Bon Appetit shares recipe for green bean casserole with fresh ingredients

Bon Appetit published a green bean casserole recipe that replaces canned soup with fresh green beans, browned crimini mushrooms, and a garlicky Parmesan béchamel sauce. The recipe retains the classic crispy fried onion topping, emphasizing its iconic status.

The recipe advises blanching green beans in salted water, allowing mushrooms to brown fully, and preparing the béchamel sauce carefully to avoid separation. The mushrooms and sauce can be cooked simultaneously or sequentially in the same pan to save cleanup.

Preparations such as blanching beans, cooking mushrooms, and making the sauce can be done up to a day ahead and refrigerated separately. The casserole should be assembled and baked on the day of serving, adding fried onions near the end of baking for crispiness.

Bon Appetit cautions against freezing the assembled casserole as the cream sauce may separate and the beans could become mushy after thawing. They also recommend following the Parmesan amount closely to maintain sauce consistency.

For those seeking gluten-free options, the editors suggest substituting all-purpose flour with a gluten-free blend and using gluten-free fried onions or crispy fried shallots as alternatives.

The recipe also notes that while fresh green beans are preferred, frozen petite and French-cut beans can work if thawed overnight and drained of excess liquid before use.