Hamburger Green Bean Casserole is an easy low carb dinner with green beans and ground beef in a delicious creamy sauce topped with crispy fried onion straws.
If you like comfort food check out this Beef Stroganoff and these delicious BBQ Baked Beans with Ground Beef.
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WHAT IS GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE?
Green bean casserole is traditionally made with green beans, cream of mushroom soup, and fried onion straws. It's generally served as a side dish at Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Green Bean Casserole with ground beef creates a hearty meal with a ton of flavor. You won't find any cream of mushroom soup in this recipe! The soup was replace with an easy-to-make bechamel sauce that is absolutely delicious.
What is Bechamel Sauce
Bechamel sauce is a white sauce made with a white roux and milk. Bechamel is used as the base for many different sauces. Learn all about Bechamel Sauce here.
INGREDIENTS AND SUBSTITUTIONS
- Lean Ground Beef
- Onion - White or yellow. It is absolutely fine to leave the onion out if you prefer.
- Butter
- Flour
- Half & Half - Milk or heavy whipping cream can be substituted.
- Beef Broth
- Spices - Garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper and salt are key to giving this casserole flavor.
- Green Beans - I use canned cut green beans, but you could certainly use fresh green beans, French cut or frozen beans.
- Sour Cream - Greek yogurt is a great substitute to reduce the calories in this casserole.
- Cheddar Cheese & Mozzarella Cheese - It's always best to grate your own cheese.
- Crispy Fried Onion Straws - Completely optional, but recommended! Learn how to make homemade air fryer onions here.
STEP BY STEP DIRECTIONS
STEP 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
STEP 2: To a Dutch oven or oven safe skillet add 1 tsp of olive oil and the onions. Cook the onions for about 3 minutes over medium-high heat. In the same pan, brown the ground beef. Drain the hamburger meat (as needed) and set aside.
STEP 3: Melt butter in the same pan over medium heat. Add flour and combine into a paste. Cook constantly stirring for one minute.
STEP 4: Add the half and half and beef broth. Whisk together and simmer until the sauce thickens for about 7 minutes.
STEP 5: Add the salt, black pepper, onion power and garlic powder and incorporate into the sauce.
STEP 6: Add the beef mixture, green beans and sour cream to the sauce. Stir to combine.
If you do not have an oven safe skillet, transfer the beef and bean mixture into a casserole dish.
STEP 7: Evenly spread the mozzarella and cheddar cheese in a single layer over the green bean mixture.
STEP 8: Sprinkle fried onion straws over the top of the casserole.
Step 9: Baked uncovered for 30 minutes. Let the casserole stand for 5 minutes before serving.
WAYS TO SERVE AND RECIPE VARIATIONS
- If you want to keep this beef and green bean dinner low carb, serve with a simple salad.
- Not worried about carbs, serve it over mashed potatoes. My favorite!
- Create a tater tot casserole by substituting tater tots for the fried onion straws. Cook until the tater tots are golden brown.
- Instead of two cans of green beans, swap one for a can of corn.
WANT TO STORE THIS FOR LATER? HERE'S HOW:
To Store: Store in an airtight container for up to four days.
To Freeze: Instead of freezing your casserole directly in a baking dish, line the dish with parchment paper before filling. Pop into the freezer and let the casserole become solid. Next, remove the parchment paper from the dish, cover the entire frozen casserole with a layer of plastic wrap and then foil.
Store in the freezer for up to 4 months. Do not freeze the fried onion straws. Add them right before baking.
To reheat in oven: If frozen, place in a baking dish to thaw overnight. Bake at 350 for 40 - 45 minutes. You will want to cook it longer than the recipe calls for because the temperature of the casserole will be cool.
To reheat in microwave: To reheat leftovers the next day, microwave for 30 second increments until the casserole is heated through.
FREQUENTY ASKED QUESTIONS
Because this recipe has a cream base, I use lean ground beef and don't usually have to drain any grease from the pan. If you use ground beef with higher fat content, strain off the fat before adding more ingredients.
It is not necessary to cover this casserole while it bakes. You'll want the fried onion straws to brown as it bakes.
You can used, fresh, canned, or frozen for this recipe. Canned greens will give a softer texture while fresh and frozen will have a bit more texture.
Be sure to drain the green beans to keep the casserole from becoming runny.
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