Italian Green Bean Artichoke Casserole
An upgrade on the traditional green bean casserole--great at the holidays or anytime!
Ingredients
- 4 cans Italian cut green beans I use Allen's Italian Green Beans -- can also use 2 XL cans instead of 4 regular sized
- 1 can baby artichoke hearts I use Reese Delicate Baby Artichoke Hearts
- olive oil for sauteeing and drizzling on top
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 small sweet onion chopped fine
- 2-3 celery stalks and their leaves chopped fine
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- generous pinch oregano
- generous pinch parsley
- red pepper flakes, to taste I use 1/4 to 1/2 tsp
- approx 1 cup bread crumbs I use Ian's gluten free; can substitute regular or seasoned bread crumbs
- approx 1 cup pecorino romano cheese can substitute parmesan, asiago, or combination of Italian hard cheeses; keep more on hand to add to the top of casserole before baking.
- garlic salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- squeeze of lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.Saute onions, celery and garlic in about 1 tablespoon olive oil and the butter. Season with garlic salt, pepper, a pinch of oregano, parsley, and red pepper flakes. Cook over medium heat until softened and set aside to cool.
- Drain the Italian green beans well. Drain the baby artichokes seperately, then chop the artichokes into small pieces and sprinkle them with lemon juice.
- In a large bowl, combine the beans with the artichoke hearts, bread crumbs, cheese and sauteed vegetables. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Make sure to carefully fold all ingredients together with a big rubber spatula so that you don't crush the beans. The mixture should have a good bit of bread crumbs and cheese, so add more if necessary.
- Place in a baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle a few more breadcrumbs over the top of the casserole and drizzle with olive oil. Mixture should be moist with the oil but not greasy. Add a little more shredded parmesan cheese and a pinch of parsley on top of all.
- Bake at 350° for about 30 minutes. Top should be lightly browned. Mangia!