Individual Green Bean Casseroles

Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min
Servings: 4
Yield: 4 servings

Description

Fresh green beans are cooked to tender-crisp perfection in a delicious, homemade sauce, topped with crunchy onions and served as mini casseroles.

Ingredients

1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
cooking spray
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 cup half-and-half
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 strip crispy cooked bacon, crumbled
1/2 cup French-fried onions (such as French's®)

Directions

1 Bring a large pot of lightly-salted water to a rolling boil. Add beans and cook until just tender, about 5 minutes. (The beans will not soften too much more during baking, so if you want them softer, cook to your preference.)
2 Drain beans, run under cold water, and place in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. When beans are chilled, drain and set aside.
3 Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray the inside of 4 ramekins with cooking spray.
4 Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and shallot and cook until they start to brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
5 Sprinkle flour over the mushrooms, stirring well to combine. Gradually pour in chicken stock, soy sauce, Dijon, and thyme, stirring constantly; the mixture will be thick at this point. Stir in half-and-half, salt, and pepper until well combined. Reduce heat to low and simmer until flavors have melded and sauce has thickened, 3 to 5 minutes.
6 Stir in green beans and bacon until well combined. Spoon into the prepared ramekins and top with French-fried onions.
7 Bake in the preheated oven for 13 to 15 minutes. Serve immediately.