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Green Bean Macaroni Casserole

Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword green bean casserole

Ingredients

  • 12 ounces reen beans fresh
  • 6 ounces baby Bella or button mushrooms
  • 6 cloves garlic
  • 16 ounces macaroni noodles
  • ½ cup butter
  • ¼ cup flour
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 cups vegetable stock
  • 16 ounces shredded cheese divided
  • 6 ounces French fried onions

Instructions

  • Prepare the green beans by cutting off the ends and chopping into bite-size pieces (maybe 1/2 inch or smaller). Blanch in boiling water for 2 minutes. Strain and immediately rinse in cold water (to stop the cooking process). Set aside.
  • Boil the noodles according to the package directions to al dente. You want them a little hard in the center still as they will absorb more liquid when they bake in the casserole later.
  • Clean and slice up the mushrooms, discarding the center stem. Mince the garlic. In a large pot, melt the butter. Add the mushroom and garlic and cook for just a minute or two until the mushrooms begin to soften. Whisk in the flour and cayenne, this will become a paste. Season generously with salt and pepper. Then slowly whisk in the milk and vegetable stock so it incorporates well (you don't want a bunch of chunks of flour paste floating in the mixture). Then stir in 12 ounces of the shredded cheese. Once it begins to look melted, or mostly melted (sort of stringy on your mixing spoon), then stir in the green beans and noodles.
  • Add this mixture to a greased casserole pan (9x13 or close to that size if it's a different shape, like an oval). Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then top with the remaining cheese and French fried onions. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350°F for 15 minutes. Then remove the aluminum foil from the top and bake another 15 minutes.

Notes

If you want to make this ahead, you absolutely can. Just don't top with the French fried onions until you are ready to bake. What kind of shredded cheese should you use? Really any kind you like. I prefer a mixture of pepper jack and sharp cheddar.