This cozy green bean casserole deserves a permanent spot for a weeknight meal. Perfect for those days when you need something comforting, but healthy and satisfying. This recipe can easily be modified to your preferences, made from scratch for a comforting, flavorful dish.

This recipe starts with green beans. Green beans are a versatile, nutritious food that make up 90% water, making them good for smoothies. They’re a good source of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium. They are also good sources of getting vitamin C and K in your diet. Green beans are  good in soups, salads, as an appetizer, or as the main meal. I really like green bean fries. That satisfying seasoned crunch of a green bean fry is addictive, but as far as addictive foods in comparison to cookies or chips, I suppose that’s not so bad. For a healthier version of green bean fries, you can bake them or put them in an air fryer. I think baking them would probably be better, at least to start, since it’s less messy. You don’t want batter in your air fryer.

 Green beans are available fresh seasonally, June -September, but they are also available frozen or canned. I prefer either fresh or frozen. I buy frozen most often, so I can keep them on hand. Even if I buy them fresh, I still freeze them unless I am using them right away. Buying them fresh and then freezing them at home could be more economical depending on where you live.  It’s healthier than canned: there’s no extra sodium, as beans are naturally low in sodium, and I don’t need to worry about BPA in the can lining, botulism, or preservatives.  A healthy food item can become unhealthy just by being in a can.  

Green beans come in a few different styles: French, whole, or cut. I’ve only seen the French style canned, and whole green beans fresh or frozen, and the cut green beans canned or frozen, but they can be cooked in a variety of ways. You can boil them, steam them (steaming preserves nutrients), sauté them in oil, and add some herbs and garlic. If you’re a flavor-combination person, you could use lemon juice and make something like lemon-garlic green beans.

 For this recipe, I will be using whole green beans. Feel free to experiment with frozen cut green beans as well.  In place of the mushroom soup, I am making a chickpea sauce made with non-dairy milk.  Some possible substitutions for the base could be white or pinto beans. I’m nut-free, but for you cashew lovers out there, you could make a creamy cashew-based sauce. You can also swap out the non-dairy milk for chicken broth or water. I will be using oat-milk for this, though you could also use unsweetened coconut milk. 

I am using dry chickpeas for this recipe, so if they’re not already made, you’ll need an Instant Pot and some water.  You can find that recipe here. It’s better than canned, particularly if you want to control the sodium. Once the chickpeas are made and cooled (unless you have a Vitamix), you’ll add the chickpeas, non-dairy milk, and seasonings to a blender and blend until smooth. I use these same ingredients in my Creamy Cauliflower Soup. If you’re using fresh green beans, then go ahead and add them to the pan. Pour over the chickpea sauce. If you’re using frozen green beans, then you’ll want to heat them for 2- 3 minutes until thawed.  While the chickpeas are cooking, you can make the onion crumble for the topping.

You could definitely experiment with the onion topping here. Sauteed caramelized onions, if that’s your thing for extra onionyness, make your own onion rings and top the casserole with onion rings, ooooh that sounds good. That’s a good combination between sauteed onions and onion crumble, or you could do sauteed onions under the onion crumble. If you try any of these substitutions, let me know how it turns out.

Preheat oven to 350*

In a bowl, you’ll add the flour and the rest of the dry ingredients. Add in the coconut cream and cut in with a fork. Next, add in the water and mix until it’s coarse crumbs. Add to a sheet pan lined with parchment and bake until crisp.

Add your green beans to the pan and pour over the chickpea sauce. Next, add the onion crumble.  Place back in the oven and cook for 15 minutes until heated through

Nice additions- Crumbled bacon,  shredded chicken, or turkey. If you’re having this for Thanksgiving, the turkey will already be there, with a side of gluten-free stuffing, making this a complete comfort meal.

Enjoy

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Ingredients 

Yield 2

2 1/2 cups whole green beans
1 cup chickpeas
1/4 of a large onion sliced into strips
1/3 cup water, non dairy milk or chicken broth
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
1/4 tsp paprika
2-3 sliced mushrooms

Crumb topping
1/2 cup gluten free flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp coconut cream
2-3 tsp water 

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

Directions 

In a 6.75 by 7.75 Pyrex Petite Pan, add the green beans. In a blender, add the chickpeas with the non-dairy milk. Add in the nutritional yeast, salt, and paprika. Blend until smooth.

Combine the dry ingredients for the crumb topping. Add in the coconut cream and cut in with a fork. Add 2-3 tsp water and mix until coarse crumbs form.

Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment and bake at 350°F for 10 minutes. Sprinkle the crumb topping over the green beans. Place back in the oven for 15 minutes until heated through.

Enjoy

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