Fresh green beans with a buttery, cheesy sauce and a crispy breadcrumb topping will get rave reviews and clean plates every time.
Tired of the traditional green bean casserole? Try this green bean gratin next time and you just might have a new holiday favorite.
Au Gratin Green Beans
What is it about butter and cheese that makes almost anything taste delicious? At least for my family, if in doubt just add cheese. There’s a dash of cayenne in this sauce that enhances the flavors here without really adding much heat.
There’s just a teeny hit of lingering hint that makes this something special. The combination of that cheesy creamy sauce and that buttery toasted breadcrumb topping adds up to a green bean dish that my entire family devours.
I used to think Haricot vert was just french for green beans. I have learned that while that is true, it is referring to a specific kind of green bean. Haricot vert are slightly longer and thinner and sometimes slightly pricier.
While I often use haricot vert for this recipe, you can use any kind of fresh green beans. Just snap the stem end off, wash, and pat them dry and you are good to go.
Green Bean Gratin
You’ll need the following ingredients to make this recipe:
Roasted Green Beans Ingredients
- french green beans or haricot vert
- olive oil
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Sauce Ingredients
- butter
- all-purpose flour
- water
- Parmesan cheese
- Monterrey Jack cheese
- cayenne pepper
- kosher salt
Green Bean Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the green beans on a baking sheet and drizzle with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss with your hands to coat.
- Roast the beans for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Sauce Instructions
- In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat. Add the bread crumbs and stir quickly to coat. Saute with stirring frequently for about 2 minutes, until toasted. Remove from the heat, transfer to a plate, and let cool.
- Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter (in the same skillet used for the breadcrumbs) over medium heat. Whisk in the flour. Add the milk while whisking constantly until smooth. Add the salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper and bring to a boil while continuing to whisk the sauce.
- Lower the heat and simmer, stirring frequently until thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat. Taste and adjust salt as needed.
Gratin Instructions
- Place the roasted green beans in a 2-quart baking dish and sprinkle with half of the cheese. Pour the sauce over the cheese Top with the remaining cheese and sprinkle with the toasted bread crumbs.
- Bake until lightly browned and bubbly, about 20-22 minutes. Serve warm.
Feel free to avoid an extra pan to wash by using an oven-safe skillet to make the sauce and simply adding the green beans to the sauce when it’s done cooking.
Stir to mix throughout, top with cheese, and finish by topping with the breadcrumbs. Bake as directed.
Vegetables Au Gratin
Vegetables are great on their own but I will always be game for adding things like melted cheese, extra spices, or a buttery breadcrumb topping. Gratin-style vegetables are definitely some of our favorites.
This Cauliflower Gratin with a sprinkling of cheese, a light cream sauce, and a crispy buttery bread crumb topping is so so good, I keep dreaming about making it again.
Cheesy, savory, and creamy with a toasted, buttery topping, broccoli gratin is about to become the most requested vegetable by your family.
Just a bit of cream combines with Parmesan cheese to make a rich sauce for this cheesy corn side dish. The nuttiness of the fresh parmesan along with the sweetness of fresh sweet corn will have you going back for seconds.
When you combine crisp, tender green beans with earthy artichoke hearts, and bathe them in a garlicky cream sauce, the result is a green bean artichoke casserole that is certain to be a win on your holiday table.
Green Bean Gratin
Ingredients
Green Bean Ingredients
- 1 pound thin french green beans or haricot vert
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Sauce Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter divided
- ½ cup Panko bread crumbs plain or Italian-style
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt adjust to taste
- ½ teaspoon granulated garlic or garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon granulated onion or onion powder
- ¼-½ teaspoon cayenne pepper adjust to taste
- 1 cup freshly shredded cheddar cheese about 4 ounces
Instructions
Green Bean Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the green beans on a baking sheet and drizzle with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss with your hands to coat. Roast the beans for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Sauce Instructions
- In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat. Add the bread crumbs and stir quickly to coat. Saute with stirring frequently for about 2 minutes, until toasted. Remove from the heat, transfer to a plate, and let cool.
- Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter (in the same skillet used for the breadcrumbs) over medium heat. Whisk in the flour. Add the milk while whisking constantly until smooth. Add the salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper and bring to a boil while continuing to whisk the sauce.
- Lower the heat and simmer, stirring frequently until thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat. Taste and adjust salt as needed.
Gratin Instructions
- Place the roasted green beans in a 2-quart baking dish and sprinkle with half of the cheese. Pour the sauce over the cheese Top with the remaining cheese and sprinkle with the toasted bread crumbs.
- Bake until lightly browned and bubbly, about 20-22 minutes. Serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
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