Cheesy Green Beans Au Gratin Bake is creamy, rich and velvety smooth. Baked in a cheesy sauce and then topped with a crunchy cracker & parmesan cheese crust. Gluten free & Vegetarian.
So much good going on Right here, right now, a top this plate! Yesss...Please!
But seriously guys, nothing says the holidays like some good home cooked Au gratins.
Whether they be in the form of potatoes or any other veggie there is just something comforting about a good old fashioned gratin.
Creamy, warm and the slightly browned crunchy crust just speaks special to me in so many ways.
And some of my favorite holiday memories definitely revolved around all the good food...so Thanksgiving was just naturally a happy occasion for me.
Stuffing, potatoes, and brussels sprouts were always just a few I so looked forward to.
So when I was contemplating green beans on the menu this year my brain just naturally thought of an Au gratin.
Hence this Cheesy Green Beans Au Gratin Bake will make it to my table this year & hopefully yours.
Cause let's face it green beans just belong in an Au gratin & on your holiday table this year.
And if you're in charge of preparing the meal I think you'll really love the ease of the recipe. Plus it's something you can make ahead.
That's one more thing I totally just love about Thanksgiving food....<---- a lot of it can be made ahead and it is soooo, soooo good leftover.
But there again I'm a big fan of leftovers and basically how I function on a weekly basis.
So if I haven't convinced you yet to give this one a go, let's just sum up all the reasons you need to bring this to your holiday table or any time.
THIS IS THE BEST GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE SINCE IT'S...
- Easy to prepare & can be made ahead
- Great served leftover
- Creamy, cheesy with just a slight crunch
- Taking green beans to the next level of special
- Kid friendly
- Not your Mama's green bean casserole(not that there is anything wrong with that)
- Gluten free & Vegetarian
TIPS FOR MAKING THIS THE BEST GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE
- Make sure to use the fresh green beans
- And trim them if they didn't come that way already
- Blanch the green beans prior to putting in the casserole
- And then put them in an ice bath after blanching
- Use block parmesan cheese and finely shred it yourself
- Pulse the crackers in a food processor if you have one or...
- You can put them in a zip lock bag and crush with a rolling pin
AND IF YOU TRY THIS RECIPE PLEASE BE SURE TO LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS BELOW…..
I’d love to hear if you make this & how you like it. Plus please be sure to include a star rating.
Until next time- xoxo
Cheesy Green Beans Au Gratin Bake
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. green beans trimmed & rinsed
- 4 tbsp. butter plus some for greasing casserole dish.
- ½ large yellow onion or 1 small
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup half & half cream
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese divided
- salt & pepper to taste
- optional:
- paprika
- crumb topping:
- ⅓ cup each of crushed gluten free cracker crumbs & finely shredded parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Generously grease a 9 x 9 casserole pan with butter.
- Bring large pot of water to boil.
- Add trimmed, cleaned green beans to boiling water.
- Cook about 1-2 minutes just to blanch them.
- Drain & add to ice water bath to stop cooking. Drain well & set aside.
- Meanwhile in pan on top of stove melt butter over medium heat.
- Add onion & garlic & cook 2-3 minutes.
- Then half & half cream, & creamed cheese and stir another couple minutes till thickened.
- When thickened add 6 ounces of sharp cheddar cheese & stir till completely melted.
- Salt & pepper to taste.
- Put drained green beans in buttered casserole pan, top with sauce and remaining cheddar cheese.
- Instructions for topping:
- pulse crackers in food processor till finely chopped.
- put in bowl with parmesan cheese and stir.
- sprinkle on top of green beans.
- optional: sprinkle casserole with paprika
- Bake in preheated oven covered 30 minutes
- Remove cover and cook an additional 10 minutes.
- Allow 10 minutes prior to serving.
This is the first “casserole” type dish I have been able to get my husband to eat. Ever. I have made green bean casseroles and broccoli cheese casseroles for Thanksgiving and Christmas, changed my recipes, and he still won’t touch them. He not only ate this, but LOVED it. He cleaned his plate. It was delightful. Really don’t know you could make it any better. Unless your a bacon or ham fan. I also used heavy cream instead of half and half because I didn’t have half and half in the fridge. Still heavenly. This will be in our family and will feed our unborn children for years to come. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!
You're sooo Welcome Lindsey!! And I'm glad to hear that your husband REALLY enjoyed this. It's definitely a hit in our Family so I'm just thrilled to hear that it will now become a part of your families traditions. Happy Holidays to you & your Family 🙂
A green bean dish is my contribution to a house I'm going to on Thanksgiving. Pertfect!
My favorite vegetable. Such a yummy side dish for the holidays.
Just in time for Thanksgiving!
This looks decadent with the two cheeses and half and half. Saving for later:) Thanks for sharing!
I love green beans. This sounds like a welcome recipe for this time of the year.