White and Green Bean Casserole

Here is a new twist to the classic holiday green bean casserole.  You can eat this any time of the year as I have added white beans in place of all the holiday guilt!

Servings: 9

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes (topping); 15 minutes (casserole)

Ingredients

Topping:

• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp. Panko bread crumbs
• 1 tsp. coarse kosher salt

Casserole:

• 1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. coarse kosher salt, divided
• 12 oz fresh green beans, rinsed, trimmed, and halved
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1 (15oz) can S&W white beans, drained and rinsed

Directions
Topping:

1. Preheat oven to 475F.
2. Combine topping ingredients in a large mixing bowl and toss to fully coat onions.
3. Spread onions evenly on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
4. Cook until golden brown for ~30 minutes, turning every 10 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and set aside.

Casserole:

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil with 1 Tbsp. salt.  Add green beans and blanch for 5 minutes.  Strain beans through a colander and plunge into an ice bath to quickly stop cooking.  Once green beans are cooled, strain and set aside.
3. Melt butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat.  Add flour and stir constantly for 2-3 minutes.  Slowly whisk in chicken broth.
4. Add pepper, garlic, and nutmeg.  Continue heating over medium heat until sauce is smooth and has thickened.
5. Reduce heat to low and stir in half-and-half.
6. Add white beans and green beans to sauce mixture until heated through.
7. Pour sauce mixture into a casserole dish and top with onions.
8. Bake until bubbly, ~15 minutes.