Sandra This Alton Brown Green Bean Casserole is a creamy and crunchy recipe, which calls for fresh green beans and homemade crispy onions. It’s the ultimate made-from-scratch holiday side, ready in about 1 hour.
Alton Brown Green Bean Casserole Ingredients
For the Crispy Onion Topping
- 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp Panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- Non-stick cooking spray
For the Beans and Sauce
- 1 lb fresh green beans, rinsed, trimmed, and halved
- 1 gallon water (for blanching)
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 12 oz mushrooms, trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup half-and-half
How To Make Alton Brown Green Bean Casserole
- Crisp the onions: Preheat the oven to 475°F (245°C). In a large bowl, toss the sliced onions with the flour, Panko breadcrumbs, and salt. Spread them evenly on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil. Spray lightly with cooking spray. Bake for 30 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes, until golden brown and crispy. Remove from oven and set aside.
- Reduce heat: Lower the oven temperature to 400°F (200°C). Grease a 9×13-inch casserole dish.
- Blanch the beans: While the onions cook, bring the gallon of water and a generous pinch of salt to a boil in a large pot. Add the green beans and boil for 5 minutes. Drain immediately and plunge the beans into a large bowl of ice water (this “shocks” them to stop cooking and keep them bright green). Drain again.
- Sauté the mushrooms: Melt the butter in a large cast-iron skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes until the mushrooms release their moisture and start to brown.
- Build the sauce: Add the minced garlic and nutmeg to the mushrooms; cook for 1 minute. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir to coat. Cook for 1 minute to remove the raw flour taste.
- Thicken the gravy: Pour in the chicken broth and simmer for 1 minute. Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the half-and-half. Simmer for 6–8 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
- Assemble the casserole: Remove the sauce from the heat. Stir in the blanched green beans until fully coated. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish.
- Bake and serve: Bake the casserole for 15 minutes until bubbly. Remove from the oven, top immediately with the prepared crispy onions, and serve hot. (Since the onions are already browned, you don’t need to bake them again on top, or they might burn).
Recipe Tips
- Why blanching matters: Blanching the beans in salt water and shocking them in ice is essential. It seasons the beans internally and sets that vibrant green color so they don’t turn mushy and gray in the oven.
- The Onion Hack: Alton Brown bakes his onions instead of deep-frying them. It’s less messy, less greasy, and the Panko adds a superior crunch that holds up against the creamy sauce.
- Mushroom choice: You can use regular white button mushrooms or cremini (baby bella) mushrooms. Cremini will give a deeper, earthier flavor.
- Make Ahead: You can blanch the beans and make the mushroom sauce a day in advance. Store them separately in the fridge. On the day of, mix them, bake, and top with freshly baked onions.
What To Serve With Alton Brown Green Bean Casserole
This is a staple for festive feasts.
- Roast Turkey: The mandatory Thanksgiving partner.
- Glazed Ham: The savory beans balance the sweet ham.
- Mashed Potatoes: Mixes perfectly with the mushroom gravy.
- Cranberry Sauce: A tart contrast to the creamy sauce.
How To Store Alton Brown Green Bean Casserole
- Refrigerate: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The onions will lose their crunch.
- Reheat: To revive the crunch, reheat in a 350°F oven rather than the microwave.
- Freeze: Freezing is not recommended as the creamy sauce may separate and the beans can become watery.
Alton Brown Green Bean Casserole Nutrition Facts
- Calories: 190kcal
- Protein: 6g
- Carbohydrates: 22g
- Fat: 10g
- Saturates: 6g
- Sugar: 4g
- Salt: 0.6g
Nutrition information is estimated per serving (based on 6 servings).
FAQs
Can I use frozen green beans?
Yes, thaw them completely and pat them dry. You can skip the blanching step (step 3) since frozen beans are usually pre-blanched, but fresh beans provide a much better “snap.”
Can I use canned cream of mushroom soup?
Technically yes, but then it isn’t Alton Brown’s recipe. The whole point of this version is to replace the gloopy canned soup with a fresh, homemade mushroom béchamel.
Is this vegetarian?
It contains chicken broth. To make it vegetarian, simply swap the chicken broth for vegetable broth.
Alton Brown Green Bean Casserole Recipe
Description
A from-scratch update to the classic casserole featuring fresh green beans, a homemade creamy mushroom sauce with nutmeg, and oven-baked crispy onions.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Toss onions with flour, Panko, and salt; bake at 475°F for 30 minutes until crisp.
- Blanch green beans in boiling water for 5 minutes, then shock in ice water.
- Sauté mushrooms in butter until browned.
- Add garlic, nutmeg, and flour to mushrooms; cook for 1 minute.
- Whisk in broth and half-and-half; simmer until thickened.
- Toss beans with the mushroom sauce and transfer to a baking dish.
- Bake at 400°F for 15 minutes.
- Top with crispy onions and serve.
Notes
- Adding a pinch of nutmeg to the white sauce is a classic French technique that adds a subtle warmth and complexity without making the dish taste like a dessert.
- Baking the onions on a high heat (475°F) effectively “fries” them in the oven, creating a lighter, less oily topping than the traditional canned French-fried onions.
- Ensuring the mushrooms are browned before adding the liquid is crucial for developing a deep savory flavor (umami) that replaces the msg-heavy flavor of canned soup.
Alton Brown Green Bean Casserole Recipe
