How to make a kid-friendly Green Beans and Potato Casserole

This kid-friendly Green Beans and Potato Casserole is a great idea for a Thanksgiving family dinner or for any Holiday table. Creamy, tasty and loaded with veggies!

The kids really enjoyed it. I loved the fresh herbs touch, I could taste them in every bite.

PROCEDURE

Fill two pots with water and bring the water to boil. Add 1 Tbsp of sea salt in each one. Wash the potatoes and chop the green beans in 1 inch small pieces.Add the potatoes in one pot and the green beans in the other one. Boil up until tender. I divided the vegetables in two pots as they have a different cooking time. The potatoes should be cooked in 20 minutes pending their size. To check if they are done, you should be able to easily insert a fork in the middle. The green beans should be tender in 10/12 minutes. Drain the vegetables and let them cool down 5 minutes.

Peel the potatoes and mash them in a bowl with a potato ricer. Add the eggs, grated parmesan cheese, grated mozzarella, fresh herbs, olive oil and sea salt. Mix everything to create a smooth cream. Add the green beans and mix.

Coat a baking dish with olive oil and breadcrumbs at the bottom. Transfer the green beans and potato mix and level the surface. Sprinkle on top some breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese. Drizzle with olive oil and bake in preheated oven to 400F for 30 minutes. You can add an extra 5 minutes in broil/grill mode to get that lovely golden crust (it’s the parmesan melted!!).

Let it cool down and enjoy!

WHAT KIND OF VEGETABLES TO USE?

If you see the video I used Chinese long beans, my favorites. They are in season now, they have a sweeter taste than the regular green beans, a compact and creamy pulp, no seeds, and they are way easier to prepare as you just rinse them under water and chop them all together. At the market I find three different colors of long beans: pale green, deep green and purple. I like both the pale green and purple.

That being said, if you can’t find long beans, you can easily use regular green beans. They are all in season and amazing!

For the potatoes I used yellow ones, creamy but not mealy. Russet potatoes are also a good alternative.

WHY NOT ADDING SOME LEFTOVER HAM?

As we are approaching Thanksgiving, you might find yourself with ham leftovers very soon 🙂

A good way to use the leftover ham is to ground it with few pulses in the food processor and add it to the mix all together with the green beans. It will give a kick of flavor to the recipe, adding also the protein nutritional value.

CAN I SERVE THIS RECIPE TO MY BABY?

Yes, this is a baby friendly recipe too. Only one change: chop the green beans even more once boiled to avoid any chocking hazard.

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