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How to Make Green Bean Casserole

How to Make Green Bean Casserole – Have you ever wondered How to Make Green Bean Casserole into a healthy recipe? Now is the time to ditch Grandma’s Green Bean Casserole recipe made with canned mushroom soup, and move onto bigger and better things!

This Green Bean Casserole is made completely from scratch, all while keeping ingredients and time spent in the kitchen to a minimum. It truly has that homemade, comfort-food flavor, without all the hassle!

how to make green bean casserole

Enjoying Healthy Green Bean Casserole All Year Long

Green bean casserole is traditionally a holiday-based dish. Most people enjoy this casserole on Christmas, Thanksgiving, and maybe Easter, but forget about it for the rest of the year. It doesn’t have to be this way! Don’t limit your green bean casserole to just the holiday seasons. Instead, add it throughout the year! In fact, while green beans are harvested all year long, green beans reach their peak season from early summer through mid-fall.

While we love to integrate seasonal produce into our diets, frozen green beans are still full of nutritional value, and cook very well from frozen. When out of season, we love grabbing a big bag Costco, and keeping them in our freezer for use in various dishes and casseroles.

how to make green bean casserole

Is Organic Necessary?

With green beans in particular, we highly recommend choosing organic. That’s because along with strawberries and peppers, green beans are one of the most heavily sprayed crops in conventional agriculture. It may be hard to stomach, but understanding exactly what is on your conventional green beans is incredibly important.

Worried about insects on organic produce? Organic growers have a variety of “clean” methods for keeping insect pests under control, and it really does make a difference in health and taste to go the extra organic mile when buying green beans.

Swap to organic green beans instead, and you’ll not only reap health benefits, but you’ll notice a ginormous increase in flavor! Trust us, it’s worth it.

How to Make Green Bean Casserole

As for green bean casserole, I realize there are two types of people; those who love green bean casserole, and those who don’t. Whether or not you love green bean casserole could be based upon your personal palate and liking towards green beans, or it could simply be based off of the recipes you’ve tried!

Even before clean eating, I was never a particularly big fan of mushroom soup on top of green beans. If you didn’t know, this method grew in popularity in the 50’s due to Campbell’s soup. However, I have always loved a good homemade green bean casserole.

One of the reasons people love the “cream of mushroom soup” method is because of the creaminess it adds. Thankfully, you absolutely do not need cream of mushrooms soup, or even dairy at all to achieve this same result!

We gave up dairy years ago to reduce our inflammation, and optimize our health. By now, we are basically professionals in delicious dairy-free alternatives! By opting for cashew cream, alongside fresh mushrooms, this recipe emulates the same texture and flavor, without all of the preservatives, sodium, and unhealthy ingredients. It really is as simple as that!

how to make green bean casserole

Tips for How to Make Green Bean Casserole Amazing

Follow the basic recipe for this casserole, and you’re going to have a deliciously tasty outcome. Follow some our tips for optimizing flavor, and making the BEST Green Bean Casserole, and your mind will be blown.

Here are our top tips for How to Make Green Bean Casserole Amazing…

Use Whole Green Beans

Whether frozen or fresh, something about whole green beans (AKA string or snap beans instead of thin ones like Hericot Verts) just adds a totally different flavor! After switching to whole green beans, I’ve never been able to go back!

Presoak Your Cashews

Presoaking your cashews is not a requirement to make yummy cashew cream. However, presoaking them for around 4 hours before using them will make for an even creamier, and smoother cashew cream. We promise, it’s worth it!

Sneak In a Superfood

The pumpkin seeds I use for the crumbly topping add just as much in nutrition as they do in taste.

Pumpkin seeds have lots of fiber, protein, omega fats and magnesium. They are also rich in the amino acid tryptophan—richer in fact than turkey (by the way, tryptophan increases the brain’s levels of mood-improving serotonin.)

When processed in a food processor and mixed with gluten free panko crumbs, the subtly sweet flavor and chewy texture of pumpkin seeds makes them perfect for a crumbly casserole topping. In fact, the crumbly topping is my favorite part of the whole dish. I promise you won’t miss the greasy French fried onions one bit.

If you don’t want to buy a pre-made version, you can make the crumbly topping by putting gluten free bread in a blender, and then toasting the crumbs at 400 for about 10 minutes.

As a side note, you might want to double the recipe for the crumbly topping and use it for baked fish, as a topping for salads or even on top of tomato soup.

Don’t Spend Too Much Time Cutting the Mushrooms

If they come pre-chopped…great! However, if not, be sure to resist the urge to chop the mushrooms into military uniformity—breaking them up by hand keeps them from assuming that canned texture, and makes them look truly homemade. A simple trick that leaves a big impression on your guests!

