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This Healthy Green Bean Casserole Recipe is a great side dish you will crave. It has a wonderful crunch from the toasted panko and is bursting with creamy flavors.
Why Make This Healthy Green Bean Casserole
This healthy green bean casserole is pretty easy to whip up, you can easily make it dairy free/gluten free if needed. You can add chicken to the mix to make it a meal or keep it as a side dish (hello Thanksgiving!) I have never been a big fan or traditional green bean casserole, canned cream of mushroom soup isn’t really on the top of my list of ingredients so this casserole has NO canned cream of mushroom soup. Instead, there is a homemade mushroom sauce giving this casserole a creamy deeply savory flavor.
You can also prep this casserole the night before baking if needed, this will help cut down on time if you are baking it for Thanksgiving. Or if you are planning to bring it to a gathering. Enjoy!
Ingredients Needed
Green Beans. Fresh or frozen will work great.
Red Onion.
Panko. Plain or italian seasoned.
Flour. All purpose flour.
Mushrooms. Baby bella mushrooms
Garlic.
Butter. Olive oil will also work.
Seasoning. Salt, pepper, oregano.
Parmesan.
Chicken Broth. Low sodium.
Milk. You can use any milk of choice, unsweetened almond milk will also work.
Fresh Thyme.
Jalapeño. Totally optional for some spice to the casserole.
Steps To Make This Recipe
Step One. Preheat the oven to 375º. Grab a large pot and fill halfway with water, bring to a boil. Meanwhile, trim and cut green beans in half if they are fresh. If frozen just set aside. Add the green beans to the boiling water and cook for 2-3 minutes, depending on how crunchy you like your green beans. (Keep in mind that the beans will cook more in the oven, so be sure to overcook). Use a strainer to drain the beans and run cold water over them to prevent overcooking.
Step Two. Melt 1/2 tablespoon butter (or olive oil) in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the thinly sliced onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is partially cooked but still holds its shape, don’t overcook the onion.
Step Three. Transfer the onion to a bowl. Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter to the sauté pan, along with the panko, and stir to combine. Brown the panko for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the panko is lightly golden, be careful to not allow it to burn. Remove from heat, and transfer the panko to the bowl with the onions, mix well and add in the Parmesan, oregano, salt and pepper.
Step Four. Wipe the sauté pan out with a paper towel. Melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and soft, you can add a tbsp of chicken broth to help steam them if needed. Add the garlic and sauté for 1-2 more minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the mushrooms and sauté for 1 more minute. Add in the chicken broth and stir until the flour is dissolved completely. Add the milk and cheese and stir to combine well. Let the mushroom mixture simmer for about 2-5 minutes until it’s thickened. Add in the fresh thyme over the top.
Step Five. Add the blanched green beans to the mushroom cream sauce. Mix well and be sure the beans are evenly covered. Grab a 9×13 or similar sized baking dish. Pour the green bean mushroom mixture into the baking dish. Be sure they are laying flat and even. Next, add the onion, panko mixture over the green beans and lightly pat the mixture down. Pop into the oven for about 25 minutes. Keep an eye on it to ensure it doesn’t burn. If using jalapeños, slice and top the casserole with them (trust me its a great addition if you like heat). Serve warm and enjoy!
Tips & FAQ’s
Yes! You can use unsweetened almond milk and vegan parmesan if you’d prefer.
Yes, you can add ground turkey to this casserole and have a delicious protein packed meal! A must try. You can also top this with bacon.
This will last in the fridge for us to 5 days, you can also freeze this side dish for up to 3 months (great way to prep for thanksgiving).
- Make this ahead of time if needed. You can layer everything into the baking dish and bake it the day of when you are ready for it.
- To make this gluten free, use gluten free flour.
Other Recipes To Try
If you loved this recipe let me know! Also, follow me on Instagram & Pinterest for even more fun recipes to make you feel good from the inside out. Thanks for being here.
Healthy Green Bean Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lbs green beans, *see notes
- 1 red onion, sliced
- 2½ -3 tbsp butter, *see notes
- ⅔ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1½ cup parmesan cheese, grated, *separated
- 16 oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic
- ⅓ cup chicken broth , *low sodium
- 1 cup milk, *see notes
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme
- 3 tbsp all purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375º. Grab a large pot and fill halfway with water, bring to a boil. Meanwhile, trim and cut green beans in half if they are fresh. If frozen just set aside. Add the green beans to the boiling water and cook for 2-3 minutes, depending on how crunchy you like your green beans. (Keep in mind that the beans will cook more in the oven, so be sure to overcook). Use a strainer to drain the beans and run cold water over them to prevent overcooking.
- Melt 1/2 tablespoon butter (or olive oil) in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the thinly sliced onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is partially cooked but still holds its shape, don't overcook the onion.
- Transfer the onion to a bowl. Add another 1/2 tablespoon butter to the sauté pan, along with the panko, and stir to combine. Brown the panko for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the panko is lightly golden, be careful to not allow it to burn. Remove from heat, and transfer the panko to the bowl with the onions, mix well and add in 1 cup Parmesan (1/2 cup will go in the mushroom sauce below) , oregano, salt and pepper.
- Wipe the sauté pan out with a paper towel. Melt another 1/2 tbsp butter over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and soft, you can add a tbsp of chicken broth to help steam them if needed. Add the garlic and sauté for 1-2 more minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the mushrooms and sauté for 1 more minute. Add in the chicken broth and stir until the flour is dissolved completely. Add the milk and and 1/2 cup of parmesan, stir to combine well. Let the mushroom mixture simmer for about 2-5 minutes until it's thickened. Add in the fresh thyme over the top.
- Add the blanched green beans to the mushroom cream sauce. Mix well and be sure the beans are evenly covered. Grab a 9×13 or similar sized baking dish. Pour the green bean mushroom mixture into the baking dish. Be sure they are laying flat and even. Next, add the onion, panko mixture over the green beans and lightly pat the mixture down. Pop into the oven for about 25 minutes. Keep an eye on it to ensure it doesn't burn. If using jalapeños, slice and top the casserole with them (trust me its a great addition if you like heat). Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I was just making this as a practice run for Thanksgiving. I was just looking for some clarification for the next time….. in the recipe it says on step 4 to melt the buttter… does that mean the 2 tbsp? Also, Step 4 says to add the cheese? I already did that in step 3 when it says “ mix well and add in the Parmesan, oregano, salt and pepper. ” What cheese is step 4 referring to?
Thank you!
Oh dear, I’m just seeing the “*separated” part! Well, I guess it’s good this was a practice run! Ha.
Hi Liz! I went ahead and rewrote the instructions to make it a bit more clear for you and others, as I am sure others will have the same question. You will use about 2 1/2 – 3 tbsp of butter or oil to saute everything in different steps. With the parmesan, I like to add 1 cup to the panko and then 1/2 cup to the mushroom cream sauce, however it should turn out wonderful even if you added all the cheese to the panko topping. Please let me know how it turns out and let me know if you have more questions at all 🙂 . Very proud of you for trying a practice run!