Admittedly, I’ve never been the person that loved green bean casserole during Thanksgiving. I just didn’t get the obsession. HOWEVER, a bunch of you requested this on Instagram and in our AK Facebook community group, so I knew I had to make it GOOD.
AND OH MY LEONARDO DICAPRIO (or as I like to say OMLD) this homemade green bean casserole was beyond glorious. So creamy, delicious, crunchy, and fresh.
Now that I think about it, I’m really not sure where the original green bean casserole recipe came from. Was it the back of the Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup? Created by a midwestern Grandma with a bunch of random stuff in her cupboard? Beats me, all I know is that it’s a favorite Thanksgiving side dish and that it needed a serious makeover.
My version is a combination of two homemade classics. I was inspired by Alton Brown’s crunchy onion topping and then got my filling inspiration from Bon Appetit’s best ever green bean casserole.
Of course, I lightened it up a little more where I could using less butter and chicken broth instead of heavy cream. After the first bite, I knew that this would forever be a family favorite.
Three things that make this healthy green bean casserole recipe phenomenal:
1.) the homemade creamy garlic parmesan mushroom gravy sauce that the fresh green beans bake in.
2.) the homemade baked crunchy onions on top
3.) the fact that it’s made without cream of mushroom soup. JUST SAYIN.
I hope you get a chance to try this recipe out during your Thanksgiving. It’s absolutely delicious, makes yummy leftovers and SO much better than the green bean casserole we’re all used to.
See how to make the healthy green bean casserole:
More healthy Thanksgiving recipes you might like:
Maple Glazed Carrots with Goat Cheese & Pistachios
15-Minute Homemade Orange Cranberry Sauce
Honey Pumpkin Cornbread Muffins
Garlic Chili-Maple Roasted Butternut Squash & Brussels Sprouts with Pomegranate & Gorgonzola
Winter Butternut Squash Black Lentil Salad
Butternut Squash Quinoa Patties with Cranberry Orange Sauce
Lightened Up Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Oat Streusel
The Best Homemade Healthy Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients
- For the onions:
- 2 medium to large yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour (or whole wheat pastry flour or gluten free oat flour)
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- For the green beans:
- 2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed
- For the mushrooms:
- 2 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 pound (16 ounces) sliced baby bella mushrooms
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- Salt and pepper
- For the sauce:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour (or whole wheat pastry flour or all purpose GF flour)
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth (or vegetarian broth)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
- Freshly ground salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
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Place sliced onions in a large bowl, drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil then add in flour, panko bread crumbs, garlic powder and salt. Use your hands to toss to combine, then place onions onto prepared baking sheet and bake for 15-25 minutes, using a tong to toss the onions every 10 minutes.
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Once done cooking, set onions aside. Reduce the heat in the oven to 350 degrees F.
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While the onions are cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add green beans in two batches, cooking for about 2-3 minutes per batch. I like to remove the green beans from the water with metal tongs and transfer to a large bowl, then repeat with additional green beans. Set aside.
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Next cook your mushrooms: Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and add in 2 tablespoons butter. Once butter melts, add in the mushrooms, fresh thyme and salt and pepper. Cook mushrooms, stirring occasionally until mushrooms are nice and golden brown; about 4-6 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
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In the same skillet you cooked the mushrooms, add in 2 tablespoons of butter and place over medium heat. Once butter melts, whisk in flour and cook for 15-30 seconds until a paste forms, then very slowly add 2 ½ cups of the broth, while you continue to whisk away any lumps. You’ll need to whisk pretty vigorously.
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Once smooth, increase heat, and bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes stirring every so often until sauce thickens up a bit, similar to a gravy. If it gets too thick, add in ½ cup more broth.
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Once thick, turn off the heat and stir in minced garlic and parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
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Spray a 2 quart baking disk or 9x13 inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray, or grease with olive oil or butter. Add in green beans, mushrooms and 1/4 of the crispy onions; gently toss together.
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Pour the sauce all over, then cover with foil and bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove foil, add the remaining crispy onions on top and bake for 5-10 more minutes. Serves 8-10
Recipe Notes
To make gluten free: Use gluten free breadcrumbs and gluten free all purpose flour.
39 comments
OH MY LANTA I have been (im)patiently waiting for this to come out for my Thanksgiving grocery list. It looks so good!
Perfect timing!! Enjoy 🙂
OH MY LANTA I have been (im)patiently waiting for this to come out for my Thanksgiving grocery list. It looks so good!
Perfect timing!! Enjoy 🙂
looks great!!! I am gluten intolerant , can I use corn starch instead of flour?
looks great!!! I am gluten intolerant , can I use corn starch instead of flour?
I would use gluten free bread crumbs + gluten free all purpose flour!
Looks great! Do you think you can make day before? Perhaps do onions day of so they don’t get soggy?
Yes! Make the entire dish besides the onions the day before, then place in fridge. The day of, do onions! 🙂
Looks great! Do you think you can make day before? Perhaps do onions day of so they don’t get soggy?
Yes! Make the entire dish besides the onions the day before, then place in fridge. The day of, do onions! 🙂
Could you include salt content in nutritional information?
I don’t typically calculate sodium because it really varies depending on the brands of the products you use
Could you include salt content in nutritional information?
I don’t typically calculate sodium because it really varies depending on the brands of the products you use
Can you make this the day before?
Can you make this the day before?
Same question!
Yes, absolutely! I would do the onions on the day of though.
can it be made without the parmesan and butter if want a dairy free version?
Yes, feel free to use vegan butter instead of regular butter. Instead of the parmesan, you can just add a little extra salt, pepper and garlic powder to flavor! 🙂
I recommend checking your oven for onion time, as mine were burnt black after only 20 min. I tossed at 10 so at some point between in the 10-20 min mark they burned up. I had also used more olive oil to get the flour and Panko crumbs to actually stick together a bit. Will update after I taste the dish.
I had the same issue; I just removed the onions a bit sooner but some burnt. I also used more olive oil to get the bread crumb mixture to stick.
I recommend checking your oven for onion time, as mine were burnt black after only 20 min. I tossed at 10 so at some point between in the 10-20 min mark they burned up. I had also used more olive oil to get the flour and Panko crumbs to actually stick together a bit. Will update after I taste the dish.
Hi Kim — Sounds like your oven may run hot? Another tip is to make sure you aren’t putting them on the bottom or top racks when baking. I had no issues with the onions burning black, and that seems especially odd for only 20 minutes of baking time. Since onions are ususally juicy, the flour should coat the onions fairly well and upon baking the water in the onions will release, which sticks to the flour more. I hope these tips help in the future!
Thanks. Sounds like my slices were thinner than yours. Yep, middle rack of course. sadly I couldn’t use half the batch but not huge into that part of a casserole anyway.
I had the same issue; I just removed the onions a bit sooner but some burnt. I also used more olive oil to get the bread crumb mixture to stick.