Double Green Casserole

Green tomatoes—just what do you do with them?

I embrace that question every fall. This year, rather than matching flavors, I matched colors and added green tomatoes to a green bean casserole. At least one non-family member professed to like it, and seeing as she asked for the recipe, I believe her.

Photo by Sophie Dale on Unsplash

Double Green Casserole 

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons (2 oz) butter 
• ¼ cup all purpose flour 
• 1 cup milk 
• ½ cup broth, chicken or vegetable 
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce 
• dash (or 2 or 10) of Tabasco or your favorite hot sauce 
• salt and pepper, to taste 
• 10 oz green beans, in 1-inch pieces, fresh or frozen, cooked to crisp tender 
• 10 oz green tomatoes, in thick “matchsticks”; if hard, cooked until tender 
• ½ cup cheddar or cojack cheese, shredded 
• ¼ c. walnut pieces 

Directions 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 1 ½ quart baking dish. 
2. In a large skillet over low heat, melt the butter. Add and blend flour, stirring until flour has lost its raw flavor, 3 to 5 minutes. Slowly stir in milk and broth. Add soy sauce, hot sauce, salt, and pepper. Simmer and stir the sauce with a wire whisk until it has thickened and is smooth and hot. 
3. Remove sauce from heat. Stir in beans, tomatoes, and cheese. 
4. Spoon bean mixture into greased baking dish. Bake, uncovered for 45 minutes. 
5. Meanwhile, spread the walnuts on a small baking sheet. Toast in oven for 7 to 10 minutes, or until lightly brown, crackling softly, and aromatic. Sprinkle the hot walnuts on the casserole immediately before serving, or during the last 5 minutes of baking.