RECIPE
Ingredients (Serves 8-10):
2 pounds of green beans, ends trimmed off
1 white onion, sliced into thin strips about 1/8" thick, It is important that the onions are thinly sliced so they become crispy (TIP: cut the onion in half from the nub part to the root, then place the flat side on the cutting board and slice parallel to the root so you get half-rings)
8 oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (you can sub for any cheese you like)
3 tbs fine almond flour
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs butter (you can sub for dairy free butter or a third tbs of olive oil; the 1 tbs of butter makes this recipe very rich and delicious)
1/4 cup milk (I use dairy free milk, but you can use whatever milk you prefer)
Fresh parsley for garnish
Salt/pepper
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375F,
Grease a large baking sheet and spread your green beans (ends cut off) onto the baking sheet. Drizzle 1 tbs of olive oil over the string beans, sprinkle with a large pinch of salt and pepper, and then use your hands or a utensil to mix the green beans around until they are full coated. Bake the green beans for 15-18 minutes,
While the green beans bake, heat the 1 tbs of butter in a large saute pan. Add to the saute pan your mushrooms, a large pinch of salt, and pepper. Stir the mushrooms and allow them to cook. When the mushrooms have shrunk in size and there is a small amount of liquid in the pan, add in the dairy free milk (or milk of choice) and mix until the mushrooms are coats and a creamy sauce forms at the bottom of the saute pan,
When the green beans are done baking, remove them from the oven and add them to the saute pan with the mushrooms. Stir until the green beans and mushrooms are full combined,
Raise the oven temperature to 400F,
While the oven heats, grease a glass baking dish (or baking dish of choice), and add the green bean and mushroom mixture to the baking dish. Then, add to the baking dish a 1/2 cup of cheese and stir until the cheese is evenly incorporated to the mixture,
Evenly sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese on top of the green bean and mushroom mixture. Then, evenly sprinkle the 3 tbs almond flour on top of the mixture (if there are clumps of almond flour, break the clumps apart with a utensil),
Place the baking dish back in the oven and bake for an additional 12-15 minutes or until the cheese crust is melted and golden. While the casserole bakes, move on to the next step,
While the casserole bakes in the oven, create the crispy onion topping. Add the thinly sliced onions to a saute pan, with 1 tbs olive oil, salt and pepper, and mix until onions are coated. Spread the onions out on the pan so all of the onions are touching the surface of the pan and lower the heat to medium heat (this is important so the onions don't burn quickly). It is important not to stir the onions too often so they can get crispy. However, you want to keep an eye on the onions, stirring them occasionally so they don't burn and ensuring they are evening spread out on the pan. Once the onions are crispy and dark golden brown, remove them from the pan and set them aside.
When the casserole is ready, remove it from the oven, add the fresh parsley and your crispy onion topping. Serve hot and enjoy!
Storage: Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Make-Ahead: If you want to make this recipe ahead, you can follow steps 1 through 7, place the baking dish in the fridge covered in plastic wrap or a lid, and then resume with step 8 on the day you plan to serve it!