Green Bean Casserole with Crispy Shallot Pecan Topping

A delicious and healthy Green Bean Casserole with Crispy Shallot Pecan Topping! Say goodbye to retro canned soup casseroles and hello to fresh and flavorful ones!

Halfway through the week and 8 days until Thanksgiving! Today I’m continuing with the Thanksgiving side dish recipes and sharing this fresh and healthy Green Bean Casserole with Crispy Shallot Pecan Topping.

What I really wanted to call this recipe was, green bean casserole without all the crap. However, I wasn’t sure how many people search for a recipe with the word crap in it…hopefully no one.

Green bean casserole is actually something that was never on our Thanksgiving table when I was growing up. I remember someone brought it once and not many people were digging into it. I remember taking a scoop and realizing why my mom never bothered to make it.

For the most part it’s just a ton of canned cream of mushroom soup, canned mushy green beans and french fried onions on top. You could probably get your whole day’s worth of sodium in one serving.

To give this retro recipe a much needed facelift, I opted to skip everything canned and go fresh all the way. It may take a little longer, but the flavor is far superior and you know exactly what you’re eating.

The crispy shallot and pecan topping is definitely the star of this casserole, just like those canned french fried onions are on the traditional recipe. Confession: I HATE raw onions. I used to not find them so offensive, but age has changed my tastes and just the smell of them almost make me gag.

You can imagine the misery I was in as I thinly sliced three cups of shallots. Tears pouring out of  my eyes, my nose burning, I could still smell them the next morning when I got up. Despite hating them raw, I do love them crispy. My husband on the other hand loves onions in any form and was thrilled with this crispy shallot pecan topping!

Instead of frying the shallots I baked them, which means when you find yourself sneaking a handful off the baking sheet while you make the casserole you don’t have to feel bad about eating them. The toasted pecans add more crunch and nuttiness that goes great with the shallots and the creamy green bean and mushrooms. Ditch the cans this Thanksgiving and reach for the fresh stuff, you won’t regret it!

Green Bean Casserole with Crispy Shallot Pecan Topping

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

A delicious and healthy Green Bean Casserole with Crispy Shallot Pecan Topping! Say goodbye to retro canned soup casseroles and hello to fresh and flavorful ones!

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Ingredients

Shallot Pecan Topping

• 3 cups onions
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 tablespoons panko breadcrumbs
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup toasted chopped pecans

Green Bean Casserole

• 1 1/4 pounds green beans, rinsed, trimmed and cut in half
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated if possible
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
• 3/4 cup low fat milk

Instructions

Shallot Pecan Topping

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees.
2. In a large bowl combine the flour, panko, salt and pepper.
3. Add in the sliced shallots and toss to coat.
4. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with cooking oil and pour the shallots onto to it spreading them into a single layer.
5. Spray the tops of the shallots with a little more cooking oil then place them on the middle rack of the oven to bake.
6. Bake for 10 minutes then remove from the oven, toss and bake another 5 minutes.
7. Remove from the oven and toss again then bake for approximately 5 more minutes or until browned and crispy.
8. Remove from the oven and toss in the chopped pecans, set aside.
9. Lower the oven temperature to 400 degrees.

Green Bean Casserole

1. While the shallots are baking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
2. Add in the green beans and blanch them for approximately 4 minutes.
3. Remove from the boiling water and immediately plunge them into ice water to stop the cooking.
4. Drain the green beans and set aside.
5. In a 10 inch cast iron skillet or other oven proof skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
6. When the skillet is hot add in the mushrooms, salt and pepper and sauté for approximately 4 minutes.
7. Add in the garlic and nutmeg and sauté for another minute.
8. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir until you can no longer see the flour.
9. Slowly pour in the chicken broth stirring the entire time until the sauce thickens starts to thicken, 1-2 minutes.
10. Lower the heat to medium-low and add in the milk.
11. Cook until the sauce thickens, stirring occasionally, approximately 6-7 minutes.
12. Add the green beans into the sauce and stir until coated.
13. Remove from the heat and top with the shallot pecan topping.
14. Place the skillet in the oven and bake for approximately 10 minutes or until bubbly.
15. If the topping starts to get to brown cover the skillet loosely with foil.
16. Serve immediately.

Notes

Keep a close eye on the shallots while they bake. They can go from brown to black very quickly.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 297 Total Fat: 7g Saturated Fat: 1g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 6g Cholesterol: 1mg Sodium: 409mg Carbohydrates: 51g Fiber: 10g Sugar: 12g Protein: 12g

More Thanksgiving Side Dishes

Bourbon Orange Cranberry Sauce

Mashed Butternut Squash with Goat Cheese and Rosemary

Cranberry Orange Brussels Sprout Slaw