A delicious cream sauce and crispy garlic topping elevates this easy veggie side dish.
By Amy Traverso
Oct 28 2024
Creamy Green Beans and Mushrooms with Crispy Garlic
Photo Credit : Adam DeTour/styling by Catrine KeltyKnowing that oven space is at a premium on Thanksgiving Day, I developed a stovetop-only take on the iconic green bean casserole. The old-school French cream sauce with white wine and butter adds a bit of nostalgia and a lot of deliciousness. And crispy garlic gives a crunchy finish.
4 tablespoons plus 3 tablespoons salted butter
10 garlic cloves, thinly sliced, plus 1 garlic clove, minced
¾ pound white mushrooms, sliced
½ cup dry white wine
1 cup heavy cream
½ teaspoon plus ½ cup kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1½ pounds green beans, ends trimmed
In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the 4 tablespoons butter. Add the sliced garlic. The butter should bubble but not smoke, so adjust heat as needed. Cook the garlic, swirling often and keeping a close eye on it, until very light golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Immediately remove the garlic with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Save the garlic-infused melted butter for future use. (It makes delicious garlic bread.)
Now, prepare the mushrooms: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter, then add the minced garlic, mushrooms, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms release their liquid and brown at the edges, 7 to 9 minutes. Add the wine, scraping the browned bits off the bottom, and simmer until reduced, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the cream and reduce heat to medium. Simmer until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Set aside and keep warm.
Finally, cook the beans: In a 5-to-7-quart pot, bring 4 quarts water and ½ cup salt to a boil. Add the beans and cook until bright green and just tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and transfer to a serving platter. Pour the sauce over the beans and sprinkle with the crispy garlic. Serve warm.
Amy Traverso is the senior food editor at Yankee magazine and co-host of the public television series Weekends with Yankee, a coproduction with WGBH. Previously, she was food editor at Boston magazine and an associate food editor at Sunset magazine. Her work has also been published in The Boston Globe, Saveur, and Travel & Leisure, and she has appeared on Hallmark Home & Family, The Martha Stewart Show, Throwdown with Bobby Flay, and Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares. Amy is the author of The Apple Lover’s Cookbook, which was a finalist for the Julia Child Award for best first-time author and won an IACP Cookbook Award in the “American” category.
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