Green Bean Casserole With Bacon
A cozy, from-scratch twist on the holiday side everyone grew up with, now with bacon! It’s the dish that disappears first at Thanksgiving and Christmas, and you can make it the day before so you can spend less time prepping on the big day.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fresh green beans ends trimmed and green beans snapped in half
- 6 tablespoons butter salted
- 1 medium yellow onion thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 ½ cups milk
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 3/4 cups crispy fried onions or 3.5 ounces
- 6 strips cooked bacon diced, about 1/2 cup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and spray a 9x13" baking dish with cooking spray. Fill a large bowl with ice water.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the green beans for 2 to 3 minutes until bright green, then move them to the ice water right away. This is called blanching. The quick boil and cold bath stop the cooking, so the beans stay bright green and tender with a little snap instead of turning mushy in the oven. Drain and dry the beans well.2 pounds fresh green beans
- In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat, then lower to medium-low. Add the onion and garlic and cook about 5 minutes, stirring often, until soft. Stir in the flour and cook 1 minute until it just starts to turn golden brown.6 tablespoons butter, 1 medium yellow onion, 3 cloves garlic, ½ cup all purpose flour
- Slowly pour in the chicken broth, whisking the whole time until smooth and no flour lumps remain. Then slowly whisk in the milk, and then the cream, letting each one blend in before adding the next. Season with salt and pepper. The sauce should be thick like a cream soup. If it’s too thick, whisk in a splash more broth until everything is smooth and creamy.1 cup chicken broth, 1 ½ cups milk, ½ cup heavy cream, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- Add the green beans to the baking dish, pour the sauce over them and stir gently. Top with the crispy fried onions and bacon.1 3/4 cups crispy fried onions, 6 strips cooked bacon
- Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes until hot and bubbly. Uncover and bake 10 more minutes until golden on top. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Thin sauce fix - The sauce thickens as it bakes, so a little loose is okay. If it’s really runny, fix it on the stove before it goes in the baking dish. Whisk 1 tablespoon flour with just enough milk to dissolve it, then whisk it into the simmering sauce until smooth.
Make ahead - Assemble up to 1 day ahead without the fried onions. Add them right before baking, along with the bacon if you didn’t add it earlier.
Frozen green beans - Skip blanching and instead thaw them, then drain well and pat dry so the sauce doesn’t get watery.
Mix-ins - For a twist, sprinkle parmesan, cheddar or panko under the fried onions.
Pan size - You can bake this casserole in one 9x13 inch baking dish or two 1 1/2 quart baking dishes. I have split this dish into two baking dishes when I ran out of oven space one year while making our Thanksgiving dinner.
Nutrition
Calories: 328kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 457mg | Potassium: 407mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1312IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 116mg | Iron: 2mg