I don’t particularly like green bean casserole and it’s never something I consider to be essential to a Thanksgiving table (unlike cranberry sauce, roasted butternut squash, sweet potatoes or apple pie, which I love!). However, I do love the majority of the components of the dish and that’s why I developed this delicious green beans and mushrooms with crispy shallots recipe.
Autumn is the time when wild mushrooms are prevalent and I wanted to come up with a dish that highlighted them. Though this can be made with any kind of mushrooms, I highly recommend using some wild mushrooms if you can get your hands on them.
I tried to make this dish as simple as possible in order to really highlight the ingredients. This means that there aren’t a whole lot of ingredients and you can make this dish, from start to finish, in under 30 minutes.
There are also some steps that can be done ahead of time if desired. It’s also made on the stove, freeing up valuable oven space!
So if you’re looking for a simple and delicious vegetable dish, this recipe for green beans with mushrooms and crispy shallots is an excellent option!
How to Make Green Beans and Mushrooms with Crispy Shallots
The first step in this recipe is to make your crispy shallots. These can be made up to a few days ahead of time and keep just fine in an airtight container at room temperature. Just keep in mind that they are incredibly delicious and addictive so beware if you’re a snacker!
Making crispy shallots is super easy, but it’s good to be set up for success before you get started.
So before you start frying, set a fine mesh sieve over a heatproof bowl and then line a large plate or sheet tray with a few layers of paper towels. Set these aside for when we are finishing up the shallots.
Onto the shallots, you need to peel and thinly slice them. You can use a mandolin for this task if you have one, but I don’t and have no problem using a sharp chef’s knife.
Add your sliced shallots to a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan and pour enough neutral oil over them to completely submerge the shallots.
Set the pan over medium-high heat and begin to fry, stirring very frequently to encourage the layers to separate.
You will notice the oil begin to bubble and, not long after, the shallots will begin to brown. It’s important to stir them frequently to avoid any hotspots and to make sure all of your shallots get evenly browned.
As soon as you see them being to turn a golden colour, turn off the heat and very carefully pour the shallots into your prepared sieve.
It is really easy to burn these so make sure to work quickly here. It will take about 10-15 minutes to reach this stage.
Scatter the drained shallots over the paper towels and season with salt. Set aside to use for later.
Make sure not to discard the frying oil, either, because it’s now infused with shallot flavour and we’ll be using it to cook the rest of our dish! You can also use it in many other applications.
Crispy shallots are great to use for all kinds of things, as well, from salads to Asian dishes like pad thai so it can be a good idea to make a large batch of them.
Now, moving on, add a few tablespoons of your shallot oil to a large skillet and set over high heat. Heat the oil until it’s shimmering and add your mushrooms.
Sprinkle the mushrooms with a bit of salt and cook, stirring frequently, until they have released a bunch of their moisture and they turn a deep, golden brown – this will take about 10 minutes. I go into detail about how to do this in my mushroom sauce recipe and also my mushroom bucatini recipe.
Then, crush in a few cloves of garlic and cook until just fragrant. Add your green beans and toss to combine.
Cook the beans until they turn a bright green colour, only another 30 seconds or so.
Now, deglaze the pan with a bit of dry white wine. You can use any sort of dry white wine you’d like here – just make sure it’s something that you would drink yourself. In fact, go ahead and pour yourself a glass while you’re cooking!
Cook just until the wine has mostly evaporated and the alcohol smell has all but cooked off about five minutes.
Then, squeeze with lemon juice, season with salt and pepper, and toss in about half of your crispy shallots.
Transfer to a serving dish and top with more crispy shallots. Then serve and enjoy! This goes great alongside my maple-miso brussels sprouts if you’re looking for another delicious veggie side!
Green Beans and Mushrooms with Crispy Shallots
This bright and fresh green bean and mushroom dish is a lighter and more modern take on green bean casserole.
Ingredients
- 4 large shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
- 250g (8oz) mushrooms, sliced (see note)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 250g (8oz) green beans, trimmed
- 125ml (1/2 cup) dry white wine
- 5ml (1 teaspoon) fresh lemon juice
- Salt & pepper
Instructions
- Before cooking, line a large plate with a couple of paper towels and set a fine mesh sieve over a large, heatproof bowl. Set aside.
- Add shallots to a heavy saucepan or Dutch oven. Cover completely with neutral oil and set over medium-high heat. Stirring frequently to encourage the shallots' layers to separate, cook until the oil beings to bubble and the shallots begin to turn a pale golden brown, about 10-15 minutes.
- As soon as the shallots begin to turn brown, remove from the heat and carefully pour the shallots into the fine mesh sieve. Quickly spread the fried shallots onto the paper towels and immediately season with salt. Set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, add 45ml (3 tablespoons) of the shallot cooking oil to a large skillet and set over medium-high heat. Once shimmering, add the mushrooms and a good pinch of salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms have expelled most of their moisture and have begun to turn a deep, golden brown - about 10 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook for a few seconds, until very fragrant, before adding the green beans. Toss the green beans and cook until they turn a bright green colour, another 1-2 minutes.
- Pour over the white wine and stir to combine. Cook until a good amount of the wine has evaporated and the alcoholic smell has cooked off - about 5 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper and squeeze with lemon juice. Top with crispy shallots and serve immediately.
Notes
You can use any kind of fresh mushrooms you would like in this recipe. To make it extra special, I highly recommend using wild mushrooms like chantarelles if you can find them. However, this dish will still be great with cremini, shitake, oyster or even white button mushrooms so long as they're browned enough.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 67Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 55mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 3gSugar: 5gProtein: 3g
Nutritional information is automatically generated and provided as guidance only. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
These green beans with mushrooms and shallots are an excellent side dish to any main meal. They’re easy to make and are absolutely delicious every time.
Are you looking to make green beans with crispy shallots and mushrooms? Have any questions about this recipe? Let me know in the comments!
