I always make the traditional Green Bean Casserole with the canned French Fried Onions on top for Thanksgiving. I personally like it a lot, but I was getting a bit tired with it and so for a change this year I decided to make a “Deconstructed Green Bean Casserole” for this year’s big Thanksgiving Dinner that came to me in a dream a few days ago. It will have all the traditional Green Bean Casserole ingredients, but instead of everything mixed together (except of course for the French Fried Onions on the top), it’s put together in layers. I made a small batch last night, and it was pretty damn good. A little different and yet similar to the traditional recipe. I now realize I should have also taken a photo, but completely forgot and didn’t think then that I would post about it here. So you can probably already guess how it’s made, but here goes my dreamed-up (literally) recipe for:
Deconstructed Green Bean Casserole
First I made some homemade Cream of Mushroom soup that was thickened with a bit of cornstarch slurry, mixed with the traditional handful of French Fried Onions. This thickened Cream of Mushroom soup is poured to make the bottom layer in my casserole dish.
Next I steam some fresh green beans (left whole but with the stem ends snapped off), until they are cooked, but still a bit toothsome or al dente (i.e., not soggy or mushy). Then layer these green beans over the Cream of Mushroom soup layer until the casserole had a complete layer of steamed green beans. Then I sprinkled the green beans very lightly with a bit of saffron-infused olive oil. (I know it sounds extravagant, but a little saffron oil goes a long way.)
Next I sautéed some onions in olive oil until soft and translucent with salt, pepper, and some fresh thyme. And then layer these onions over the green beans.
At this point (before the next and obvious final step) you could proceed, or hold the dish and put it back in the oven to warm up when you’re ready for the last step before serving. Which is:
Cover the layer of sautéed onions with a layer of the canned French Fried Onions (or with homemade fried onion strings if you really want to impress), and pop into a hot oven until hot and crispy.
And that’s it. My fever-dream-inspired Deconstucted Green Bean Casserole. It’s tastes like the regular one (or even a bit better, that saffron oil is nice), but in a different presentation if you’re getting bored with the regular recipe. It’s something different, and yet the same, for Thanksgiving.
Happy Thanksgiving to y’all. And best wishes everyone.