Have you ever made a casserole in the slow cooker before? If not, this is your chance to do it! Making a casserole in the slow cooker isn't as hard as it sounds. It requires some prep work and attention given to the instructions, but as long as this recipe is followed exactly you'll have a fantastic dinner in no time at all.
Green bean casserole is a classic recipe. It has been around, in one way or another, for many years. You more than likely enjoyed it as a kid, and now you have the chance to pass this deliciousness on to your own kids. Traditional green bean casseroles are great, but experimenting as we have with this recipe is a lot of fun.
It's very important that you pay close attention to the steps of this recipe while going through the cooking process. It may seem like there's a lot to this recipe, but once you get into it you'll see it isn't as hard as it looks on first glance. Once you've made this recipe once, all subsequent times will be a lot easier.
You'll need a food processor for this recipe, so make sure you have one on hand before buying the ingredients for this recipe. Once this recipe goes into the slow cooker, it will need four to six hours to cook. Leave this dinner to cook while you spend time with your family, or complete some other chores so you can relax later.
Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients:
3 cups canned fried onions
2 slices high-quality white sandwich bread, torn into quarters
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
10 ounces white or cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced ¼ inch thick
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1¼ cups low-sodium chicken broth
1¼ cups heavy cream
2 pounds green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths
Directions:
1. Pulse 1 cup fried onions in food processor until finely ground, about 10 pulses; set aside. Pulse bread in food processor to coarse crumbs, about 10 pulses. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add bread crumbs and remaining 2 cups fried onions and toast, stirring often, until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes; set aside for serving.
2. Wipe skillet clean with paper towels. Melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter in skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper and cook until mushrooms are softened and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Stir in processed fried onions and flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in broth and cream, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps. Bring to simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until very thick and creamy, about 10 minutes; transfer to slow cooker.
4. Add beans to slow cooker and coat evenly with sauce. Cover and cook until beans are tender, 4 to 6 hours on low. Sprinkle with reserved bread-crumb mixture before serving. (This dish does not hold well on warm setting.)
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Mariusz S. Jurgielewicz/Shutterstock.com.