Mushrooms are the bane of my existence. I loathe them. So every year on Thanksgiving when someone makes a green bean casserole I cringe because I know there is cream of mushroom soup in it and I just won’t eat it. I have tried for years to find a green bean casserole that didn’t incorporate mushrooms but they all called for cans of creamy soup or something with a lot of chemicals in it.
However, this year a company called Savory Spice Shop contacted me and asked me if I would like to sample some of their spices to create a new Green Bean Recipe. I took a look at the recipe and saw that there were no mushrooms in it and no cans of soup to be used so my immediate answer was heck yes!
So, on Thanksgiving I carefully created this amazing casserole that uses Gruyere cheese and lots of savory spices. It was called Green Bean Gratin and you can buy all of these fabulous spices online. I am happy to share the recipe with you. The ingredients are as follows:
- 2 lbs. green beans, trimmed & halved
- 4 slices bacon, diced (optional)
- 2 tsp. olive oil
- 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp. dehydrated minced garlic
- 5 Tbsp. butter, divided
- 4 Tbsp. flour
- 4 cups whole milk
- 1 cup (about 4 oz.) grated Gruyère cheese
- 1 cup diced roasted red pepper (2 to 3 peppers)
- 4 tsp. Long’s Peak Pork Chop Spice, divided
- 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup dehydrated toasted sliced onion
- 1 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
Drop beans into boiling water and simmer for 3 to 4 min. Remove from heat, drain and drop into bowl of iced water for 2 min. to stop cooking. Drain and set aside. Saute bacon in wide, deep skillet until just starting to brown. Add oil, shallots and garlic, and cook over medium heat for 3 to 5 min. until shallots are golden and bacon is almost crisp. Transfer to small bowl and set aside. In same skillet, melt 4 Tbsp. butter over medium heat, whisk in flour and cook for 2 min., stirring constantly and scraping up any bacon and onion bits. Slowly whisk in milk 1 cup at a time and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Stir in cheese, red pepper and 3 tsp. Long’s Peak, and transfer mixture to casserole dish. Melt remaining 1 Tbsp. butter in small bowl and add remaining 1 tsp. Long’s Peak, bread crumbs and toasted onion. Sprinkle bread crumb mixture on top of casserole and bake at 350 for 30 to 40 min. until browned and bubbly. Serve hot.
Just say NO to Mushrooms!
Green Bean Gratin Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lbs . green beans , trimmed & halved
- 4 slices bacon , diced (optional)
- 2 tsp . olive oil
- 1 large shallot , thinly sliced
- 1 tsp . dehydrated minced garlic
- 5 Tbsp . butter , divided
- 4 Tbsp . flour
- 4 cups whole milk
- 1 cup (about 4 oz.) grated Gruyère cheese
- 1 cup diced roasted red pepper (2 to 3 peppers)
- 4 tsp . Long’s Peak Pork Chop Spice , divided
- 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup dehydrated toasted sliced onion
- 1 Tbsp . grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
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Drop beans into boiling water and simmer for 3 to 4 min.
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Remove from heat, drain and drop into bowl of iced water for 2 min. to stop cooking. Drain and set aside.
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Saute bacon in wide, deep skillet until just starting to brown.
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Add oil, shallots and garlic, and cook over medium heat for 3 to 5 min. until shallots are golden and bacon is almost crisp. Transfer to small bowl and set aside.
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In same skillet, melt 4 Tbsp. butter over medium heat, whisk in flour and cook for 2 min., stirring constantly and scraping up any bacon and onion bits.
-
Slowly whisk in milk 1 cup at a time and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
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Stir in cheese, red pepper and 3 tsp. Long’s Peak, and transfer mixture to casserole dish.
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Melt remaining 1 Tbsp. butter in small bowl and add remaining 1 tsp. Long’s Peak, bread crumbs and toasted onion.
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Sprinkle bread crumb mixture on top of casserole and bake at 350 for 30 to 40 min. until browned and bubbly. Serve hot.
Notes:
For a more traditional version of this twist on a green bean casserole, substitute roasted red pepper with chopped white or cremini mushrooms and try Herbes en Duxelles Seasoning instead of the smoky Long’s Peak Pork Chop Spice. You could also use broccoli or Brussels sprouts in place of the green beans.
Directions:
Drop beans into boiling water and simmer for 3 to 4 min. Remove from heat, drain and drop into bowl of iced water for 2 min. to stop cooking. Drain and set aside. Saute bacon in wide, deep skillet until just starting to brown. Add oil, shallots and garlic, and cook over medium heat for 3 to 5 min. until shallots are golden and bacon is almost crisp. Transfer to small bowl and set aside. In same skillet, melt 4 Tbsp. butter over medium heat, whisk in flour and cook for 2 min., stirring constantly and scraping up any bacon and onion bits. Slowly whisk in milk 1 cup at a time and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Stir in cheese, red pepper and 3 tsp. Long’s Peak, and transfer mixture to casserole dish. Melt remaining 1 Tbsp. butter in small bowl and add remaining 1 tsp. Long’s Peak, bread crumbs and toasted onion. Sprinkle bread crumb mixture on top of casserole and bake at 350 for 30 to 40 min. until browned and bubbly. Serve hot.
About Savory Spice Shop
Savory Spice Shop features more than 400 fresh herbs and spices, 150 unique seasoning blends, organics, extracts, sauces and more, with locations in Corona del Mar and Costa Mesa, Calif. Both locations are owned by Laura Shute and Randy Morton. For more information, call the respective locations, “Like” them on their Facebook pages or visit their locations:
Disclaimer: I received some complimentary sample spices to facilitate this recipe and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Can the green bean casserole with grueyere cheese be frozen