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Cast-Iron Skillet Green Bean Casserole

By Mark Huxsoll

Published on September 3, 2024

Time

35 minutes

Yield

Serves 6 to 8

Cast-Iron Skillet Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients

8 tablespoons unsalted butter 12 ounces white or cremini mushrooms, trimmed, halved, and sliced thin1 onion, chopped fine3 garlic cloves, minced5 sprigs fresh thyme 2 pounds green beans, trimmed1½ teaspoons table salt 1 cup heavy cream ¾ cup chicken broth 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 teaspoon pepper 2 cups canned fried onions

Before You Begin

For this casserole, we prefer a 12-inch cast-iron skillet for its large cooking surface, tall sides, and ability to retain heat. If you don't have a cast-iron skillet, you can use a 12-inch nonstick skillet. In either case, you will need a tight-fitting lid for your skillet, and the skillet will be very full when first adding the green beans in step 2.

Instructions

  1. Melt butter in 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in onion, garlic, and thyme sprigs and cook until onion is just softened, 1 to 2 minutes.
  2. Stir green beans and salt into mushroom mixture until evenly combined. Cover skillet and cook, tossing with tongs occasionally to redistribute, until green beans are fully tender but still bright green, 10 to 12 minutes.
  3. Whisk cream, broth, flour, soy sauce, and pepper together in 4-cup liquid measuring cup until flour is dissolved. Stir cream mixture into green bean mixture until evenly combined. Bring green bean mixture to simmer; cook, uncovered, tossing with tongs occasionally, until sauce is thick and glossy and just coats green beans, 1 to 2 minutes. (Sauce will thicken slightly as it cools.) Off heat, discard thyme sprigs. Sprinkle green bean mixture evenly with fried onions. Serve.
Cast-Iron Skillet Green Bean Casserole
Photography by Steve Klise. Styling by Kendra Smith.

Cast-Iron Skillet Green Bean Casserole

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Time

35 minutes

Yield

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

8 tablespoons unsalted butter
12 ounces white or cremini mushrooms, trimmed, halved, and sliced thin
1 onion, chopped fine
3 garlic cloves, minced
5 sprigs fresh thyme
2 pounds green beans, trimmed
1½ teaspoons table salt
1 cup heavy cream
¾ cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon pepper
2 cups canned fried onions

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

8 tablespoons unsalted butter
12 ounces white or cremini mushrooms, trimmed, halved, and sliced thin
1 onion, chopped fine
3 garlic cloves, minced
5 sprigs fresh thyme
2 pounds green beans, trimmed
1½ teaspoons table salt
1 cup heavy cream
¾ cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon pepper
2 cups canned fried onions

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

8 tablespoons unsalted butter
12 ounces white or cremini mushrooms, trimmed, halved, and sliced thin
1 onion, chopped fine
3 garlic cloves, minced
5 sprigs fresh thyme
2 pounds green beans, trimmed
1½ teaspoons table salt
1 cup heavy cream
¾ cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon pepper
2 cups canned fried onions

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

Green bean casserole is a favorite Thanksgiving vegetable side of tender green beans coated in a creamy mushroom sauce, topped with satisfyingly crispy fried onions. Here, we reengineered the casserole to be made sequentially in a cast-iron skillet without the need to go in and out of the skillet. We started by cooking out the excess moisture in mushrooms and letting them begin to brown. Then, we added aromatic chopped onion, garlic, and fresh thyme. We stirred in the green beans and covered them to allow the steam to cook the green beans until they were fully tender. We skipped the step of making a roux to thicken and simply stirred the flour into a mixture of heavy cream, chicken broth, and soy sauce. Once stirred into the skillet, this mixture immediately absorbed the flavors we had built and began to thicken into a luscious sauce to bind the casserole together. We kept things simple by sprinkling canned fried onions on top and serving the casserole directly from the skillet.

Before You Begin

For this casserole, we prefer a 12-inch cast-iron skillet for its large cooking surface, tall sides, and ability to retain heat. If you don't have a cast-iron skillet, you can use a 12-inch nonstick skillet. In either case, you will need a tight-fitting lid for your skillet, and the skillet will be very full when first adding the green beans in step 2.

Instructions

  1. Melt butter in 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in onion, garlic, and thyme sprigs and cook until onion is just softened, 1 to 2 minutes.
  2. Stir green beans and salt into mushroom mixture until evenly combined. Cover skillet and cook, tossing with tongs occasionally to redistribute, until green beans are fully tender but still bright green, 10 to 12 minutes.
  3. Whisk cream, broth, flour, soy sauce, and pepper together in 4-cup liquid measuring cup until flour is dissolved. Stir cream mixture into green bean mixture until evenly combined. Bring green bean mixture to simmer; cook, uncovered, tossing with tongs occasionally, until sauce is thick and glossy and just coats green beans, 1 to 2 minutes. (Sauce will thicken slightly as it cools.) Off heat, discard thyme sprigs. Sprinkle green bean mixture evenly with fried onions. Serve.

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