Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients
2 lb green beans, trimmed and cut in half
8 oz baby portabello mushrooms, sliced
4 oz pancetta
3 Tbsp all purpose flour
3 Tbsp butter
4 cloves minced garlic
2 tbsp dijon
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp salt + 2 Tbsp, divided, plus more to taste
Pepper
2 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried
Optional: 6 oz cheese
Directions
Preheat your oven to 425 F. Bring a large stockpot of water to a boil. Add two Tbsp salt and the green beans. Cook until they're bright green, yet still crisp, about 6 minutes. Remove the beans from the water and immediately place them in an ice bath to stop the cook.
While the beans cook, heat a dutch oven to medium high heat. Add the pancetta, cook until crispy, and remove onto a plate with paper towels to drain.
Add butter to the pancetta drippings. Add the mushrooms, and cook until they release their moisture. Add the garlic and let that cook about a minute or until fragrant.
Add the flour and cook about two minutes, stirring constantly. Mix in the mustard. Stir in the broth, and allow it to simmer before reducing the heat to medium. Remove the thyme leaves from the sprigs and add those in along with 1/2 tsp salt
Add the cream, and allow this to simmer until the sauce has thickened. Add cheese here if you're using, and add the reserved pancetta.
Taste the sauce, add more salt and some pepper as needed. Add the beans, and stir to combine.
Pour the mixture into a 9x13 dish. Sprinkle the top with your fried onions and bake until bubbling, about 15 minutes. Alternatively, make this ahead of time. After finishing the beans and sauce, store in the fridge without the topping. When ready to serve, remove from the fridge for 15 minutes before adding the topping and bake for 20 minutes.
