Alright, so I finally got around to making that gluten-free green bean casserole I’ve been talking about. You know how it is, sometimes you just get that craving for classic comfort food, but the regular kind is just out of the question for me. So, I rolled up my sleeves and decided to figure this thing out.
Making the Creamy Part – Gluten Free Style
The first big hurdle, as always with these creamy casseroles, is the sauce. Store-bought cream of mushroom soup? Nah, even the gluten-free ones can be a bit hit or miss for my taste. I wanted to do it from scratch, mostly.
So, I grabbed a bunch of mushrooms. Sliced ’em up, nothing fancy. Threw them in a pan with some chopped onion. Let those cook down for a bit until they were soft. Then, for the creamy magic, I decided to try a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend I had. Made a sort of roux with some butter – well, a butter substitute actually – and that flour. Slowly whisked in some milk. Could’ve used almond milk or something, but I had regular milk on hand. Kept whisking it over the heat until it got nice and thick. That’s the trick, really, getting that consistency right without any gluten. Seasoned it with salt, pepper, and a tiny bit of nutmeg. Sounds weird for green bean casserole, I know, but it adds a little something.
The Beans and the Crunch
For the green beans, I kept it simple. Canned green beans. Yep. I know, fresh is probably better, but I was going for ease here. Drained them really, really well. You don’t want a watery casserole, that’s for sure.
Now, the topping. This is crucial for green bean casserole, right? That crispy onion goodness. Finding good gluten-free fried onions can be a real pain sometimes. But, I lucked out and found a bag of decent ones at the store. Read the label like three times to make sure, you know how it is. Making them from scratch with gluten-free batter seemed like too much work for a Tuesday, haha.
Putting It All Together
Okay, so once the sauce was looking good and thick, I just dumped the drained green beans right into the pan with the sauce. Gave it a good stir, making sure all the beans were coated. Then, I poured the whole mixture into a baking dish. Spread it out evenly.
Then came the best part – sprinkling those gluten-free crispy fried onions all over the top. And I mean, a lot of them. No skimping here.
Baking and the Big Reveal
Popped it into the oven. I think it was around 375°F, maybe? For about 25 minutes, or until it was all bubbly around the edges and the onions on top were looking golden brown and toasty. The whole kitchen started smelling pretty amazing, which is always a good sign.
And how did it turn out? Honestly, it was pretty darn good! Creamy, savory, and it had that essential crunch from the onions. You wouldn’t even really know it was gluten-free unless someone told you. My family ate it up, no complaints. So yeah, if you’ve been missing green bean casserole, making it gluten-free yourself is totally doable. Just gotta pay a little attention to that sauce and find some good crunchy toppings. Success!