Green Bean Casserole – The Healthy Way!
This is a relatively new dish for me: I have never been a fan of green beans, probably because the way we have always eaten this vegetable at home (back in Italy) was in a salad with tomatoes, some garlic cloves (for flavor only), salt, pepper and extra-virgin olive oil. Tasty salad, especially when made using the home-grown veggies but kind of boring in the long run …
Green beans can be used for so many other dishes and it took me to get all the way here to the US to discover a much better and more savory way of cooking this summer veggie: green bean casserole! This is a traditional dish of Thanksgiving and I always wonder why a summer vegetable would become a staple in a winter holiday .. oh well, the casserole itself has nothing summery though ☺
The first time I tasted this dish was in fact for Thanksgiving at some friends house: I didn’t like it that much because – like I suspected (my taste buds never betray me) – the casserole was made entirely out of cans. A dish that to me seemed to be somewhat complicated was actually made very easily, in no time, using canned green beans, canned cream of mushrooms and – here we come – canned crispy onions!!!!! Since when crispy onions come in a can?!???
Canned food is not something that goes along with me: I have been raised eating entirely-made-from-scratch dishes prepared by my grandma and mom so I can tell immediately if something was prepared with ready-made ingredients. The only canned food I agree to use (even though I still recognize it would be better using the whole food) is beans: pinto, black, kidney beans … if I don’t have the time to cook the dry beans I go with the canned version.
Other than these beans, nothing else should ever be used out of a can, if you ask me. I didn’t like that casserole but I tasted the potential in it: it could have been made in a much healthier and tastier way if everything was just made from scratch!
After several years in which I tried to simplify, modify and “healthify” this dish (with great success, but coming up with something that was NOT a traditional green bean casserole), this year I finally came to the conclusion that without crispy onions or cream of mushrooms, you cannot call it “green bean casserole”.
I decided to make a traditional one this year BUT without the unhealthy stuff and I was so proud when I took my glass dish out of the oven and smelled all that goodness!!
I’m going to share this recipe warning everyone of two things:
- The onions are not as crispy as the canned ones but they’re so incredibly tasty that the crispiness becomes totally secondary!
- Be patient. The recipe takes some time but it is all worth it!!
The portions listed below are good for 6 servings: me and Pablo ate it for 3 days in a row, it actually preserves itself pretty well in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Servings |
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- 1.5 lbs fresh green beans trimmed
- 1/2 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion thinly sliced (I used a julienne cutter)
- 1/2 cup almond meal
- 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano the real one!
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 10 medium cremini mushrooms thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tbsp oat flour
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
- 1/3 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Ingredients
For the Green Beans:
For the Crispy Onion Topping:
For the Mushroom Sauce:
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- Prepare the green beans by simply boiling them in a large pot: based on how crunchy or soft you like them, the cooking time will vary. I boiled my beans for about 7 minutes, then drained the water and left them inside the pan, with the lid on, for another 10 minutes. My beans were very crunchy in the end … I personally like them softer but Pablo loved them the way I cooked them. If you want to cook them longer and then transfer them to a bowl filled with ice water, that’s another option, the ice will stop them from cooking more. Once the beans have cooked, set them on a side.
- To make the crispy onion topping, slice the onion very thinly using a sharp knife or Julienne cutter. Cook the onions in a large frying pan with the extra-virgin olive oil for 5~8 minutes or until they are tender and starting to brown. Remove the onions and place them into a medium mixing bowl.
- In the same pan, you used to cook the onions, add the almond meal. Cook, stirring very frequently, for 3-5 minutes, or until the almond meal starts to turn lightly golden. Be careful and stir frequently because it does tend to burn quickly. Remove from heat and transfer the toasted almond meal to the bowl with the onions. Stir in the ¼ cup shredded parmigiano and sea salt, and then toss the mixture until combined. Set aside.
- Last, prepare the cream of mushrooms: In the same pan, cook the minced garlic with olive oil then add the mushrooms and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until they are tender, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle the oat flour over the mushrooms, and stir to combine.
- Slowly add the vegetable broth and the coconut milk, stirring to combine until smooth. Pay attention not to let the flour form clusters. Stir in the remaining 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, sea salt, and pepper and keep stirring until the cheese is melted.
- In a large baking dish, previously greased with some olive or avocado oil, place the green beans and top them with the cream of mushrooms. Toss with a spatula to spread the cream as evenly as possible.
- Top with the crispy onions, then place in the oven, uncovered, and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the top is golden brown.
This casserole is a perfect side dish, not only for Thanksgiving but also for any other meal. I would pair it with a good source of protein like turkey or chicken breast slices or a bean patty.