This cheddar green bean casserole is a from-scratch version of the classic. Perfect for Thanksgiving or your holiday meal. And it’s vegetarian!
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With Thanksgiving mere days away, I thought I better share this great make-ahead side I developed for Cabot Creamery Cooperative. It is a twist on the classic Green Bean Casserole. It tastes pretty similar to the real McCoy, except it doesn’t have canned soup or the processed canned fried onions. In fact, it’s made entirely from-scratch, then I added Seriously Sharp Cheddar, a glaring omission in the original recipe! So really, it’s much better than the original!
How To Make Cheddar Green Bean Casserole From Scratch
Now this Green Bean Casserole my friends, let’s talk about that!! Don’t let the fact that it’s from scratch make you think that its hard to make. It really isn’t!
To start I used a mix of oil and butter to cook the shallot. Then I added in the fresh chopped mushrooms to cook them down a bit. After hitting it with a little sherry, which gives it that classic comfort food flavor, I dusted the veggies with flour. I love that little trick because it’s an easy way to thicken a sauce without making a roux, and it uses less fat overall. Next comes the broth and milk.
Once it comes up to a simmer, you can add in the cheddar cheese and green beans. Before it goes into the oven I top the casserole with a mixture of breadcrumbs, oil and seasoning. The paprika gives the breadcrumbs a dark golden color that looks so indulgent!
When the casserole comes out of the oven, let it cool for a wee bit!
Here’s a link to the video of how to make the casserole.
It was a ton of fun, and I am so happy Cabot gave me the opportunity to do it.
A from-scratch version of classic green bean casserole with cheddar cheese added in. Perfect for Thanksgiving or your holiday meal.
Ingredients
- 6 cups green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1 ½ pounds)
- 4 ½ teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 3 shallots, minced
- 8-ounces Crimini or white mushrooms, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ cup dry sherry
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 1 cup low-fat milk
- 2 cups Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar, shredded and divided, 8-ounces
- 3 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Coat a 2 1/2 quart baking dish with cooking spray.
- Meanwhile, bring several inches of water to a boil in a large saucepan fitted with a steamer basket. Steam green beans until crisp tender, about 4 minutes. Carefully remove steamer from the saucepan, to stop the beans from cooking further.
- Heat 4 teaspoons oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots and cook until just starting to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add mushrooms, thyme, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally until the mushrooms have released their juices and the liquid has evaporated, 3 to 4 minutes. Add sherry and cook, stirring occasionally until the liquid has evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Sprinkle flour over the mushroom mixture and stir to coat. Add broth and milk and bring to a simmer stirring often until the sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in 1 ½ cups (6-ounces) cheddar. Add the green beans and stir to combine. Transfer to the prepared casserole dish. Top with the remaining 1/2 cups (2-ounces) cheddar.
- Stir together the breadcrumbs and the remaining ½ teaspoon oil in a small dish. Add paprika and onion powder and stir until the breadcrumbs are evenly moist and bright orange. Sprinkle over the casserole.
- Transfer the casserole to the oven and bake until bubbling and golden brown on top, 20 to 25 minutes. Allow to cool 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
0 g Added Sugar, 290 mg Cholesterol
To Make Ahead: Prepare it through step five in advance, and then just pop it in the oven when the Turkey comes out. Keep in mind, the casserole will take a little longer in the oven if it is cold when it goes in the oven.
Very cool!! Love that you included a film shot too!! Would love it if you could share this at Foodtastic Friday!
Great looking website……. Just looking at it makes me drool!! Bravo!!!!
That was my friend Mary who posted the comment. She’s bringing your dish to our Thanksgiving gathering.
This looks fantastic! I love how you changed the recipe, it definitely sounds for the better 🙂
Wow I wish I would have found your site prior to Thanksgiving. I will surly make this as a side for Christmas. I love Cabot cheese, I can’t wait to make this.
[quote name=Lisa]Wow I wish I would have found your site prior to Thanksgiving. I will surly make this as a side for Christmas. I love Cabot cheese, I can’t wait to make this.[/quote]Lisa,
I’m sure it will be just as happy to be a part of your Christmas spread as it would have been at Thanksgiving. I love Cabot too. We always have it in our cheese drawer. Always. We like to joke that an alarm goes off if it gets low. -K
[quote name=Dee]This looks fantastic! I love how you changed the recipe, it definitely sounds for the better :)[/quote]I tried the original recently, and I realized it is so incredibly salty. Plus I don’t like to think about the calories. I hope you like this one. The cheese does add something special for sure. Happy cooking.
[quote name=Mary]Great looking website……. Just looking at it makes me drool!! Bravo!!!![/quote]Drooling is encouraged;)
This looks so good and green bean casserole is one of my husband’s favorites! I am doing a Thanksgiving Round-Up Series next week on my blog and I would love to share this recipe. Please email me if you are happy for me to include this recipe (and any other Thanksgiving delights you may have to share!) Ruth x
Sure Ruth, I would love if you shared a photo, and posted a link to my recipe. That would be great. Happy Thanksgiving to you. Please let me know when it is live and I would be happy to come by to see it:)
Hi Katie,
I would like to know how far in advance can you make this casserole. The recipe just says ” Prepare it through step five in advance, and then just pop it in the oven . . .”. We’re having Thanksgiving at my in-laws (3 hours from where I live, by car) and I would like to prepare as many dishes as I can in advance! Thank you! 🙂
You can make it up to one day ahead. Happy cooking Susy!
Thank you so much and have a wonderful Thanksgiving! 🙂
Made this last year for thanksgiving and it come out sooooo good! I misplaced the recipe and just looked for over an hour online trying to find it again, so glad I was able to. This recipe will be a tradition for us, the family was crazy over it 🙂 thank you!
Ashley, You probably won’t believe me when I say this, but it is true. That is the best comment I have ever gotten on a recipe before. Thank you soooo very much for coming by and letting me know. It means a ton to me.
That Cheddar Green Bean casserole looked so delicious, I couldn’t wait for Thanksgiving, It’s what I had for dinner and MMmmmmM MMMMmmm they were the best
What an honor Leslie. So glad you gave it a test run.
Better late than never- just made this casserole last night and it was wonderful! Peter wondered what brand of mushroom soup you used in the recipe (;-D). I am sure it will be even more delicious tonight. I did not use the seriously sharp cheddar and should have as it is only mildly cheese-y. Next time! Happy Thanksgiving to you all in the North Country.
I am so glad you both loved it. I thought of you as I passed your old house while we were in PA over the holiday this year. Enjoy the rest of your holiday season.
I won’t make any recipe that calls for a can of creamed anything! Love the fact that you toss the veggies with flour to get the benefits of a roux without the added fat! Brilliant! This is going to be a side at our Mahjong party this year.
That’s so great to hear Jeanne! Hope you enjoy it!