Today, we are “making it our own” alongside our friends at Anolon. This Spiced Green Bean Casserole packs great flavor and crunch, so keep reading to see how we made this classic side dish, our own!
I am excited to be part of Anolon‘s Make It Yours campaign, where a few food bloggers and I take holiday side dishes from our favorite cookbooks, food blogs, friends, family, and add our own twists to it! For this specific campaign, I choose to take the traditional green bean casserole and make it a little more spiced, a little more Caribbean/Latin. Because I grew up in the Dominican Republic, this was a dish I had honestly never even tasted but had always intrigued me. It had that all-American appeal to me and with the help of Anolon, I whipped in som extra flavor into it! Here’s how I made it my own.
Over medium heat, I sautéed sliced baby portobello mushrooms and green cubanelle peppers. Cubanelle peppers (pimientos cubanela) are typically used in Latin cuisine – they’re sweet and juicy, not spicy at all but add great flavor. If you can’t find these, use regular green peppers. In the photo above, pictured is the Anolon 10-inch Skillet.
While the mushrooms and peppers are sautéing, steam the green beans. Make sure to trim and wash them throughly. I like to steam them for no more than 10 minutes, leaving them a bit firm. No one likes mushy green beans. In the photo above, pictured is the Anolon Three-Piece Steamer Set.
To spice up the traditional béchamel sauce in tis dish, we simmered a hot pepper in the milk before making the sauce, as well as a bay leaf. Some other spices were added for heat and flavor! In the photo above, pictured is the Anolon 2.5 Quart Covered Saucier.
Stir in the sautéed vegetables to make a luscious cream sauce. Seriously, you’ll want to just spoon this right into your mouth!
The mushroom & pepper sauce is poured over the steamed fresh green beans, and each bean is covered in goodness.
Now, go heat your oven to 350F and pour the creamy green beans into an oven safe dish.
While classically topped with French’s Onions, we decided to set it up a notch and toss thinly sliced onions into a mixture of cornmeal and spices. Deep fry those babies and they’ll be your go to topping for every other green bean casserole you’ll ever make! They’re also great on salads, in sandwiches, and in burgers!
A traditional side dish with a twist: cornmeal chili dusted onions on top and a spicy mushroom pepper cream sauce will make this your go-to green bean casserole dish!
Ingredients
- 1 large onion, peeled
- 1/3 cup cornmeal
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 ounces mushrooms
- 1 green pepper, diced
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 dried hot pepper, like habanero
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 24 ounces green beans, trimmed and washed
Instructions
- For the onions: thinly slice whole onion, either with a knife or a mandolin. Toss in a mixture of the cornmeal, flour and chili powder. Fry in about 4 inches of canola oil at 325F for around 3 minutes, or until they are golden brown. Remove from oil and reserve to the side.
- For the sauce: sauté mushrooms and green pepper in olive oil until tender in a sauté pan. In a separate saucepan, whisk together the butter and flour over medium heat. Pour in milk, paprika, cumin, and salt. Add dried pepper and bay leaf and simmer until it thickens, for about 10 minutes.
- For green beans: steam over water for 6-8 minutes. Remove and add into pan with mushroom sauce. Place in oven-proof dish and top with onions. Bake for 10 minutes at 350F.
Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Anolon and I’ve received compensation for my time and work. As always, recipes and opinions are 100% my own.
I use the sausage stuffing recipe that has been in my family for years but I swap the chicken gizzards for turkey gizzards
I like to make potatoes au-gratin which I call scalloped potatoes though I add cheese so technically they are not scalloped potatoes. I like to add ham to change it up.
garlic mashed cauliflower is our go to instead of potatoes!
I love mashed sweet potatoes. This year I used sweet potatoes from the North Carolina State Farmers Market. I was able to speak with the farmer who grew and harvested the potatoes. I try to use ingredients sourced from real farmers rather than chain grocery store brands so I also used Vermont fresh creamery butter. It’s a challenge but you can really taste the difference!
green bean casserole and add cheddar cheese to it
Green Beans – I steam them a little bit then saute them with tons of garlic and chili paste.
I love oven roasted potatoes and make it my own with cut onions, garlic salt, pepper and parsley.
I have many side dishes that I love but the one that comes to mind is my parmesan creamed corn. It is delicious and the crowds love it, especially if you toss a bit of crispy bacon bits on top.
My favorite side dish is southern style macaroni and cheese.I make it my own by adding a bag of sharp cheddar cheese to the top,use evaporated milk instead of regular milk,use three other bags of cheese on the interior of the casserole,and add six eggs to the interior of the casserole.
What a great giveaway! I am interested. I like your casserole, by the way, I always pump mine up with bacon and marsala. Gives a little extra oomph!
stuffing, and id add apples and cranberry!
Mashed potatoes and I would make them my own by adding in some pesto.
This looks so good.I have to try this,I don’t like green bean casserole but this looks fantastic!!!!!
I love to make Corn Casserole and we add two different kids of corn. (It’s a family secret so I can’t tell)
I love to make mashed potatoes and then fry them into crisp golden patties. Yum!
All my life I have only made green bean casserole with Campbell soup cream of mushroom. You have changed my out look on this classic recipe. The use of bechamel sauce sounds freaking amazing! Gorgeous, Hugs, Terra
Oh definitely definitely stuffing! Sad to say, I don’t really put a spin on it. I just like the traditional Ina Garten way
Love this spin on a classic recipe and YOU! Hope your Thanksgiving with the family was wonderful!!
I like sweet potatoes and this year I added some cooked quinoa to the mix. My dad, the picky one, never even noticed!
Favorite side dish is cheesy cauliflower!! Had it every year since I was a kiddo. We try and change it up. Add a little spice (I.e. Cayenne, paprika, or a splash of a chipotle Tabasco.) always a hit
We do sweet potatoes, but baked with apples and raisins and pineapple and NO marshmallows.
I love roast potatoes, done in a pan of oil or baked inthe oven, I would make it my own by adding some fresh herbs and spices.
I love mashed potatoes, and this year I made roasted garlic mashed potatoes with smoked paprika. Delicious.
Stuffing and I use the broth from the turkey to make it.