Thanksgiving Recipe: Homemade Green Bean Casserole

This Green Bean Casserole is a must try for Thanksgiving! You'll love this recipe because everything is homemade. This isn't the canned cream of mushroom soup with fake fried onions version. This is the real thing and it is worth the extra effort. Enjoy!

3 cups vegetable or canola oil

6 large shallots, cut into very thin rounds, rings separated (or yellow onions)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Coarse salt and ground pepper

2 pounds green beans, trimmed and halved

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1 pound button mushrooms, trimmed and coarsely chopped

14.5 ounces chicken broth

1 cup milk

Fried onion topping: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a mini-deep fryer set to 375 degrees, heat oil. Line a baking sheet with paper towels. In a large bowl, toss together shallots or onions and 1 1/4 cups flour until evenly coated. In batches, shake off excess flour from shallots and fry until golden and crisp, about 5 minutes, adjusting heat if shallots are browning too quickly. With a slotted spoon, transfer to sheet and season with salt. Set aside. These are 100 times better than the ones you buy at the store.

Green beans: In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook green beans until crisp-tender, 6 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. Pat dry.

Mushroom Sauce: In a large saucepan, melt butter and a little olive oil over medium-high. Add mushrooms and cook until liquid has evaporated, about 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add 1/4 cup flour and cook, stirring, until incorporated, about 1 minute. Whisking constantly, gradually add broth, then milk. Bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. 

Add green beans to mushroom sauce and toss to coat. Transfer mixture to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Bake until bubbling around edges, about 15 minutes. Serve topped with fried shallots.