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overhead view of golden green bean casserole made without soup.
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5 from 3 votes

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.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time1 hour 10 minutes
Course: Side Dishes
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6
Calories: 181kcal
Author: Adina

Ingredients

  • 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