Skillet Green Beans with Onion Crisps

Oh me oh my!  This is delicious!  It's a take on Mom's old fashioned green bean casserole that was made with canned soups.  After trying this and seeing just how easy it is, you will leave canned soups in the dust!  And the skillet presentation is just perfect!  You can make  your own crispy onions but I was pressed for time so I used a package of French fried onions which worked perfectly with this recipe.  Enjoy!

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Serves 6 to 8

1 to 1/1/2 pounds fresh green beans
1 package French fried onions

Prepare the Beans:
1 to 1 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed and halved
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and boil beans for 5 minutes (for standard green beans) or 2 to 3 minutes (for haricot vert, or skinny ones). Drain beans, then plunge them into ice water to full stop them from cooking. Drain again, and set aside.

Heat oven to 400 degrees F.


Mushroom Sauce:
3 tablespoons butter
12 ounces mushrooms, thinly sliced or coarsely chopped
Few gratings fresh nutmeg (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon table salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream

Make the mushroom sauce: Over medium-high heat, melt butter in the bottom of a 12-inch cast iron skillet. Add the mushrooms, salt and pepper and saute them until they start releasing their liquid, anywhere from 3 to 5 minutes, depending on how they were chopped. Add the garlic and saute one minute more. Add the flour and stir it until it fully coats the mushrooms. Add the broth, 1/4 cup at a time, stirring the whole time. Simmer mixture for 1 minute, then add cream and bring back to a simmer, cooking until the sauce thickens a bit, about 5 to 6 minutes, stirring frequently. 

Assemble and bake: Add cooked greens beans to sauce in the skillet and stir until they are coated. Liberally sprinkle French fried onions over the top. Bake for 15 minutes, or until sauce is bubbling and onions are a shade darker. Eat at once.

Do ahead, a few ways:  Green beans can be cooked and kept in fridge until needed, at least one day. Green beans can also be combined with mushroom sauce and kept refrigerated for up to a day. Add onions and bake shortly before serving.