Cheesy Green Bean Casserole

Green beans were one of the few vegetables my sisters and I could all agree on as 'the vegetable' when I was little - Darcie was a little picky.  Just the plain old canned version.  The ones that squeak against your teeth.

Actually, I still like them, but when you're asked to bring the beans to a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, you can't really just show up with a can.  Well, you can and if you did, you'd be my hero, but if you're like me, you feel the pressure.

And while I like canned green beans just fine, I felt like using the fresh ones this go around.  I snapped off the ends of what felt like 80,000 green beans Thanksgiving morning and mixed them with some cheesy buttermilk ranch sauce.

Of course, you can't even call it a green bean casserole if it doesn't have the french fried onions.  So there's some of those mixed in with the panko bread crumbs and a little extra cheese for good measure.

If you want to switch up your sides a little bit for your Christmas dinner this year, this recipe is going to be the one.  It's different, but it's not too different.  It's the good kind of different.

CHEESY GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE
2 Tbsp. butter
1/4 c. flour
1 1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. buttermilk
1 Tbsp. ranch dressing mix
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 c. jarred roasted bell peppers, chopped
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese, divided
8 c. blanched green beans
1 c. french fried onions, crushed
1/2 c. panko bread crumbs

1.  Melt butter in a medium saucepan.  Whisk in flour until smooth and cook for 1 minute (stirring constantly).  Slowly, add in the milk and cook until thickened (still stirring).  Remove from heat and whisk in buttermilk.

2.  Stir salt, pepper, bell peppers and 1/2 c. of the cheese into the milk mixture in a large bowl.  Add in green beens and gently toss to coat.  Pour into a greased 9x13" casserole dish.

3.  Mix together french fried onions, bread crumbs and remaining 1/2 c. cheddar cheese.  Sprinkle over the green beans.

4.  Bake at 350˚ for 25-30 minutes.

Pin It