Homemade Green Bean Casserole

It snowed! White, fluffy, ->COUGH<- beautiful, and very cold snow fell this weekend. While it seems a tid early for that to happen, I suppose it is the middle of November and Thanksgiving is just a week and away a half away! The hustle and bustle of the Holidays is upon us so we took what seems like our last free weekend until the end of the year and just stayed put. Cooking in our sweatpants is what I call a splendid weekend. Especially when you throw in some delicious comfort foods like this not-so beautiful, but amazingly delicious green bean casserole.

This dish has been on my “to-make list” for months. I want you to believe that I was saving it up for this very series, but the reality is, this dish terrified me. I think it was frightening because there were so many “processed” elements to it that I was worried the time was going to be more than what it was worth and that darn cream of mushroom soup was going to be, well soupy rather than condensed. So it sat there, as everything else around it got scratched off until finally a snowy weekend, with no plans other than to tackle this beast.

As I sat there and pondered this green bean casserole, doesn’t everyone ponder their food? I made a list of everything I every dreamed of in green bean casserole. A checklist so I was sure to include everything in this delicious rendition of a vegetable dish.

1. Crispy onion strings – check
2. Extra creamy and chunky condensed mushroom soup – check
3. French cut green beans – heck yes!
4. That hint of something else that takes it from ordinary to extraordinary – crispy fried pancetta – check, check

And so with this list, I put together what I would like to think of as the perfect, homemade green bean casserole. Everything you ever wanted out of green beans, and french cut to be specific. Is it embarrassing how much thought goes into each recipe? Don’t judge, I do it out of love for food and for you my fabulous readers! MWAH!

So I whipped it up and topped it with the crispy onion strings, just to realize that although extremely tasty, so tasty in fact that the hubs and I had been secretly shoveling it into our mouths without the other one knowing. Well we knew, we just didn’t confront because we were both guilty. These may not the most appetizing food pictures I’ve ever taken, I mean how are you supposed to make a casserole look good? You’ll just have to take my word for it, although not a show stopping dish, it is a mouth watering one. Your guests won’t judge you once they put that first, delicious bite into their mouth they will never go back to the processed version….ever.

And much to my surprise, after months of agonizing over this darn casserole, the extra creamy mushroom soup was extremely easy to make. Like, I even surprised myself.  And who could forget those crispy onion straws? Lets just back track and get on the same page. Is there really any onion in the making of French’s onion strings? I’m not really sure but it is highly doubtful. The problem is we all know that green bean casserole wouldn’t be anything without those darn things on top. So that was job number two tackled with a big success! Lastly, that touch of something different that I am going for this Thanksgiving series. It as a bit of saltines and richness without your guests being able to put a finger on it. Crispy, pancetta. Make it, eat it, love it.

I could possibly be spooning it into my mouth as I type this, for breakfast…..you will too, don’t judge. Stop back tomorrow for a special giveaway and check out my other posts in this Thanksgiving series!

      

        

Green Bean Casserole (Paleo, Vegan)

 

Print

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

Author: Alexa Schirm

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp coconut oil
• ½ onion chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 16 oz mushrooms
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 5-6 Tbsp Tapioca Starch
• ¾ cup almond milk (milk alternative)
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• pepper, to taste
• 2½ cups french style green beans
• 8 oz. pancetta, chopped
• Onion Strings
• ½ onion, thinly sliced
• ½ cup almond milk (milk alternative)
• ¼ cup potato starch
• ¼ cup ground flaxseed meal
• 2-4 Tbsp coconut oil

Instructions

1. ONION STRINGS
2. In a cast iron skillet, heat coconut oil over medium heat.
3. Thinly slice ½ onion and place in milk.
4. Mix together potato starch and ground flaxseed.
5. With a fork drain onions and place in starch mixture. Cover to coat.
6. Separate and place in hot oil. Cook for 1-2 minutes and flip. Continue cooking until golden brown.
7. Remove and drain on a napkin lined plate.
8. Repeat until all onions are cooked and draining. Set aside.
9. Meanwhile chop the remaining half an onion.
10. Heat a small dutch oven or cast iron skillet over medium heat.
11. Cook pancetta until crispy and set aside
12. Add coconut oil. Once hot add in onion and cook until beginning to soften.
13. Add in chopped mushrooms and garlic. Continuing cooking until all vegetables have softened.
14. Add salt, worcestershire sauce, thyme, pepper, milk and broth.
15. Immediately add tapioca starch and whisk while heating until thickened.
16. Once thickened (should be thicker than you think the cream of mushroom sauce should be) add in green beans and pancetta and continue cooking over low heat until cooked through.
17. Add additional tapioca if needed.
18. Once heated, place green bean casserole in serving bowl and top with crispy onion strings right before serving.
19. Enjoy!

3.2.2802