As far as I’m concerned, Thanksgiving just wouldn’t be the holiday I love without the traditional Green Bean Casserole.  It’s a very close second to my favorite Corn Souffle.  But I’m not a big fan of the canned cream of mushroom soup that’s typically used as a base for the white sauce in this side dish, so I make my own instead.  It’s surprisingly easy–and it tastes much, much better than anything you can plop from a can into a bowl.

The Girl is not a fan of mushrooms, so I don’t include them in our version of this recipe.  If you’re a fan, slice up half a cup of mushrooms (or more, if you’re a bona fide shroom fiend) and add them to the casserole dish with the green beans.  The Girl is, however, a major fan of Durkee fried onions–she asked me to buy two cans this year, so she could snack on one and I’d still have the other for Thanksgiving.   I use the onions in both in the casserole and as a topping.  Left to my own devices, I think I might substitute panko bread crumbs and some Parmesan as a topping.  You can decide for yourself which version sounds most appealing.

A final note:  please, please, please use fresh green beans in this casserole.  Canned beans are salted beyond all reckoning, not to mention downright slimy.  And something happens to green beans when you freeze them–frozen green beans taste like grass after they’re thawed.  You can leave them whole, like I do–just cut off both tough ends with a knife–or snap them into smaller pieces.  Either way, fresh green beans don’t take long to prepare and their taste can’t be beat.

Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients:

2 lbs. fresh green beans, ends cut off
2 T. butter
2 T. flour
1 can evaporated milk
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste
1 can Durkee fried onions

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Blanch the green beans by dropping them into the boiling water and letting them cook for 2 or 3 minutes. Drain and rinse the beans in cold water. They should be bright green, but still very crisp. (Don't worry--they'll finish cooking in the oven.) Set the beans aside while you make the white sauce.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter and whisk in the flour until you have a thick paste. Let this cook until it's thick and bubbly, 3 or 4 minutes. Slowly whisk in the evaporated milk, then the regular milk, then the sour cream, making sure to keep everything smooth. (At this point, if the sauce looks too thick, add a little more milk--but do this sparingly. It's easy to thin out a sauce that's too thick, but it's much more difficult to thicken a runny sauce.) Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Place the green beans in a 2-quart casserole dish. Pour the white sauce over your green beans; add half the can of fried onions and stir to combine everything. Sprinkle the remaining fried onions over the top. Bake for 30 minutes, until the beans are tender and the white sauce is bubbly.