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Slow Cooker Green Bean Casserole
I haven’t always been a big fan of green beans, but as long as I can dress them up with ingre dients like mushrooms and crunchy French fried onions, I’m first in line. French fried onions became a pantry staple in the 1950s, and the green bean casserole was the ideal vehicle to let them shine.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: Serves 6
- Category: Sides & Sauces
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pound fresh green beans, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/4 cup half-and-half (or an additional 1/4 cup whole milk)
- 6 ounces cremini mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 (2.8-ounce) container French fried onions
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
Instructions
- Coat the insert of a 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray.
- Put the green beans in the slow cooker.
- In a small saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until the flour has been absorbed and the mixture turns light yellow with large dry bubbles. Add the broth, milk, and half-and-half and cook, whisking, until the sauce is thick and coats the back of a spoon, about 3 minutes.
- In a medium skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium- high heat. Add the mushrooms and the salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until they have exuded their liquids and begin to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- Stir the Parmesan into the broth mixture and then stir in the mushrooms. Add 1 cup of the fried onions. Pour into the slow cooker and stir until the beans are coated. Cover and cook for 4 hours on Low.
- When ready to serve, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a microwavable bowl, stir in the panko until the mixture resembles wet sand, and add the remaining fried onions. Spoon the topping over the cooked beans just before serving.
