Thanksgiving Green Bean Casserole

Turkey and stuffing are always the main event at the Thanksgiving table. However, there’s a dark horse side dish that’s a quiet favorite around my house: green bean casserole. I know that this dish can be polarizing. Some people have a self imposed allergy to green beans and others can’t stand the idea of mushroom or onion anything. But for me, when you combine fresh green beans, savory condensed soups and lots of French fried onions, something magical happens. So magical, in fact, that I always make an extra skillet of the stuff to save for later. This is a leftover that always gets eaten at my house. So here we go. I hope you all enjoy this as much as I think you will!

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THE INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups fresh green beans, trimmed and halved
• 1 cup pearl onions, frozen (you can use fresh, but you’ll have to take time to peel them)
• 3 tbsp avocado oil
• 1 (10.5 oz) can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 (10.5 oz) can cream of chicken soup
• ½ cup whole milk
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 cup French fried onions

THE STEPS

1. First, we need to blanch our green beans and pearl onions. Fill a large pot with hot water and bring to a rapid boil on the stove top. Carefully add the beans and onions to the boiling water and boil until the beans turn bright green (approximately 2-3 minutes). While the beans boil, on a separate burner, preheat your 10.5-inch Stargazer Cast Iron skillet on low heat for 5-10 minutes before slowly turning up the heat to medium. Fill a large mixing bowl with cold water and a few ice cubes. Using a slotted spoon or pasta strainer, remove the beans and onions from the boiling water and add them to the ice water. Preheat your oven to 350°F.
2. Using a rag or paper towel, coat your preheated skillet up to the rim with the avocado oil. Add the cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, whole milk, salt, ground black pepper, Italian seasoning and garlic powder to the skillet. Bring the mixture to a slow simmer, stirring regularly. Once the mixture is simmering, use a slotted spoon or pasta strainer to remove the beans and onions from the ice water and add them to the simmering mixture in the skillet. Stir to combine the ingredients.
3. Move the skillet to the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, carefully remove the skillet from the oven and sprinkle the French fried onions in an even layer across the top. Place the skillet back in the oven for an additional 5 minutes to barely brown the onions. 
4. Carefully remove the skillet from the oven using pot holders. Let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 30 min

Serves: 4-6