French's green bean casserole from scratch

Fried onions:

1. Make crispy fried onions before you start with the casserole recipe. Click here to get instructions on how to make crispy fried onions.

Blanch green beans:

1. Rinse fresh green beans, trim off the edges, and blanch green beans. To blanch green beans, bring a pot of water to a boil, and add 1 to 2 teaspoons salt.
2. Add trimmed green beans to boiling water; blanch them for 8 to 12 minutes depending on the texture you prefer.
3. To keep green beans crunchy, blanch it al-dente for about 6 to 8 minutes. To cook beans until soft and fork tender blanch for 10 to 12 minutes. Taste test to check the doneness of beans.
4. Remove blanched beans from boiling water and immerse immediately into an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Wait for 2 minutes, drain blanched beans, and set aside.

Make creamy gravy:

1. Melt butter in oven-safe skillet. Sauté sliced onions until soft. Add sliced mushrooms and cook on medium heat.
2. Season with salt and pepper to taste and grate nutmeg into it.
3. Add garlic and stir it well. Cook for a few seconds. Sprinkle all-purpose flour on top, flour will soak up all the moisture released from mushrooms. Keep stirring continuously and cook for 1 minute.
4. Pour chicken stock, stir then add half-and-half and cook on medium-low heat until creamy gravy thickens.

Bring it all together:

1. Turn off the heat, add blanched beans to the gravy, and stir to cover the beans in the creamy sauce. Add ½ of the crispy fried onions on top.

Bake:

1. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 350°F for 20-25 minutes or until warmed through and gravy is bubbling.
2. Remove from oven, sprinkle the rest of the crispy onions, and continue to bake for another 5 minutes.
3. Always serve green bean casserole immediately hot! It pairs well with almost any dish, grilled or baked meat especially with turkey it tastes the best!