From Scratch Holiday Green Bean Casserole and Mashed Butternut Squash

We’re playing with fire! We set out to adapt a US holiday favorite. Maybe the casserole didn’t need our tinkering; but we dared the odds, skipped the canned cream of mushroom soup, and crafted an easy, homemade version of a creamy mushroom sauce for a rich, tasty side dish that we couldn’t stop eating at the photo shoot for this book! Admittedly, ours doesn’t have a crunchy topping, the part most people love. Check out the Beyond section for our ideas to solve this problem.

Cuisine

Modern

Course

Side Dish

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

more than 2 hours

Diet

Vegetarian

Cooking Technique

Pressure Cook

Keywords

6 servings, all-purpose flour, Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough, butternut squash, contributed, easy, frozen french-style cut green beans, garlic powder, grated nutmeg, ground cinnamon, heavy or light cream, modern, monterey jack cheese, more than 2 hours, onion powder, pressure cook, rubbed or ground sage, side dish, stick butter, table salt, teaspoon ground black pepper, vegetarian, water, white button mushrooms, whole milk

Servings

6 servings

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups Water
12 oz white button mushrooms
1 lb frozen French-style cut green beans
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp table salt
1/2 tsp rubbed or ground sage
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup heavy or light cream
1/4 cup whole milk
4 oz Monterey Jack cheese
1 1/2 cups Water
1 1/2 lbs butternut squash
1/2 tbsp stick butter
1/2 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg

Instructions

Pour the water into the insert set in a 5-, 6-, or 8-quart Instant Pot. Set a pressure-safe rack or trivet in the insert.
Finely chop half of the mushrooms, then thinly slice the remainder. Transfer them to a large bowl and stir in the green beans, flour, salt, sage, onion powder, garlic powder, and pepper until uniform. Stir in the cream and milk until well combined.
Pour and pack this mixture into a 2 quart, 7-inch-round, high- sided, pressure-safe baking or soufflé dish. Do not cover. Set the dish on the rack and lock the lid on the pot.
Set the Instant Pot for Pressure Cook or Manual and set the pressure to High. The valve must be closed. Set the time for 20 minutes with the Keep Warm setting off.
When the pot has finished cooking, turn it off and let the pressure return to normal naturally, about 15 minutes. Unlatch the lid and open the cooker. Use hot pads or silicone baking mitts to transfer the (hot!) baking dish to a nearby wire rack. Stir in the cheese, then set aside for 5 minutes to let the cheese melt. Stir again before serving warm.
Pour the water into the insert set in a 5-, 6-, or 8-quart Instant Pot. Set a pressure-safe rack or trivet in the insert.
Put the squash, butter, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a 2 quart, 7-inch-round, high-sided, pressure-safe baking or soufflé dish. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and set it on the rack. Lock the lid on the cooker.
Set the Instant Pot for Pressure Cook or Manual and set the pressure to High. The valve must be closed. Set the time for 45 minutes with the Keep Warm setting off.
When the pot has finished cooking, turn it off and let the pressure return to normal naturally, about 15 minutes. Unlatch the lid and open the cooker. Use hot pads or silicone baking mitts to transfer the (hot!) baking dish to a nearby wire rack.
Uncover the baking dish. Use a potato masher or a handheld electric mixer at medium-low speed to mash the butternut squash right in the dish. Check for salt to taste and serve warm.

Notes

Notes for Holiday Green Bean Casserole
• Top the casserole with canned fried onions, such as French’s, just before serving.
• Or skip the fried onions and crumble thick-cut potato chips on top.
• Or go over the top with thick-cut sour-cream-and-onion potato chips.
Other Pots
• For a 3-quart Instant Pot, you must halve almost all of the ingredient amounts except you must use
1 cup water in the insert and you must use a 1-quart, 6-inch-round, high-sided, pressure-safe baking or soufflé dish.
• For a 10-quart Instant Pot, you must increase the amount of water in the insert to 21/2 cups while otherwise completing the recipe as stated.
Notes for Mashed Butternut Squash
• For a richer dish, add up to 2 tablespoons heavy or light cream to the cooked squash before mashing it, taking care that the dish doesn’t get soupy. (Butternut squash will not thicken cream with natural starches the way potatoes will.)
Other Pots
• For a 3-quart Instant Pot, you must halve almost all of the ingredient amounts except you must use 1 cup water in the insert. You must also use a 1-quart, 6-inch-round, high- sided, round, pressure-safe baking or soufflé dish.
• For a 10-quart Instant Pot, you must increase the amount of water in the insert to 2 1/2 cups while otherwise completing the recipe as stated.