Use Clean Cookware

One part of a delicious, clean recipe that is often overused is using clean cookware! After all, the materials used in our cookware is often being transferred to our food, so it’s important you choose toxin-free! We absolutely love Xtrema’s 100% ceramic cookware, and especially love using their baking pan for casseroles, and recipes like this one!

– CLEAN COOKWARE –

100% Ceramic Baking Pan

Xtrema’s 100% ceramic baking pan is made from non-toxic ceramic and so versatile! Perfect for brownies, casseroles, cakes, and more.

how to make green bean casserole

More Recipes with Green Beans

If you love green beans as much as we do, you’re definitely going to want to try some of our favorite green bean recipes!

Bacon Wrapped Green Beans: If you’re looking for a delicious way to pack in more veggies at mealtime, look no further than these Bacon Wrapped Green Beans!

Garlicky Green Beans Recipe: Garlicky Green Beans Recipe is a quick side to pair with any main entree. String beans loaded with fresh garlic, coconut aminos and sea salt.

Recipe for Green Bean Casserole: This Recipe for Green Bean Salad is loaded with green beans, green apples, and fennel, and then topped with a citrusy vinaigrette.

how to make green bean casserole

Ready to learn how to make green bean casserole from home? Let’s get into all of the details!

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How to Make Green Bean Casserole

Ever wondered How to Make Green Bean Casserole healthy? Now is the time to ditch your mushroom soup, and move on to better things!

how to make green bean casserole
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  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 6 1x

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds organic green beans
  • 7 ounces shiitake and oyster mushroom mix, cut into bite sized pieces
  • 5 ounces baby portabella mushrooms, brushed clean and stems discarded
  • 1/3 cup cashews plus 3/4 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons 1-for-1 gluten free flour 
  • 1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds – plus more for garnish
  • 1/4 cup of gluten free panko crumbs OR gluten free bread crumbs 
  • 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil – divided
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • White pepper, to taste
  • Unrefined sea salt – for boiling water, plus more for seasoning

Instructions

  1. Place the cashews and water in a mini food processor and process until smooth and creamy. Set cashew cream aside.
  2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly oil a 9 x 13-inch glass baking dish. Set aside.
  3. Prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl with cold ice water and ice. Set aside.
  4. Fill a large pot with water and add 1 tablespoon of salt; bring water to a boil. Add green beans to boiling water and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, or until fork-tender.
  5. Drain the beans in a colander and immediately plunge them into an ice bath.
  6. Drain the beans again in a colander. Dry the beans with a kitchen towel or paper towels (don’t skip this part!). Set aside.
  7. Break the mushroom tops into pieces using your hands.
  8. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon oil; add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
  9. Add the mushrooms and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and white pepper to taste. Remove skillet from heat.
  10. Add the cooked green beans into the skillet with the mushrooms and gently toss.
  11. Transfer the green bean-mushroom mixture to the prepared baking dish. Season green beans with salt to taste.
  12. To the same skillet used to cook the mushrooms, add 1 tablespoon oil and 2 tablespoons flour; heat over low heat and whisk constantly for 1 minute.
  13. Add the cashew cream very, very slowly and continue whisking until all of the cream is used and the mixture is creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes.
  14. Season with salt and white pepper to taste. Add this roux to the green bean-mushroom mixture and gently toss to coat.
  15. Add the pumpkin seeds, bread crumbs, and remaining 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil to a food processor; process by pulsing about 10 quick times. Season with salt and pulse again.
  16. Top green bean-mushroom mixture with the pulsed pumpkin seed mixture. Bake, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
  17. Garnish with whole pumpkin seeds before serving.

Last Step! If you loved our recipe, leave us a review below. This helps future recipe makers and ensures continued high-quality recipes for years to come!

Notes

Using fresh green beans? You can test the freshness of a green bean simply by bending it; if it is dull in color, rubbery and limp then you know it is past its prime. You want a lively bright green bean that bends a bit and then snaps right in half, that’s how you know it is fresh.

© 2024 clean cuisine Recipe by:

Check out more clean Thanksgiving side dish recipes HERE.

Madison Suttles

Madison is passionate about health, fitness, and Jesus. She has lived with autoimmune symptoms nearly her entire life, but was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease in 2016. She shares her experience with Crohn's and living on a modified Specific Carbohydrate Diet as a resource to others on their health journeys.

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Stephanie

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Making this year!

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Ooh wonderful. Let us know how you like it!!

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