Green bean is as much a tradition in our home as everyone else’s’ on Thanksgiving. To make my green bean casserole stand out, I’ve tried a few tricks over the years, from making the whole thing from fresh ingredients, to just using fresh green beans, to adding all sorts of herbs and spices to the sauce part of the recipe to make it stand out. And in all those times of making my green bean casserole, I’ve learned what really makes the difference is the fried onions on top.
Way too many times I’ve spent too much time on the casserole part of this recipe and then just tossed on those canned fried onions at the end. And while they’re alright, making your own crunchy onion topping is a thousand times better.
So now, I take short-cuts in my recipe by using frozen pre-prepared frozen vegetables. This way I have more time to devote to what really matters, the onions!
For this recipe, I used a combination of green beans and asparagus from the frozen foods isle. Having my vegetables already prepped and ready to go is a huge time savor. This way, all I have to do is toss the vegetables right into the casserole dish, and I’m ready to go.
There are so many options in the frozen food isle to make your holiday dishes with ease. All the pre-prepared frozen ingredients are real, simple, nutritious, delicious, affordable and customizable. The frozen food aisle is also packed with chef-inspired entree, dessert, snack and meal options that feature real ingredients and flavors you can add to your holiday menu.
Next I pour over my own homemade sauce, but if you want to save time on this step, I would recommend using some jarred Alfredo sauce instead. Then just mix everything well, and bake this for about 30 minutes or so, or until it’s all hot and bubbly.
While this casserole is baking, I make the fried onions. To make sure my slices are very thin, I use a mandoline. Then I toss the very thinly sliced onions with a little flour, corn meal and salt and pepper. Then I just fry them until they are golden brown and crisp. It only takes a few minutes. Then after my casserole is baked, I just garnish with my fried onions.
These thin fried onions are also called tobacco onions. Not sure why, it’s an odd name don’t you think? No matter the name though, they are so, so good.
Yield: Serves 6
For the onions:
1/2 1 medium onion, very thinly sliced (I used a mandoline)
3 tablespoons yellow corn meal
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
vegetable oil for frying
For the casserole:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
2 tablespoons chopped roasted red peppers, from jarred
1 clove garlic, grated
2 cups milk
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 (9 oz) package Green Giant asparagus
1 (12 oz) package Green Giant green beans
Heat vegetable oil for frying in a large skillet or deep fryer to 375°. Heat oven to 350°. Combine sliced onions, corn meal, flour, salt and peper in a large bowl. Toss well to coat. Place onions in hot oil and fry until golden brown and crisp, about 1 - 2 minutes. Place of rack or paper towels to drain oil and cool.
In a large skillet, add 1 tablespoon of the butter and chopped mushrooms. Saute mushrooms over low heat until they are tender. Melt the rest of the butter in the skillet. Whisk in flour, salt and pepper. Add red bell peppers. Add milk and continue to whisk until mixture comes to a boil and thickens. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 - 3 minutes.
Add vegetables to an 8 x 8 casserole dish and mix well. Pour sauce over vegetables and mix well. Bake for 30 - 40 minutes. or until bubbly and lightly browned. Remove from oven when done and garnish with fried onions. Serve.
NFRA is a non-profit trade association representing all segments of the frozen and refrigerated dairy foods industry, including distributors, logistics providers, manufacturers, retailers/wholesalers and suppliers. Headquartered in Harrisburg, PA, NFRA is the sponsor of March National Frozen Food Month, June Dairy Month, June/July Ice Cream & Novelties promotion and October Cool Food for Kids educational outreach program. NFRA provides consumer information such as food safety guidelines, meal preparation tips, recipes and sweepstakes opportunities at EasyHomeMeals.com.For additional information on NFRA or to find recipes or tips, visit NFRAweb.org or EasyHomeMeals.com.
This post sponsored by NFRAweb.org. I was compensated for my time. All opinions 100% mine.
