Mmmm another Turkey Day dish! If you follow me on Instagram, you may already know that I ate this for breakfast today. I obviously had to taste test before posting, and it was the best breakfast everrr. It was extra good since this was my second attempt at making this casserole and I was really nervous it wouldn’t turn out and my hour of work and very messy kitchen would be for nothing. But, it’s so flavorful, free of scary ingredients and vegan if you leave out that bacon you see on top.
My first attempt making a cleaner green bean casserole was all bad. It smelled amazing while it was baking, but as soon as I tasted it I noticed there was no creaminess, basically no flavor, and just not good. So, back to the drawing board I went. Cashew cream turned out to be the best addition I could have made and it created a consistency almost identical to Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup that is traditionally used in this dish. The homemade crispy onions (pictured below before being pan-fried) are also pretty delicious, easy to make and a lot less scary than the canned version I grew up eating. Sorry mom!
You and your family will love this cleaned up green bean casserole. It may lack unpronounceable ingredients, but doesn’t lack flavor, and I promise you won’t miss the traditional, cream of something, version.
- 20 oz organic frozen green beans - roughly chopped into 1 inch pieces
- 3 strips bacon
- For the Crispy Onions
- 1 onion - sliced thin
- 1 egg
- 3 tbsp milk of choice - I used unsweetened coconut
- 3 tbsp coconut flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- For the "Cream of mushroom soup"
- 3/4 c raw cashews soaked in 1/2 c veggie broth
- 4 c mushrooms - chopped
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 2 gralic cloves - minced
- 2 tsp coconut flour
- 1/4 c veggie broth
- Preheat your oven to 350 F.
- In a glass jar or bowl, soak the cashews in the veggie broth
- Steam your green beans (either in the microwave or on the stove in your steamer basket) then remove, and set aside
- While the green beans steam, preheat a large skilet over medium heat and cook your bacon until crisp
- While the bacon cooks, prepare your onions
- Place the thinly sliced onions into a medium bowl and separate so they are individual onion slices
- Add the milk and egg and stir to coat the onions
- Add the coconut flour and salt and stir to coat
- Remove the bacon from the pan, chop and set aside
- Add the onions to the bacon grease and allow to cook for about 3-4 minutes on each side, until golden brown, then remove from the pan and set aside
- Add the butter to the same skillet and allow to melt
- Add the chopped mushrooms, salt, pepper and garlic and let the mushrooms cook for about 3-5 minutes
- While the mushrooms cook, make your cashew cream
- In a blender or food processor, blend the cashews and veggie broth into a creamy sauce
- Add the sauce, 1/4 c veggie broth and 1 cup of the crispy onions to the mushroom mixture and stir to combine
- On a cutting board, chop the steamed green beans (if whole green beans) into smaller, 1 inch pieces and place into a 9x11 casserole dish
- Pour the mushroom mixture on top of the green beans and stir to combine
- Add the remaining crispy onions and chopped bacon on top
- Bake for 25 minutes
- To make this vegan - omit the bacon crumble on top
You read my mind, Katie! I was just on the hunt for an easy, whole food green bean casserole recipe. This looks great!
I saw you posted about it on NTI, glad it was on my list:) This recipe is SO worth the homemade effort!
Can’t wait to try this! Would almond flour be ok instead of coconut?
Hi Jeanne! I haven’t tried almond flour, but I am assuming it would work just fine. Coconut flour is very absorbent, so you may need to use a bit more almond flour in order to soak up the egg and milk mixture. Let me know how it goes!
Will do- thanks! Also, do you think this is something that could be made ahead and then popped into the oven for the 25 minute bake time before T-day dinner? Not sure if the ingredients would hold up? the fried onions could be kept seperate to stay crisp….what do you think?
I think it would definitely work! Just keep the topping separate