| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr |
| Prep: | 15 min |
| Cook: | 45 min |
| Yield: | 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fresh green beans, ends cut off
- Salt
- 4 slices bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 red 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
Instructions
- 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 3 to 4 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 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. 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.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 280 |
| Total Fat | 18 g |
| Saturated Fat | 9 g |
| Carbohydrates | 23 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 10 g |
| Protein | 9 g |
| Cholesterol | 42 mg |
| Sodium | 623 mg |
Reviews
why does the recipe say blanch the beans for 3-4 minutes when the video says to blanch for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes?
This green bean casserole is the absolute best. Everyone I make it for loves it. Not your same old same old casserole that everyone makes. I also tried onion rings on top instead of bread crumbs and that was a nice change.
This is an upscale version of the green bean casserole my mother used to make. Not difficult and is so much better. Get compliments every year. Thanks Bree.
I love this recipe because it’s different than the usual green bean casseroles- everyone loves it and requests it during the holidays!
Love so many of Ree’s recipes. The addition of cheddar cheese changed the texture and creaminess. Oh well.
The best!
I’ve made this recipe now for 3-4 years and it’s always a hit! I love this recipe to say the least ❤️ still making it! 12/24/22
Fell flat both times I’ve tried this recipe with family.
I made this for Thanksgiving. My family and I really liked it. It is so much better than the “other” green bean casserole. I’ll be making it again!
My Thanksgiving diiner companions loved it and requested the recipe. I was pretty pleased with it myself! But, prep time 15 minutes?? It took me longer than that to trim the green beans! I know almost all recipes have ridiculous prep times, but this one is especially absurd. I do agree that it’s an “easy” recipe, but if someone would like to post a video of getting this ready for the oven in 15 minutes I’d love to see it. So 4 stars instead of 5 because I’ve had it up to HERE with these impossible prep times! Allow an hour, absolute minimum. And if you’re anything like me (reasonably skilled but not super-speedy) an hour and a half would be more like it. And that’s with no distractions. I actually think it took me longer.