Hey now, hey now… this is what green beans are made of. See what I did there? Any Lizzie McGuire fans? No… just me. Okay, cool.
My life was all about the green beans yesterday. As I sought to prepare my final Thanksgiving dish for the blog this year, I had a tough time deciding what to make. I wanted something classic, but also epic, and also loaded with butter. And what screams all of the above more than green bean casserole? Cha-ching!
This casserole. So many words to describe this casserole – creamy, salty, gooey, cheesy, crunchy, need-in-my-life-forever green bean casserole. And guess what… it’s made from scratch. YES! You heard right, made from scratch. No, I didn’t grow the green beans my self, but no cans were tethered with in the making of this dish because the base is a homemade mirepoix and roux (I sound so fancy right now).
As much as I’m a fan of using a can of mushroom soup with green bean casserole, going the homemade route is my jam and works so well with this classic dish. Making everything on my own was a ton of fun and the final product is absolute perfection. A sneak peak for all of you: there’s also some fried prosciutto in there, and it’s all topped with sharp cheddar and golden, buttery crackers. BAM! Still drooling over here.
Now, before I go, I must mention that making this casserole set off my fire alarm and caused me to cut my finger with a knife. What I’m trying to say is that this dish is a true labor of love, as it should be. The extra time that goes into making the roux makes all the difference. I promise.
If you’re in charge of a side this Thanksgiving, please, pretty please make this. It will not disappoint. If you end up making this casserole, don’t forget to tag your photos with #marinamakeseats!
Green Bean Casserole
Feeds 8-10 as a side
Ingredients
- 6 cups of green beans, chopped into one-inch pieces
- 9 tablespoons of butter, divided
- 6 oz of thinly sliced prosciutto
- 1 1/2 cups of carrots, diced into small pieces
- 1/2 cup of celery, diced into small pieces
- 1/2 cup of yellow onion, diced into small pieces
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- Salt
- Pepper
- 1/2 cup of flour
- 3 1/2 cups of milk
- 1 cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 3/4 cup of crushed golden crackers
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 and butter a large casserole dish (I used a 2.5 quart).
In a large saucepan or dutch oven, bring water to a boil over high heat. Add green beans and cook for 7-10 minutes, or until fork tender. Drain and set aside, but keep the pot handy because you’ll be using it to make the roux.
While the green beans are cooking, melt one tablespoon of butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add slices of prosciutto and cook on each side until crisp. Continuing until all of the prosciutto is cooked. Remove from the heat and place the prosciutto on a plate lined with paper towel and set aside. When cool, dice into strips with a knife or crumble into pieces with your hands.
In the same pan you used to cook the green beans, melt eight tablespoons of butter. Add the carrots, celery and onion, stirring and cooking for two to three minutes. Add the garlic and season with one teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Stir to combine and sprinkle the flour over the mixture. Stir again and cook for another minute or two until the mixture is combined and golden brown. Slowly add the milk and continually stir until the mixture thickens. When the mixture thickens, remove from the heat and add the green beans, prosciutto and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Stir to combine.
In a small bowl, combine the shredded cheddar and crushed crackers. Stir to combine.
Place the green bean mixture in the buttered casserole dish and top with the cheddar and crackers. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until golden brown at the top and bubbling on the edges.
Marina Makes 