Not Your Grandma's Green Bean Casserole!

  

You know that green bean casserole that a lot of families always have for the holidays, the one with the cream of mushroom soup and the crunchy French's onion topping?  Well, this is not that casserole...lol.   Actually, in our family, we never did have that casserole at our family holiday dinners.  Although my sister says she makes it for holidays and they love it!  Evidently, somebody does, because those onion thingies sell like hot cakes during the holiday season.

  It could be that there are better recipes than I  have had for the classic green bean casserole also. 

However, this led me to seek out a better green bean casserole.  I saw a version that looked interesting on Pinterest.  The concept sounded really good, but the ratios didn't seem right to me, so I experimented and this what I came up with.

 This is a really good green bean casserole and it will be  a wonderful addition to your holiday menu.  It's so good, I can eat it just by itself, actually.  Another great thing about it is that it can be prepared a day ahead and baked on the day of.  Also, for those who are not fond of using the canned soups, this doesn't have any in it!!! 

 Here is what you will need:

3 Tbs. butter

1/2 cup diced sweet onion

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (optional)
1 stalk celery, diced

2 Tbs. flour

1/2 cup half and half (can use milk)

2 cups sour cream

1/2 tsp. seasoned salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. soy sauce

2 (15 oz.) cans of French style green beans, drained
1 (15 oz.) can whole green beans, drained

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed

3 Tbs. butter, for dotting top with

Melt the butter in a deep skillet or pan.  Saute the chopped onion, celery and the mushrooms just until softened a little.    Add the 2 Tbs. of flour to this and cook just a little to get rid of the raw flour taste.  When it bubbles add the half and half and stir until it thickens. 

Turn the heat down and add the sour cream and seasonings, including the Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce.  Mix well. 

Mix in the three cans of green beans until all are coated. You can use 3 cans of French style green beans, but I like to use two and 1 can whole green beans.  I think the texture is just better. Pour into a 2  1/2 quart casserole that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.  This looks sort of yucky at this stage, but don't let the appearance fool you, it's gonna be good!

Sprinkle with the shredded cheese, crumbled Ritz cracker crumbs and dot with butter.  

Place in a 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes.  It should be hot and bubbly and the top should just be starting to brown.

Not Your Grandma's Green Bean Casserole!