Crockpot Green Beans with Ham, by Diane

I'm obsessed with this type of green bean at BBQ joints as a side dish, and a friend recently told me she makes them easily in the crockpot with a ham bone. I couldn't find a ham bone so I used ham chips (preseasoned cuts of fatty ham) and diced ham. These were so easy and came out really good, but I would eliminate the ham chips next time as it was WAY too salty and there was no seasoning in here. 

Ingredients:

2 large unsalted cans (38 oz) of cut green beans, drained (reserve 1 cup)

1 pack of ham chips or 1 pack diced ham or bacon 

1 sweet onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

Directions:

Put all ingredients in the crock pot and cook on high for 6 hours, stirring gently every hour or so. Discard ham chips if using.

Millie Peartree's Roasted Mushroom and Green Bean Casserole, by Diane

 

This year the family decided to try something new for green bean casserole, a much loved staple in our home that we use from the back of the French's fried onion box. The OG. I saw a video on instagram where a chef from NYT Cooking tried 13 of the best green bean casserole recipes and ranked them, and his reaction plus the comments section made me pick this one.

This was such an enormous hit we are all still talking about it!! This is one of the best things I've ever made, and for as complex as it tastes it really wasn't that much harder to cook than regular green bean casserole. It was also amazing leftover. We had a ham at our thanksgiving and it was great diced up in here too! All of us forgot mushrooms were in here or cajun seasoning, it somehow all blends together into an umami-rich dish!

The only change I would make which was in a lot of the comments is there is an abundance of sauce- so next time I would halve the sauce or double the veggies (the sauce could make a shoe taste delicious so I'd pick the latter!).

Ingredients:

Nonstick cooking spray

2.5 lbs haricots verts or French green beans, trimmed into 1 inch pieces

1 lb hen of the woods mushrooms (we got a wild mushroom mix with cremini, oyster, etc) cut into bite size pieces

2 large shallots, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced into half moons

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp EVOO

Salt and Pepper

2 tbsp unsalted butter

2 tbsp AP Flour

1 quart heavy cream or half and half (we did half heavy cream and half whole milk and were super glad with this combo)

1 tsp cajun seasoning

1/2 tsp each onion powder, garlic powder, chicken bouilion base

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1 3/4 cups shredded or grated parmesan

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

2 cups fried onions

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400. Coat a 9x13 pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2. On a baking sheet combine green beans, mushrooms, shallots, garlic, EVOO, salt, pepper, and 3 tbsp of water. Roast for 45 minutes or until beans are soft.

3. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan over medium low heat, melt the butter then add the flour. Cook for 1-2 minutes until golden in color, whisking constantly.

4. Add heavy cream and whisk until it starts to thicken, about 6-8 minutes (ours took longer). Add seasonings and 1 1/2 cups parmesan, continuing to whisk constantly. Taste and adjust seasonings.

5. Add the roasted veggies to the mix and combine. Pour into the baking dish.

6. In a medium bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup parmesan, bread crumbs and fried onions. Spread evenly over the top of the casserole.

7. Set the broiler to high, broil until brown and bubbly (don't walk away!), about 1-2 minutes. Serve hot.

Green Beans with Toasted Hazelnut and Lemon Zest, by Diane

 

I found this recipe and it seemed like the perfect side dish! The flavors combined really well, but I did make some seasoning modifications as well as a pan sauce to go with it. The beans came out perfectly! I wish I had less hazelnuts in here though, next time!

Ingredients:

1 lb green beans

1/4 cup toasted crushed hazelnuts 

1 shallot, sliced into thin rings 

2 tbsp EVOO

1 cup chicken broth

2 tsp lemon zest

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp poultry seasoning

1/4 tsp onion powder

1 tsp arrowroot powder

1 tsp truffle oil

Directions:

1. Heat a large saucepan to medium heat and add in EVOO. Add in shallots and cook 5 min until golden brown.

2. Add in beans, broth, and salt. Bring to a simmer and cover for 8 minutes. 

3. Uncover and add nuts, zest, and remaining seasonings. Sprinkle on arrowroot powder and stir until pan sauce thickens. 

4. Turn off heat and drizzle truffle oil, adjust seasonings. 

Air Fried Green Beans With Basil Sage Pesto

 

Tonight I needed a snack and whipped this up with what I had on hand! This was really, really good! Delicious, and all ready in 10 minutes!

