Green Bean Gratin

A green bean gratin we have served for years on Thanksgiving. It beats regular green bean casserole by a thousand!

Step: 1

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a casserole dish.

Step: 2

Place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes.

Step: 3

Meanwhile, bring water to a simmer. Add green beans and cook until tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Drain beans, reserving cooking liquid. Drain bacon slices on paper towels, reserving grease in the skillet. Crumble bacon.

Step: 4

Heat 3 tablespoons of the reserved grease. Stir in flour until blended and nutty in color. Add reserved cooking liquid and cream, whisking constantly until smooth and thick, about 5 minutes. Fold in beans and Cheddar cheese. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Cover with bread crumbs.

Step: 5

Bake in the preheated oven, uncovered, until hot and bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes. Sprinkle bacon on top before serving.

Per Serving: 237 calories; protein 11.5g; carbohydrates 12.8g; fat 15.3g; cholesterol 45.3mg; sodium 512.8mg.

The most obvious way to pick a side dish is to look at your main dish (pasta, chicken, seared tofu) and pick something different. If you’re making pasta, make sure for a simple vegetable . Making steak? Go for something light. If you’re making stir-fry with rice, it must not a best idea to also make a rice salad.

One make sure is also can apply to cooking process . You don’t want to push more often your oven by scheduling three dishes at once in there, or be rounding four pans on the stovetop . But often you can make a dish do double-duty .