In the original 1955 green bean casserole recipe, home economist Dorcas Reilly called for canned cream of mushroom soup. It is, to be clear, delicious. But almost as easy is a quick homemade sauce zhuzhed up with celery salt and nutmeg, pantry spices that make food taste good. Plus, without the mushrooms, the green beans here can fully shine. This casserole should be spoonable — and who has the extra time on Thanksgiving to hand-trim all those green beans? In November especially, it makes sense to take advantage of frozen cut green beans. In this recipe, half of the beans are simmered in broth to bring out their hyper savory flavors and the rest are baked into the casserole to maintain their color and structure. Don’t hesitate to use the store-bought French-fried onions in a can. They cannot be improved.

Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients:

• 2 cups chicken broth

• 2 pounds frozen cut green beans, thawed

• 1 teaspoon celery salt

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 2 cups heavy cream

• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 1 (6-ounce) can store-bought crispy onions, such as French’s

Directions:

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. To a medium lidded saucepan, add the chicken broth, 1 pound green beans and 1/2 teaspoon celery salt. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil over high. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer, still covered and stirring occasionally, until the beans are very tender, about 20 minutes.

About 10 minutes before the beans are done cooking, melt the butter in a large, oven-safe skillet over medium-high. Add the flour and whisk until smooth and beginning to turn golden, 1 to 2 minutes.

Slowly add the heavy cream to the flour mixture, whisking constantly, followed by 1 cup of the green bean broth. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, whisking occasionally, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the nutmeg and remaining 1/2 teaspoon celery salt, and season assertively with salt and pepper. (The sauce should taste overly seasoned at this stage.)

Drain the green beans and add to the sauce. Add the remaining thawed frozen green beans, season to taste again with salt and pepper, if needed, and stir to combine.

Transfer the creamy beans to a 2-quart casserole dish or keep in the skillet. Top with the crispy onions. Bake until golden brown on top, about 10 minutes. Let sit to cool and set before serving, at least 5 minutes.

Total time: 35 minutes, serves 6-8.