Elevate your Thanksgiving green bean casserole

Whether you're looking to impress or just shake things up this Thanksgiving, you're in for a treat.

State of side: Tampa chef and restaurateur Jeannie Pierola whipped up one of her favorite Thanksgiving recipes for us.

• This fine dining twist on the classic green bean casserole will wow even the toughest-to-please in-laws.

Kick the can: The recipe is a two-for-one. Where a traditional green bean casserole might require a can of cream of mushroom soup, you'll be making a creamy, savory velouté sauce.

• You can serve the velouté on its own as a soup with some of the toppings for the casserole, making it a great appetizer if you're behind on cooking.

What you need

These are all the ingredients you'll need to make the casserole, velouté and toppings.

For the casserole:

• 1 pound of fresh green beans
• 1 package shiitake mushrooms
• 1 shallot
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1/2 cup white wine (for deglazing; optional for drinking while you cook)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup of crushed fried onions

For the velouté:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 package shiitake mushrooms
• 1 package maitake mushrooms
• 2 shallots
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
• 1/3 cup of warm sherry
• 1 tablespoon black truffle paste
• 4 cups chicken (or veggie) stock
• Crème fraîche to taste
• Lemon juice to taste

For the toppings:

• 1 package shiitake mushrooms
• Clarified butter for frying

How it's done

Step 1: Blanch the green beans in heavily salted water, chill, then cut them into 2-inch segments.

Step 2: Chop a package of shiitake mushrooms, a shallot and a clove of garlic.

• Sauté in olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
• Deglaze with white wine, then finish with a pinch each of chopped fresh parsley and minced chives.

Step 3: Make the velouté.

• Chop another package of shiitakes and the maitakes, and sauté with a minced shallot, clove of garlic and thyme.

• Soak the dried porcinis in the warm sherry until they're hydrated (about 20 minutes). Then squeeze the porcinis out, mince and add to the shiitake and maitake mixture. Sauté again.
• Add 1 tablespoon of black truffle paste and 1 tablespoon of miso, and sauté that down, combining it thoroughly.
• Add chicken stock and simmer for a few minutes.
• Blend the velouté with an immersion blender, regular blender or food processor.
• Add salt and pepper, lemon juice and crème fraîche to taste.

Step 4: Combine the green beans, mushrooms and velouté in a large mixing bowl, stirring to combine. Make sure to put a generous amount, but the beans shouldn't be swimming or they'll get soggy.

• Save the rest of the velouté to serve as soup. Butter your casserole dish and fill with the green bean mixture.

Step 5: Make a mixture of panko, parsley, chives, grated Parmesan and crushed onions.

• Sprinkle the mixture over the casserole and top with more crushed onions.
• Bake for around 35 minutes at 375°F.
• Hit reply and let us know how it came out!