Green Bean Casserole Recipe from Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives

Green Bean Casserole
Adapted from Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives “Signature Twists” episode at the

Old Coffee Pot Restaurant in New Orleans

It took some doing, but I finally perfected this made-from-scratch recipe. “Botta-cha-pala?” What the hell did that guy say?? I made the recipe anyway, but it took months of waiting for the episode to come up on actual television, so I could turn on the captions to finally figure out what the “secret”–read that “mumbled”–ingredient was.  “A LOTTA CHOPPED GARLIC!” oh my good God was that so freakin’ hard??  Yes, yes it was.  But it is OH. SO. GOOD.

You can watch the segment here.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Serves 8-10, adapted from a restaurant-sized recipe

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/4 cup bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup artichoke hearts, chopped (I get the marinated ones in the jar)
2 cups mushrooms: (recipe called for crimini, we prefer baby bellas)–1 1/2 cups chopped; 1/2 cup sliced
2 Tablespoons garlic, minced
3 cups green beans (canned (drained) is okay, if fresh or frozen: boil some, then sauté a lot in the sauté stage)

1/3 cup cooking sherry
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup cornstarch slurry (1/4 cup corn starch, 1/4 cup cold water, whisked together)
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated (pizza Parm)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 cup breadcrumbs
Parsley
French fried onions, the bigger container

Melt butter in large pot.
Add onion, bell pepper, and artichoke hearts and sauté lightly.
Add mushrooms and sauté, add garlic and green beans and sauté more.
Once everything is tender, add cooking sherry and stir.
Add salt, pepper, nutmeg and Worcestershire sauce.
Add heavy whipping cream, Parmesan cheese, and cornstarch slurry.
Heat slowly over low heat to thicken, but once you add the cornstarch and cream, it happens pretty fast. You can always add a bit more cream, or water if you need to thin it out.
I personally like to add about 1/3 cup of the French Fried onions to the mixture.

Put the whole mess in a 13×9 pan, spread evenly, sprinkle breadcrumbs and parsley (if desired) evenly, bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. Then spread French-fried onions on thickly and bake for another 10-15 minutes.

Optional: Stir in about 2 Tablespoons of bacon bits into the mixture. You can also add some of that leftover turkey (about 2 cups), for a great after-Thanksgiving meal.

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