Crispy Top Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients

Sauce

• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 3/4 cup evaporated milk
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon concentrated chicken soup base
• 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
• 2 pinches nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon white pepper

Filling

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 (3 ounce) can chopped mild green chilies
• 1 1/2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 1/4 lbs fresh green beans, steamed until crisp-tender

Topping

• 1 1/4 cups fresh breadcrumbs
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/4 teaspoon ground sage or rubbed sage

Directions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. 2

   (If you haven’t steamed your green beans, begin with those – they’ll be done, about 20 minutes, by the time you need to mix them into the casserole.).

3. 3

   Begin the sauce: in a saucepan melt the butter over low heat, then whisk in the flour, stirring continually, and cook for 2 minutes (the mixture will be quite thick).

4. 4

   Gradually add the milk while whisking, and bring to a simmer; cook, whisking continually, for 3 or so minutes and it thickens.

5. 5

   Add the concentrated chicken base, celery salt, nutmeg, and white pepper; whisk well to make sure chicken base is dissolved, remove from heat and set aside.

6. 6

   Begin the filling: in a large nonstick skillet, melt together the olive oil and butter over medium heat; add the onion and garlic, and sauté until onion begins to soften, about 5 to 7 minutes.

7. 7

   Add the chopped mild green chiles, stir well to combine, and let the mixture brown for about 3 minutes without stirring.

8. 8

   Add the sliced mushroom, cover, and sauté, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes; remove about half of the mushroom mixture from the pan and set it aside.

9. 9

   In a 1 1/2 quart lightly-sprayed casserole dish, combine the half of the mushroom mixture from the pan, the cooked green beans, and the white sauce; taste test and adjust salt and pepper, if necessary.

10. 10

    Combine the remaining mushroom mixture with the bread crumbs; combine the melted butter and the sage, then stir it into the crumb mixture.

11. 11

    Spread the crumb mixture over the beans.

12. 12

    Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.