Ingredients:

3 cups French style green beans

1/2 cup basil

8 leaves sage

1/4 cup evoo

2 tbsp pine nuts

1 tbsp nutritional yeast

2 small cloves garlic

Pinch of pepper

1 tsp salt

1/4 lemon, juiced

Directions:

1. Toss the green beans in evoo and pop them in the air fryer at 400 for 8 minutes, then 350 for 2-3 more minutes. 

2. While the beans cook, combine remaining ingredients in a blender and adjust seasonings to taste. 

Whole30 Chicken Pot Pie Casserole, by Diane

 

This recipe looked so good, and since it’s been getting colder in the evenings I thought this would be a nice dinner. This recipe was just meh- I wouldn’t make it again. The seasonings and flavors were bland, and the onions never cooked. 

Ingredients:

1.5 lb chicken breast, cooked and cubed

1 can green beans

1 can sliced carrots

1 can white potatoes

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 can coconut milk

1 can chicken broth

3 tsp poultry seasoning

2 tbsp ghee

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tsp salt

1.5 tbsp arrowroot powder 

1 cup almond flour

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/2 cup ghee

1 tsp poultry seasoning

Directions:

1. Put chicken and veggies in the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish. 

2. Preheat oven to 350.

3. Mix coconut milk through salt in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring often until simmering. 

4. Add the arrowroot powder in a small bowl with 1 tbsp water and mix well, pour into pot.

5. Let simmer 10 min until thickened, pour over chicken mixture. 

6. Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl until a dough is formed. Make small balls and put on top of the casserole. 

7. Bake for 35 min until the top is golden. 

Roasted Green Beans with Almonds, by Diane

I made these as my side dish this week for lunches on Whole30. While the ingredients here seem pretty basic, I've never thought to roast green beans (I usually have them steamed or sauteed with almonds). I was curious to try this and see how the flavors changed with roasting them- and it totally worked! These were 1000% more flavorful, and addictive! The only critiques are that they had too much garlic in them so I would use only one clove rather than 2, and that they burned in the first 15 min so I would reduce the oven to 375.


Recipe by @thewholecook

Ingredients:

1 lb fresh green beans, trimmed 
2 tbsp olive oil 
salt & pepper to taste 
1/4 cup slivered almonds 
2 tsp minced garlic

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
 
2. Spread green beans in a single layer on baking sheet, and drizzle with olive oil. Roll the green beans in the oil so each one is nicely coated. Liberally salt and pepper.

3. Bake for 15 minutes.


4. Remove from oven, flip green beans, and spread the minced garlic and slivered almonds over top.

5. Bake for an additional 5 to 7 minutes. (Keep an eye on the almond slivers. You want them browned but not blackened.)

Healthy Homemade Green Bean Casserole, by Diane

This recipe was the side dish to our amazing steaks on Superbowl Sunday. I will definitely be making this from now on at holidays instead of the typical green bean casserole which calls for canned soup and canned fried onions. Much healthier and actually much tastier too! I got this recipe from Ellie Krieger's book, Comfort Food Fix, which a friend got me for the holidays. It shows all kinds of tricks to make comfort food healthier and homemade, and I am loving it so far!

My only adjustment to this was that I needed almost double the flour and olive oil, which I kept having to add back into the pan.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil
6 medium shallots, sliced into rings (about 1 cup)
1 1/2 pounds thin fresh string beans or haricots verts, trimmed
1 pound button mushrooms, sliced
6 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
3 cups low-fat (1 percent) milk
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Olive oil cooking spray


Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. 
2. Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat until very hot but not smoking. Add 1/4 cup shallots and cook, stirring, until golden brown and crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Repeat with the remaining shallots, cooking 1/4 cup at a time. Reserve the oil in the skillet.
3. Place the green beans in a steamer basket fitted over a pot of boiling water. Cover and steam until bright green and still crisp, about 3 minutes.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon of the reserved shallot oil in a large, deep nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushroom liquid is evaporated and they begin to brown, about 12 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Transfer the mushroom mixture to a bowl.
5. Whisk together the milk and flour until the flour is dissolved. Add the mixture to the skillet and, whisking constantly, bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium low, whisking occasionally, until thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the green beans, mushroom mixture, 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, the parsley, nutmeg, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
6. Coat a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray. Spoon the green bean mixture into the prepared dish and sprinkle the top with the crispy shallots and the remaining 2 tablespoons cheese. Bake until golden on top and bubbling, about 20 minutes.