Green bean casserole is a classic dish that’s often served on the Thanksgiving table! It just so happens to be one of my favorite Thanksgiving sides and so I wanted to give it a slight upgrade with fresh green beans instead of canned and onion rings because I’m a grown up now and can do what I want! HA! But in all seriousness this green bean casserole has a freshness to it, but keeps the same classic taste that we all adore.

I feel like the added onion rings on top really gives the green bean casserole star appeal, making everyone want to dig in! It’s competing for your attention against a lot of other great side dishes, so why not give it a little extra vah vah voom?! It just feels right to me.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb fresh green beans

• 1 can cream of mushroom soup

• 1/2 cup milk

• 1 cup cheddar jack cheese, shredded

• 1 bag of frozen onion rings

• 1/2 cup crispy fried onion pieces

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Clean and cut green beans into 1 1/2 inch pieces. In pot of salted boiling water, place green beans in. Boil green beans for 5 minutes and drain hot water. Immediately pour green beans into an ice bath - a large bowl of cold water and ice. This will stop the cooking process of the green beans, let sit for about 4-5 minutes and drain the ice water leaving only green beans left in the bowl

• Pour in cream of mushroom soup, milk, cheddar jack cheese and pepper to taste. Stir everything together until incorporated and pour the green bean mixture into a casserole dish. Smooth the green bean mixture out until it’s even and top with a layer of onion rings. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove casserole from oven and layer on crispy fried onion pieces. Bake for another 5 - 10 minutes or until onion rings and onion pieces are golden brown