Cheesy, Crispy Green Bean Casserole
After plopping that picture at the top of this post, I considered not even writing anything. I mean… do you have to be convinced to make this? Did you see the gooey cheese? The creamy sauce? The buttery, crispy bits on top? The perfectly tender-yet-crisp green beans? Well, yeah, that’s pretty much the whole story right there.
Sometimes I feel the need to explain to people why something sound crazy, but it actually so amazing that they need to make it. I feel no such compulsion at the moment. It really isn’t surprising that a dish comprised of cheesy, crispy, vegetable goodness is delicious. The only thing that was somewhat surprising about this one for me was the fact that yogurt made up most of the sauce, which tasted insanely rich and decadent- as if it were made of the love child of butter and heavy cream. If you don’t have yogurt, sour cream would work too, but I like using yogurt whenever I can.
Ok, now here is what needs to be addressed: this is far superior to the green bean casserole that you make at thanksgiving with a can of cream of mushroom soup and a box of french fried onions. By a long shot. I know the other one is tradition. But this one is so good that no one will miss the other one. It will be become the new tradition. It keeps all the good aspects of the original (creamy sauce, savory crispy topping), but gets rid of all the not so pleasant ones (chemical-laden canned soup and processed junk). And on top of that… there’s the addition of cheese. So even if you’re not ready to make this switch for Thanksgiving, this one’s a keeper for any ole’ day of the year.
Cheesy, Crispy Green Bean Casserole
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup onion, diced
- 1 cup whole milk yogurt or sour cream
- 1 1/2 lbs fresh or frozen green beans
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 24 Ritz crackers, crumbled
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Then, add the flour and stir continuously for a minute of two. Remove from the head and stir in the salt, pepper to taste, and yogurt (or sour cream.
Place bean mixture in shallow casserole dish. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top, followed by the cracker crumbs.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until cheese is bubbling.