into lightly salted boiling water and allow the green beans to cook for 5 minutes. Remove them from the boiling water with a slotted spoon and immediately plunge into a bowl of ice-cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain the beans once they're cool and set aside.

Add the bacon pieces to a skillet over medium heat. Cook the bacon for 2-3 minutes, and then add the peppers, garlic, and onions, and continue cooking until the bacon is done (but not crisp) and the onions are golden brown 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In a separate saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Sprinkle the flour into the pan and whisk immediately to evenly mix it into the butter. Cook for a minute or 2, and then pour in the milk and half-and-half. (You’re making a roux for the white sauce) Continue cooking, whisking constantly, while the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, some black pepper and the cayenne, and then add the grated cheese. Stir while the cheese melts. Turn off the heat.

Add the bacon/onion mixture and stir to combine. Add the green beans and stir gently to combine. Pour into a baking dish and top with the panko. Bake until the sauce is bubbly and the panko is golden, about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spoon half the green bean mixture into a 13×9-inch baking dish and spread it into an even layer. Then, layer half the french-fried onions over the bean layer.

Elizabeth Kilbride is a Writer and Editor with forty years of experience in writing with 12 of those years in the online content sphere. Author of 5 books and a Graduate with an Associate of Arts from Phoenix University in Business Management, then a degree. Mass Communication and Cyber Analysis from Phoenix University, then on to Walden University for her master’s in criminology with emphasis on Cybercrime and Identity Theft, and is currently studying for her Ph.D. degree in Criminology. Her work portfolio includes coverage of politics, current affairs, elections, history, and true crime. Elizabeth is also a gourmet cook, life coach, and avid artist in her spare time, proficient in watercolor, acrylic, oil, pen and ink, Gouche, and pastels. As a political operative having worked on over 300 campaigns during her career, Elizabeth has turned many life events into books and movie scripts while using history to weave interesting storylines. She also runs 6 blogs that range from art to life coaching, to food, to writing, and opinion or history pieces each week.