Green Bean Casserole without Soup

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Green bean casserole without canned soup. This delicious Thanksgiving side dish is made from scratch and uses fresh green beans and mushrooms.

Have you ever made green bean casserole without soup? A traditional green bean casserole for Thanksgiving is not exactly healthy. It contains canned condensed cream of mushroom soup and fried onions. But not this recipe! No canned mushroom soup and no fried onions.

And if you like green beans, try Romanian Green Beans with Garlic or French-Style Green Beans; they would both make fantastic side dishes for your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.

Why do I love this recipe?

• Healthy: No canned products full of additives and weird stuff. No fried onions, yet it tastes fantastic.
• Made from scratch, still, it won’t take much longer to make as opposed to the classic version.
• Quick: It uses a quick version of a white sauce, there is no need to make a roux, yet the casserole is creamy and comforting. Cooking mushrooms only takes a few minutes.
• Delicious: Green beans smothered in a luscious sauce made with fresh mushrooms and onions and topped with crispy Panko breadcrumbs and Parmesan.

Recipe ingredients

Green beans: Fresh green beans are always the best choice; they are crispier, have a more pronounced taste, and are not soggy. Frozen can be used instead.

Mushrooms: Fresh mushrooms, no canned soup, and no canned or frozen mushrooms. You can use either white button or cremini mushrooms.

Breadcrumbs: I always use Panko breadcrumbs to make this green bean casserole. Panko are Japanese breadcrumbs; they are larger and much crispier than regular breadcrumbs. They will replace the fried onions in this dish, saving you lots of calories.

Parmesan: Preferably freshly grated cheese from a wedge. Mix half of it with the white sauce and the rest with the breadcrumbs. To make a vegetarian green bean casserole, replace Parmesan with vegetarian hard cheese. You can replace Parmesan with Cheddar or Swiss cheese; use the kind of cheese you like best.

White sauce: for the white sauce, you will need milk and flour.

Optional: Soy sauce is unusual for a traditional American recipe, but it works, enhancing the dish’s flavor. Fresh herbs like chives or parsley to sprinkle on top at the end.

How to make it?

Cook vegetables:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
• Prepare beans: In the meantime, trim and cut the green beans. Add salt to the water and then the beans. Blanch for 3-4 minutes until they lose their raw edge but are still firm. Drain and place them immediately in a bowl with ice water (1).
• Chop: Wipe the mushrooms clean with kitchen paper and halve them. If larger, quarter them. Chop the onions.
• Cook: Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan, add onion and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until they turn golden and all the released juices evaporate about 8-10 minutes. Adjust the taste with salt and pepper (2).

White sauce:

• Mix: Pour the milk into a saucepan and add the flour gradually while whisking all the time.
• Cook while whisking continuously until the sauce thickens; it will happen fast.
• Season with salt, pepper, and soy sauce if used. Add a splash of extra milk if the sauce seems too thick.
• Stir in 3 tablespoons grated cheese (3).

Casserole:

• Add vegetables to the sauce (or pour the sauce over the veggies) and mix well. Adjust the taste (4).
• Lightly oil a suitable casserole dish and pour in the mixture.
• Top with Panko and cheese mix.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the Panko is golden, about 35-40 minutes.

Expert tips

1. Placing the blanched beans into a bowl of ice water ensures that they remain crisp and of a beautiful, intense green color.
2. Don’t wash the mushrooms; they will soak up the water and become soggy. Instead, clean them thoroughly with kitchen paper to remove all traces of dirt.
3. Don’t be tempted to use canned green beans; the recipe will not be the same. Canned beans are soft and mushy, and that’s not what you want in this dish.

Recipe FAQ

More side dish ideas?

Green Bean Casserole without Soup

Green bean casserole without canned soup and fried onions. This delicious Thanksgiving side dish is made from scratch, it's healthier and uses fresh green beans and mushrooms.

5 from 3 votes

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Course: Side Dishes

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 181kcal

Author: Adina

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Ingredients 

USEU

• ▢ 2 lbs green beans Notes 1, 2
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 9 oz small mushrooms Note 3
• ▢ 1 small onion
• ▢ 1 cup milk
• ▢ 2 tablespoons flour
• ▢ 1-2 teaspoons soy sauce optional and to taste
• ▢ 5 tablespoons Parmesan freshly grated, divided, Note 4
• ▢ 5 tablespoons Panko breadcrumbs
• ▢ fine sea salt
• ▢ ground black pepper

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius/ 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cook vegetables:

• Blanch beans: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. In the meantime, trim and cut the green beans into 2,5 cm/1-inch pieces. Add salt to the water and then the beans. Blanch for 3-4 minutes until they lose their raw edge but are still firm. Drain and place them immediately in a bowl with ice water (Note 2).
• Prepare vegetables: Wipe the mushrooms clean with kitchen paper (Note 5) and halve them. If larger, quarter them. Chop the onions.
• Cook: Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan, add onion and cook for about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until they turn golden, and all the released juices evaporate about 8-10 minutes. Set aside. Adjust the taste with salt and pepper.

White sauce:

• Mix: Pour the milk into a saucepan and add the flour gradually while whisking all the time.
• Cook while whisking continuously until the sauce thickens; it will happen fast. Season with salt, pepper, and soy sauce if used. Stir in 3 tablespoons of grated cheese. Add a splash of extra milk if the sauce seems too thick.

Casserole:

• Mix: Add vegetables to the sauce (or pour the sauce over the veggies) and mix well. Adjust the taste with salt and pepper. Lightly oil a suitable casserole dish and pour in the mixture.
• Top: Combine Panko and remaining grated cheese in a small bowl. Top the casserole with this mixture.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the Panko is golden, about 35-40 minutes.

Notes

1. Fresh green beans are the best choice. Frozen are fine as well. Don't use canned green beans.
2. Placing the blanched beans into a bowl of ice water ensures that they remain crisp and of a beautiful, intense green color.
3. White button or cremini mushrooms.
4. For a vegetarian dish, replace Parmesan with vegetarian hard cheese. You can use Cheddar or Swiss cheese instead.
5. Don't wash the mushrooms; they will soak up the water and become soggy. Instead, clean them thoroughly with kitchen paper to remove all traces of dirt.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/6 of the casserole | Calories: 181kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 312mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 11g

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