2 bags of frozen green beans - I prefer the "fancy" ones or the French cut ones for this. You can also use the equivalent amount of fresh green beans.
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
1 hefty tbsp of kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 small sweet onion - diced finely
1 clove garlic - minced
3 cups of 2% milk - you can use 1% or whole...but skim doesn't work so well.
1 lb of crispy bacon, cooked & drained - I made bacon for my hubby today & had nearly the entire pound leftover...so I was inspired to make this. I always buy the 3 lb pack at Sam's Club and divide it up into smaller portions and freeze it. It's only about $7.50 for 3 lbs of the lean, thick sliced bacon.
1 bag/container of French Fried Onions
2 cups of shredded cheese - I used 1 cup of mozzarella and 1 cup of colby/jack
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
First get the green beans in a colandar and defrost with some warm water. Let them drain REALLY WELL.
On to the white sauce. Just say NO to condensed soup! Yuck! Get a saucepan on medium heat and add the 3 tbsp of butter, diced onion & garlic. Season with salt & pepper. Let the onions soften for a minute or two.
Now incorporate the flour and cook for a minute.
Slowly whisk in the milk and bring to a boil while stirring pretty constantly.
Season with salt & pepper. It'll need a good amount because you are seasoning A LOT of green beans. Taste it. It should have flavor...even on the salty side a bit. It should thicken and coat the back of a spoon nicely.
Set aside and grate your cheese. About 2 cups total of shredded cheese.
Assembly time!
Get a large bowl and toss in the well drained thawed green beans. Add in the sauce and about 1 cup of the French fried onions.Then the bacon & cheese.
Use your muscles and really mix together well. Make sure everything is incorporated. Taste it and adjust your seasoning if needed.
Now pour the mixture into a large baking dish and bake at 350 for 40 minutes - covered with foil.
Take out and uncover. Top with the rest of the fried onions and bake for 10 more minutes - so the onions get really crispy.
I served mine with some grilled chicken, since the dish is a bit on the heavy side.
You will never sneer at green bean casserole again. I swear. It's heavenly.