Green Bean Casserole with Goat Cheese, Almonds and Paprika

For the past two weeks,  I've been using some creative techniques when cooking.  Two weeks ago, my stove top stopped working.  No parts anywhere, they had to be shipped in from overseas.  They arrived just in time for Christmas and the repairman was scheduled to install them on Christmas Eve.  Also, arriving in time for Christmas was eight inches of snow,  because of the heavy snow, the repairman couldn't  get to our house to do install the parts. 

Over the past couple of weeks, I've relied on the  microwave and the slow cooker for things I would have cooked on the stove top.  I've hard boiled eggs and made cranberry sauce in the slow cooker.  Tim and I were planning on having green bean casserole for Christmas dinner.  If you're from the Midwest, you know the one, mushroom soup and french fried onion topping.  Tim found this recipe, with a Spanish spin on the traditional green bean casserole. 

This recipes calls for a white sauce with goat cheese.  I made the white sauce in the microwave.  It was easier and turned out much better than I expected.  It was a little thick not sure if that was from cooking in the microwave or the sauce itself.  I will make this again and thin it out with a little more milk next time. 

We enjoyed this recipe, the goat cheese adds a delicious tang and the Spanish paprika a wonderful kick! 

Green Bean Casserole with Goat Cheese, Almonds and Smoked Paprika

Recipe Courtesy of Food and Wine

• Active: 25 MIN
• Total Time: 50 MIN
• Servings: 8 to 10

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
• 2 1/2 pounds green beans
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups milk
• 1 garlic clove, finely grated
• 5 ounces fresh goat cheese
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon pimentón de la Vera (smoked Spanish paprika)
• 3/4 cup almonds, coarsely chopped

How to make this recipe

1. Preheat the oven to 350° and butter a shallow 9-by-13-inch ceramic baking dish. In a large pot of boiling salted water, blanch the green beans until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Drain and cool under running water. Pat dry and thinly slice on the diagonal. Pat dry again.
2. In a medium saucepan, melt the 4 tablespoons of butter. Add the flour and whisk over moderate heat until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Gradually whisk in the milk and garlic and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to moderately low and simmer, whisking constantly, until thick, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the goat cheese. Season the sauce with salt, pepper and 1/4 teaspoon of the pimentón.
3. In a large bowl, toss the green beans with the sauce. Spread the mixture into the prepared casserole and sprinkle the almonds and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of pimentón over the top. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until bubbling and the almonds are lightly browned. Let the casserole stand for 10 minutes before serving.