Lightened Up Green Bean Casserole

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees (F). You’ll also need a 9×13″ baking dish.

2. In a medium skillet, heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and a pinch of salt. Sweat the onions until their water is released, stirring often to prevent browning. Turn the heat down to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions turn golden brown and caramelized, about 45 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and a pinch of kosher salt, and cook until the mushrooms have given up their water and softened, about 7 minutes. Add the paprika, pepper, cayenne, thyme, sage, and celery seeds, mix everything together and cook for 1 minute.

4. Clear a space in the pan and add 2 Tablespoons of butter. Once it melts, mix in the flour, and let the mixture cook for a minute or two to remove any raw flour flavor. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up all the browned bits. Simmer the mixture until about half the wine has cooked out. Add the evaporated milk and stir to combine everything. Let the mixture simmer for about 3 minutes, until it has thickened a bit.

5. Turn off the heat and stir in the green beans, tossing until they are well coated in the mushroom mixture. Pour the green beans into your baking dish and set aside.

6. Once the onions have caramelized, add the white wine vinegar and toss to coat. Add and melt the remaining 2 Tablespoons of butter, and when it has melted, add the bread crumbs and toss until the bread crumbs are well-coated with butter and evenly mixed with the onions. Spoon the bread crumb and onion mixture over the green beans in an even layer.

7. Bake the casserole for about 45 minutes, or until the topping is a crunchy golden brown.