Creamy Green Bean Casserole
The comforting side dish for every Thanksgiving feast.
Green Bean Casserole is a classic comfort food for any holiday feast and more! This Creamy Green Bean Casserole recipe puts a cheeky spin on a classic dish. By incorporating soy sauce, red onion, chestnut mushrooms, and nutritional yeast, we’ve created a flavorful and hearty side dish that’s perfect for any occasion. Oh, and with a little attention to your base ingredients, it’s gluten-free AND vegan, a perfect base to enjoy as it is or build-up from with extra delicious ingredients to make it suitable to your own taste. 😋
I’m not going to lie. I’ve never used green beans in a casserole dish before stumbling upon versions of this recipe while researching Thanksgiving dishes. As one of my favourite foods – if you hadn’t noticed from this website’s name 😁 – I always had them roasted, pan-fried and mostly steamed or boiled with a light seasoning of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, salt and pepper. Delicious! But I may have now a new favourite way of having green beans because this Creamy Green Bean Casserole will up your Thanksgiving game!
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A Timeless Thanksgiving Favorite
So Green Bean Casserole is a beloved Thanksgiving side dish, often associated with comfort food and nostalgic family gatherings. But did you know this iconic dish has a surprisingly humble origin?
In 1955, Dorcas Reilly, a home economist at Campbell’s Soup Company, created this now-famous recipe. The dish was a simple combination of green beans, cream of mushroom soup – their soup -, and fried onions, and it really resonated with home cooks across the country (US). It was meant to be an everyday side dish and it took only a couple of years to become an official Thanksgiving recipe. Its ease of preparation and comforting flavour profile were a no-brainer, this was crowned a Thanksgiving favourite. While the classic recipe often includes cream of mushroom soup and fried onions, this version offers a healthier and hearty twist. No onion or canned soup to make it a bit lighter on your gut!
Source: campbellsoupcompany.com
Why Green Beans?
Not only Green beans are delectable with an addicting texture but they are also a versatile, nutrient-rich vegetable that can be enjoyed in a variety of dishes. They are a good source of fibre, vitamins, and minerals, making them a healthy addition to any meal. Green Beans are an excellent source of vitamin K, which plays a crucial role in blood clotting and bone health. And we know, fibres are the queens of aiding digestion and help regulate blood sugar levels! When combined with other nutritious ingredients like mushrooms and vegetables, green bean casserole becomes a wholesome, healthy and satisfying side dish.
Perfect Pairings for the Creamy Green Bean Casserole
This Creamy Green Bean Casserole pairs perfectly with a variety of Thanksgiving dishes. It’s a classic companion to roasted turkey, but it also complements other main courses like ham or roast beef. A nicely cooked Seitan is also a great plant-based option! Serve it alongside mashed potatoes, stuffing, and cranberry sauce for a complete Thanksgiving feast.
If you like to enjoy this side dish all year round, try it with Roasted vegetables, tofu scramble, or lentil soup. I had a little left last week and added the Creamy Green Bean Casserole to some Rigatoni pasta and it was a chef’s kiss. 😙
Cheeky Ingredients Swaps
- Meat: I hear from my US friends that this Casserole goes really well with Bacon or Italian Pancetta! Sizzle for a couple of minutes on each side and add to the dish as it is or in place of the mushrooms.
- Green Beans: If you want your green beans – or any green vegetables like broccoli and kale – to keep their colour and crispiness while boiling, add a teaspoon of baking soda or bicarbonate soda. It won’t change the taste but it’ll keep your veggies fresh and crunchy.
- More creamy!: Add a teaspoon of cornstarch or potato starch to the Casserole cream for a thicker mouthful 😋
- Cheeky Green Bean stock: Use our own vegetable stock for an even more customizable recipe!
- Cheese: If you’re adding cheese to this dish, Cheddar works great but for an Italian twist, use Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano! If you’re going for a vegan cheese, I recommend trying making your own at home!
Let’s Get Cooking!
Creamy Green Bean Casserole
Equipment
- 1 Oven
- 1 Medium pot
- 1 Silicon or wooden spoon
- 1 Oven proof dish
- 1 Wok or medium pot
Ingredients
- 400/2 gr/cups Green beans Fresh or frozen
- ½ Medium red onion
- 200/1 gr/cups Chestnut mushrooms about 7/8 mushrooms
- 200/1 ml/cups Vegetable broth
- 150/⅔ ml/cups Vegetable cooking cream
- 4 tbsp Soy sauce gluten-free soy sauce if you want this dish to be gluten-free.
- 3 tbsp Nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp Cheddar Cheese optional – if vegan try plant-based cheese!
- 2 tbsp Bread crumbs optional – opt for gluten-free crumbs for a gluten-free dish.
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 180℃ or 375℉ on a fan setting.Wash and clean your green beans. Add to a pot with water, bring to a boil and cook for about 5-6 minutes or until tender-crisp. Drain and set aside.
- Dice the onion and sauteé with oil for a couple of minutes. Slice the mushrooms – I leave fairly big slices as I like the texture but you can dice them if you want. Cook until reduced in size and soft.
- To the mushrooms add soy sauce, broth, cream, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper to taste. Combine for 5 minutes until the mixture thickens to create a creamy paste.
- Transfer the green beans to an oven-proof dish, cover with the mushroom sauce and – if you want – top with cheese and bread crumbs.
- Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the surface of the casserole starts browning and bubbling. Once it's cooked, leave to cook for 5 minutes. Your Creamy Green Bean Casserole is ready 🙂Consume immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Cheeky Tips
See more of our Thanksgiving recipes!
Pair this Green Bean Casserole with our Buckwheat Bread.
Get cosy with this comfy Roasted Pumpkin Soup!
