| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 2 hr 10 min |
| Active: | 35 min |
| Yield: | 8 servings |
Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 2 pounds fresh green beans, ends cut off
- 4 tablespoons butter, plus more for buttering the casserole dish
- 4 slices bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 large onion, chopped
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup half-and-half
- 1/4 cup chicken broth, plus more if needed
- 3 tablespoons sherry
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3/4 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese
- 3/4 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
- 3 large jarred piquillo or roasted red peppers, diced
- Onion Strings, recipe follows
- 1 large onion, very thinly sliced
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1 to 2 quarts (4 to 8 cups) canola oil
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 scant tablespoon kosher salt
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil; prepare a bowl of ice water.
- Cut the green beans in half if you like the pieces a little smaller. Blanch the green beans by dropping them into the boiling water and cooking them for about 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from the boiling water with a slotted spoon and immediately plunge them into the ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain the beans once they’re cool and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a casserole dish.
- Add the bacon pieces to a skillet over medium heat. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the garlic and onion and continue cooking until the bacon is done (but not crisp) and the onions are golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
- In the same skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Sprinkle the flour into the skillet and whisk immediately to evenly mix it into the butter. Cook for a minute or two, then stir in the milk, half-and-half, chicken broth and sherry. Cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Add the cayenne, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and some pepper, then the grated Cheddar and Monterey Jack. Stir until the cheese melts. If the sauce is too thick, splash in some chicken broth as needed. Add the peppers along with the reserved bacon/onion mixture and stir to combine.
- Put the green beans in the prepared casserole dish. Pour the sauce over the green beans and stir gently to combine. Bake until the sauce is bubbly, about 30 minutes. Top with the Onion Strings.
- Put the onion slices in a baking dish, cover with the buttermilk and soak for at least 1 hour.
- Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot until a deep-frying thermometer registers 375 degrees F.
- Combine the flour, salt, cayenne and some black pepper in a bowl. Grab a handful of the onions, throw them into the flour mixture, tap to shake off the excess and plunge into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown, a few minutes, then remove immediately to a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat until all the onions are cooked.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 1948 |
| Total Fat | 189 g |
| Saturated Fat | 25 g |
| Carbohydrates | 50 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 6 g |
| Sugar | 14 g |
| Protein | 20 g |
| Cholesterol | 64 mg |
| Sodium | 1359 mg |
Reviews
This was very good.The onion strings were addictive.
Great recipe. A little time consuming but goes quickly if you prep all ingredients ahead. I made the sauce ahead of time (day before) and just assembled before cooking. Yes green beans are a bit crunchy- cook longer to your liking. I also learned to halve the sauce, unless you want to use the rest of it for something else.
Hands down the best green bean casserole I’ve ever had. Puts the classic version with the can of condensed soup to shame. I’ll never make it any other way!
I cook a most things from scratch, but I think the green bean casserole made with a can of soup and canned French fried onions beats every scratch made green bean casserole every time This recipe is very fussy considering all the cooking you have to do to pull of a Thanksgiving. Not bad, just not worth the time and energy.
This is kind of insane. Green bean casserole: 5 cans of green beans – drained and dried as well as possible. 1 can cream of mushroom soup. A couple ounces of Velveeta diced up and a couple handfuls of crushed up French Fried Onions. Mix that. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Then top with some more crushed up French Fried Onions and bake for another 5 – 10 minutes.
This is a lot more work with not a lot of reward. (Making angry face.)
My new added side dish, it has a lot of ingredients but so with it.
Alton Brown’s is SO much better!!
Sherry ruined the entire dish. Watery and soupy. I’ll stick to just making the onions all
by themselves.
by themselves.
Flavor is very good. I added additional vegetables because my family loves they’re veggies.
I saw this recipe on TV last year and decided to give it a shot for Thanksgiving and I won’t go back.
I didn’t have sherry on hand and I used the bag French fries onions, but those were the only changes I made. This casserole is cheesy and creamy. It’s definitely more work than the cream of mushroom can, but the pay off is so worth it.