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Putting a fresh twist on a holiday classic

Green bean casserole is a holiday classic. This recipe is a fresh take on this crowd favorite. Made from scratch using 100% FRESH ingredients, the taste cannot be beat!  

Most often, green bean casserole is made using canned beans, canned soup, and canned fried onions.  What a shame because 100% fresh ingredients taste 1000% better! 

Eat Smart® Fresh Green Bean Casserole is made with fresh green beans, mushrooms, onions, bacon, and a made-from-scratch cream sauce. It’s then topped with crunchy panko bread crumbs.

Sometimes classic green bean casserole can be mushy and heavy. On the contrary, this fresh recipe is rich and creamy with lots of texture. The green beans remain firm and the panko bread crumbs provide just the right amount of crunch.  

Scratch-made doesn’t always mean labor intensive. This recipe doesn’t take much longer to whip up than old-school green bean casserole. And what extra time it does take is, without a doubt, worth it! 

Regardless, time is precious on the holidays and it’s always good to have some time-saving tricks up your sleeve. Farm-fresh Eat Smart® Green Beans come washed and trimmed. Even better, they can be steamed right in the bag they come in! Simply poke a few holes in the bag and pop them in the microwave for a few minutes. Just like that, you have perfectly steamed green beans. 

If time is extra tight on the day of your meal, make your Fresh Green Bean Casserole the day before. Assemble all the ingredients into the casserole dish as instructed in the recipe below, but do not bake. Instead, cover it tightly and place in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. The next day, uncover it and bake as instructed.

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Eat Smart® Fresh Green Bean Casserole

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Rating: 5
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Course

Side Dishes

Cuisine

Kid-Friendly

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

30 minutes

Servings

MetricUS Imperial

Ingredients

• 2 bags Eat Smart® fresh green beans
• 4 slices bacon cut into 1/4" pieces
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 8 oz sliced white mushrooms
• 1/2 large onion chopped
• 4 tbsp butter
• 2/3 cup flour
• 2 1/2 cups whole milk plus extra for thinning if needed
• 1/2 cup half and half
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp cardamom
• 1 cup sharp cheddar grated
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• salt and pepper to taste

Course Side Dishes Cuisine Kid-Friendly Prep Time 15 minutes Cook Time 30 minutes Servings MetricUS Imperial Ingredients 2 bags Eat Smart® fresh green beans 4 slices bacon cut into 1/4" pieces 3 cloves garlic minced 8 oz sliced white mushrooms 1/2 large onion chopped 4 tbsp butter 2/3 cup flour 2 1/2 cups whole milk plus extra for thinning if needed 1/2 cup half and half 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper 1 tsp cardamom 1 cup sharp cheddar grated 1 cup panko bread crumbs salt and pepper to taste

Votes: 1 Rating: 5 You: Rate this recipe!

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Steam in bag for a short amount of time. Cut the green beans in half if you like the pieces to be a little smaller. Set to the side.
3. Add the bacon pieces to a skillet over medium heat. Cook the bacon for 2 minutes, and then add the sliced white mushrooms, garlic and onions, and continue cooking until the bacon is done (but not crisp) and the onions are golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
4. In a separate saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Sprinkle the flour into the pan and whisk immediately to evenly mix it into the butter. Cook for a minute or 2, and then pour in the milk and half-and-half. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, while the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Add salt, black pepper, cayenne, cardamom and and then add the grated cheese. Stir while the cheese melts. Turn off the heat.
5. Add the bacon/onion mixture and stir to combine. Add in the green beans and stir gently to combine. Pour into a baking dish and top with panko. Bake until the sauce is bubbly and the panko is golden – approximately 30 minutes.

Produce Moms Tip: Want to make this dish vegetarian? Simply leave out the bacon or replace it with these mushroom chips that taste crazy similar to bacon! 

Watch The Produce Moms’ founder, Lori Taylor, make Fresh Green Bean Casserole live on Indy Style and see for yourself how easy it is!

Is green bean casserole a must-have dish at your holiday celebrations? This year, wow everyone with FRESH Green Bean Casserole. 

Be sure to let us know what you think of this recipe by joining our Facebook group or tagging us in your food photos on Instagram @theproducemoms and @eatsmartveggies.