Green Beans with a Side of Nostalgia

Before the Internet, before the Food Network, there was one authoritative source for cheap and easy recipes: the label on a Campbell’s soup can. Sure, Bisquick’s Cheeseburger Pie recipe would do in a pinch. But the recipes on the back of the soup can – and the slightly more elegant recipes hidden on the inside of the label – were responsible for 98 percent of the dishes my mother slung from her avocado green stove. My favorite, featured prominently on the Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup label, was Green Bean Casserole. This hearty side dish, with its simple ingredients of green beans, sodium and preservatives, was a textural smorgasbord. Crunchy deep-fried onions offered a sharp contrast to the slippery green slivers. And the velvety condensed soup held all the ingredients together, like Super Glue, or a hug. I don’t know why it was so delicious (Yes, I do: salt.), but Green Bean Casserole made our weeknight meals feel as festive as Thanksgiving. Full of fuzzy nostalgia, the kind that makes you remember disco while forgetting polyester, I recently made old-school Green Bean Casserole for my family. The kitchen filled with the scent of artificial flavors as I popped open the fried onion tub, while the sound of the can opener made the dog gallop into the kitchen. And I may have licked the spatula after I scraped every last bit of condensed soup out of the can. Thirty minutes later, my husband and I snarfed down the casserole that tasted exactly like our mamas made it. My children, long indoctrinated in the ways of a farmers market-loving locavore, thought we had lost our minds. They had a point. I pried my rings off my sodium-bloated fingers, tossed the can opener and got to work on an unprocessed take on this classic casserole. Assuming fresh would automatically taste fantastic, I cooked up some raw green beans, mushrooms and onions in a little veggie broth. They were just blah. Thinking fancy dried mushrooms would add more flavor, I experimented with pricier shiitake and oyster varieties. The result: expensive blah. Honestly, I was missing that yummy, gummy condensed soup. So could I make a similar cream sauce using healthy, vegan ingredients? Soy milk and almond milk are often substituted for dairy. But they just can’t compete with the texture of real heavy cream. I faced the same conundrum when I made No-Cream Creamed Spinach (July 2011). Back then, a boiled baby potato, blended in a food processor, thickened up and smoothed out my sauce. For this recipe, I skipped the dairy substitutes entirely and went straight to red creamer potatoes. They stay silky when boiled, unlike russet potatoes, which turn grainy and flake. The starch from three creamer potatoes was enough to give my broth a soup-like texture. But the key component wasn’t from the produce department. It was my immersion blender. Once I whipped the mushrooms, onions, potatoes and broth together, I had a sauce that looked and felt like my old favorite condensed soup, only so much better. My final challenge was to give the fried onions a makeover. I had thought canned fried onions were vegan, but technically, so is beer, and no one over the age of 30 calls it a health food. Some brands of fried onions may be processed on the same equipment as products containing dairy, which is a deal-breaker for better vegans than I. So, to keep everyone happy and heart-healthy, I sauteed shallots, and at the last minute sprinkled them with quinoa flakes. The quinoa flakes toasted up into a crunchy, nutty topping that made the shallots the best part of my Vegan Green Bean Casserole. And since it has all the taste and none of the guilt of the original, my husband and I enjoy it even more. Just don’t tell our mothers. Vegan Green Bean Casserole 4 to 6 servings 1½ lbs. fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces 1 Tbsp. plus 2½ tsp. salt, divided 3 small red creamer potatoes 3 Tbsp. canola oil, divided 4 shallots, approx. 7 oz., peeled and sliced thin ¼ cup quinoa flakes 1 medium yellow onion, diced 12 oz. crimini (baby bella mushrooms), sliced ½ tsp. red pepper flakes 3 tsp. minced garlic 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour 2 cups vegetable broth 1 Tbsp. sherry or dry white wine • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. • In a large pot, bring 3 quarts cold water to a boil. Add the beans and 1 tablespoon salt. Return to a boil and cook the beans until slightly tender and bright green, about 6 minutes. Drain the beans and plunge into a bowl of ice water. When cool, drain and pat dry. Set aside. • Meanwhile, rinse the potatoes, leaving the skins on, and place in a small pot. Cover with cold water. Add 1 teaspoon salt. Bring potatoes to a boil and cook until soft and easily pierced with a fork. Drain and set aside. When cool to the touch, use your fingers to peel and discard the skin. • Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the shallots are light brown and soft. Sprinkle the quinoa flakes over the shallots, stirring to coat the shallots with the flakes. Saute the mixture another 1 to 2 minutes, until the quinoa browns. Transfer the shallots and quinoa to a bowl and set aside. • Wipe the skillet and heat the remaining tablespoon canola oil. Add the onions and saute until they begin to soften. Add the mushrooms and continue to cook until they brown and release their liquid. Add the remaining teaspoon salt, red pepper flakes and garlic. Saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the flour and cook 1 minute. Add the whole peeled potatoes. Slowly add the vegetable broth and sherry, stirring well. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. • Use an immersion blender to purée the onions, mushrooms and potatoes until the sauce is smooth and lump-free. Stir in the green beans. • Coat a 3-quart casserole dish with cooking spray. Transfer mixture to the casserole dish. Top with the browned shallots and quinoa flakes. Bake, uncovered, 20 minutes, or until heated through. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.