I spent the next few holidays vowing to perfect it myself, only to fail miserably. I pinned all the variations and bought all the fancy ingredients, but could not get it right. Why is this seemingly simple side so ridiculously hard to pull off?! Recently, I asked my husband (who happens to be a chef) that very question, challenging him to make me the best-ever green bean casserole. I was prepared to crack the GBC code once and for all, and thanks to Luke, I did. It turns out there's a far superior way to execute the classic Thanksgiving side, and this chef-approved approach will make even the biggest green bean casserole haters die-hard fans. Here's how to do it.Related: The Best Type of Green Beans for Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients for the Best Green Bean Casserole
Only have buttons or baby bellas on hand? Use 'em! The main point is just to avoid canned cream of mushroom soup, so any mix of mushrooms and a high-quality heavy cream is better. For that, he prefers Origin 100% A2/A2 Heritage Heavy Cream, a full-flavored, old-fashioned cream that comes in a cute little container and looks like it was just milked straight from a cow. You'll also need the slim French green beans called haricot verts—NOT frozen or canned beans—and a shallot or two to make the frizzled onions. Plus vegetable oil for frying, ghee or butter, soy sauce or eel sauce, nutmeg, cayenne, salt and pepper. ?? SIGN UP to get delicious recipes, handy kitchen hacks & more in our daily Parade Eats newsletter. ??
And although Luke has ingredient connections home cooks don't, you should be able to find all or most of the ingredients in an upscale market like Whole Foods. Related: What the Heck Are French-Cut Green Beans?
Chef-approved ingredients for green bean casseroleKelli Acciardo
Cook them for 3-5 minutes over medium-high heat until all the moisture has evaporated and they're a deep brown color, then set aside until you need to make your mushroom cream.
If you're feeling ambitious and want to Martha Stewart it up for your GBC, he goes on to say the best way to make the topping is to slice shallots (not onions) on a mandoline until they're paper thin, then dredge them in a liberal amount of flour and fry the strands in hot vegetable oil at 325° for 4-6 minutes until golden brown. They should look similar to the ones below. Related: Here's Exactly How Many Bags of Green Beans You'll Need for Thanksgiving Dinner
How To Make Green Bean Casserole
Fried onions for green bean casseroleKelli Acciardo
Once you have your ingredients sorted and prepped, you want to make the wild mushroom cream sauce. Luke adds the mushrooms to a hot pan with some ghee and pours in the cream once they're warm after a minute or two.
Making wild mushroom cream sauceKelli Acciardo
He continues stirring this mixture until it gets nice and thick, then adds a dash of nutmeg, along with some cayenne pepper for a kick. In goes some salt and a few sizeable cranks of black pepper.
Seasoning the mushroom creamKelli Acciardo
Unagi sauce (aka eel sauce) is the savory-sweet Japanese sauce that's often used to glaze eel. It used to be made with eel broth, but today it is more often a reduced mixture of soy sauce, mirin, sake and sugar. Luke is quick to point out that you can also use soy sauce for a similar flavor profile, which is actually an ingredient in the OG version of the recipe.Related: Why Campbell's Green Bean Casserole Is My Forever Thanksgiving Favorite
Pureed wild mushroom creamKelli Acciardo
"That’s what I would do as a chef," he shrugs. "A little bit of Parmesan because you can’t even tell it’s there. Actually, I’m going to do parm and cheddar to make it more of a gratin."
Folding in the beans and cheeseKelli Acciardo
Now it's time to bake. After transferring everything to a baking dish, the casserole goes into the oven for 15 to 20 minutes uncovered. Only at the end do you sprinkle on the fried onions. I saw Luke return the GBC to the oven for a few more seconds until the onions turned a dark tawny hue. Just be careful not to burn them! No one likes burnt onions—especially atop the side star of Thanksgiving. Related: The Surprising Green Bean Casserole Recipe Fans Are Calling 'the Ultimate Hack'
My Honest Thoughts on My Chef-Husband's Green Bean Casserole
Ready to dig inKelli Acciardo
Obviously, the made-from-scratch fried onions sealed the whole delicious deal, but the cheese was another genius touch. I wasn't sure if that was the right move until I got to a melty part, but yes, yes, it was. In fact, I don't think I can return to non-cheesy GBCs in the future. Or honestly, anyone else's. This, friends, is the clear winner. So go forth and make it for Friendsgiving, Thanksgiving or, you know, any day you have some time and are in the mood for a green bean casserole because a dish this good shouldn't be reserved for only one day of the year.
Chef Luke's green bean casseroleKelli Acciardo
Top Tips for My Chef-Husband's Green Bean Casserole
Dried mushrooms also work. If you don't have access to wild mushrooms, you can rehydrate dried mushrooms. There are many types of dried mushrooms available at the grocery store and you can also buy them online. The Wild Mushroom Co. makes a dried gourmet mix of European mushrooms that would be perfect for this recipe.Always blanch your green beans. They'll retain their vibrant green color and nutrients this way.Save your leftover mushroom cream. This mushroom cream tends to make a lot, especially if you sautee a big bunch of mushrooms. Use your leftovers to make cream of mushroom soup the next day. Don’t cover the baking dish. Green veggies always get brown if you cover them, so if you want your veggies to be verdant, don't cover the casserole.Clean as you go. "So you don’t destroy the kitchen like my wife," my husband chimes in, laughing, when I ask him for one more tip for nailing this dish.Related: How To Brine a Turkey Like a Pro for a Flavor-Packed, Extra Juicy Bird
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