Bacon Topped Green Bean Casserole

By BearForce

Green beans topped with bacon. What's not to love! Serve with mashed potatoes and turkey for an awesome holiday meal.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/2 ounce dried wild mushrooms, such as morel, chantarelle, oyster, and/or porcini mushrooms
• 7 slices bacon (8-ounces), cut into small pieces
• 12 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups half-and-half or light cream
• 2 teaspoons snipped fresh rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preparation

Step 1

Cook green beans in boiling lightly salted water about 3 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain. Transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop cooking. Meanwhile, in a small bowl pour the 1 cup boiling water over the dried mushrooms. Cover and let stand for 15 minutes.

Cook bacon until crisp. Transfer bacon to a small bowl lined with a paper towel; crumble bacon. Reserve about 1 tablespoon of the bacon drippings in skillet; discard the remaining drippings. Cook cremini mushrooms in the reserved drippings over medium-high heat until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Stir in garlic. Cook and stir for 1 minute more. Remove from heat. Stir in green beans.

Meanwhile, use a fork to remove the dried mushrooms from the water (do not discard liquid). Chop the mushrooms; add to green bean mixture.

For sauce, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Stir in all but about 2 tablespoons of the mushroom liquid (discard the liquid at the bottom of the bowl). Stir in half-and-half. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 1 minute more. Remove from heat. Stir in rosemary, salt, and pepper.

Transfer crumbled bacon, green bean mixture, and sauce to separate airtight containers. Cover; chill for up to 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Stir the sauce into the bean mixture. Spoon into a 2-quart square baking dish. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until bubbly. Top with bacon. Bake for 5 minutes more.