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Green Beans and Mushrooms
The combination of green beans and mushrooms is a classic, and one of those dishes that makes every holiday table a little more festive. We all know that traditional green bean and mushroom casserole—delicious and substantial—but if you want to cut corners a little bit, then this green bean mushroom recipe is the way to go.
I found myself in possession of a heap of petal-ey oyster mushrooms, with a mild earthy texture, and a soft, kind of velvety texture. Other mushrooms are fine to sub, anything works here. Besides wild mushrooms, button also are fine, and you can mix in button with other mushrooms like oyster, chanterelle, or shiitake to make this dish less $$.
You can use garden variety green beans, or slimmer haricot verts (French green beans) with equal success. The least expensive version of this dish will include green beans and button mushrooms—a more elegant and slightly more expensive version will use haricot verts and some type or mix of wild mushrooms.
A green bean mushroom side dish is also hearty enough to be a main dish for vegetarians. Make sure to use vegetable broth and not chicken if you are presenting this as a vegetarian option.
And note: in the photos there are twice the amount of mushrooms called for in this recipe (two pounds instead of one). This is another way to go, especially if are looking to this dish to be one of the main dish offerings for the vegetarians, or if you have big mushroom fans in your house. Just a different more mushroom-forward ratio.
If you do decide to double the mushrooms, sauté the shallots, and then remove half of them. Proceed by sautéing the mushrooms in two batches with half the shallots in each batch, adding half of the thyme and Madeira to each batch as well. This way they won’t get crowded in the pan, and will brown nicely.
Madeira or marsala wine is one of the ingredients that makes its way into some holiday dish or another on my table. I love how a slightly sweet fortified wine makes food taste celebratory in the colder months. This dish would make a great pairing for Chicken Marsala, as well.
Click here for other green bean recipes that might grace a holiday table.
Other Green Bean Recipes:
- Honey Mustard Green Beans
- Green Bean Salad with Clementine Oranges and Feta
- Green Beans Two Ways
- Sautéed Haricot Verts with Red Onions and Shallots
- Green Beans with Chervil Vinaigrette
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Green Beans and Mushrooms with Shallots
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- ½ cup thinly sliced shallots
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
- 1 pound oyster mushrooms or other mushrooms, trimmed and thickly sliced (or 2 pounds; see recipe intro and Note)
- ¼ cup Madeira
- 1 pound green beans or haricot verts trimmed and halved crosswise
- ¼ cup less-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
Instructions
- In a large deep skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add the shallots, season with salt and pepper and sauté for about 5 minutes, until golden brown and tender. Add the thyme and mushrooms and season again with salt and pepper. Sauté until the mushrooms are golden brown and tender, and any liquid that the mushrooms released has evaporated, about 8 minutes. Pour in the Madeira and sauté for another 2 minutes, until the Madeira has evaporated. Turn the mixture into a large bowl.
- Carefully wipe out the skillet. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and melt over medium-high heat. Add the green beans, season with salt and pepper, and sauté for 1 minute, then add the broth, cover the pan, and allow the beans to cook for another 3 minutes for regular green beans, 2 minutes for thinner haricot verts. Remove the lid, return the mushrooms to the pan, and sauté until the liquid has all evaporated and the beans are just crisp tender and the mushrooms have heated up again, another minute or two. Serve hot.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.