Thanksgiving is just a hot second around the corner. Aside from all the turkey and pies are my true favorite of the holiday: ALL the sides. While I am always up for some mashed potatoes (both regular and sweet) I think that Thanksgiving comes together with all the other fun side dishes. And this is one of them. Typically green bean casserole consists of canned mushy beans, a can of cream of mushroom soup (talk about sodium and fat!) and topped with those fried crispy onions. This version, however, is made with fresh green beans, bella mushrooms, a combo of almond milk and broth and topped with some homemade crispy 'fried' onions, which trust me, take the 10 minutes to make them. Gluten free and dairy free, you won't feel guilty about having a huge pile of this on your thanksgiving platter.
Start by pre-heating your oven to 375 degrees. And in another note - if you've made the crispy fried onions I shared, keep your leftover milk and breadcrumbs, this is a perfect place to use them. Start first by chopping 1 to 2 cups of bella mushrooms. The more the merrier in my book. Then cut green beans in half, about 3 cups of them. In a large saute pan over medium heat, bring a little olive oil to temperature. Then add in mushrooms, garlic and dried minced onion. I prefer to use dried minced onion because Frank doesn't love large chunks of it, so this is the best way to get that flavor without too big of bites of onion. Saute for a few minutes until the mushrooms begin to cook down. Then add in your green beans and cover and lower temperature slowly. This helps them steam a little. After about 3 minutes, remove cover and add in remaining seasonings, milk and broth. You could also sub out half a cup of broth with a dry white wine (talk about YUM). Allow this to simmer for a few minutes as well. Lastly, add in 3 tablespoons of breadcrumbs (or 1-2 of flour) This will not only help to thicken, but the breadcrumbs will crisp up in the oven. When the sauce is a thickness that you like, pour into a glass pan and bake for about 30 minutes. Lastly, add those 'fried' crispy onions on top before you serve. This absolutely could me made a day or two ahead of time and just brought to temperature when you're ready. I have a strong feeling you're going to like this one so much, you won't just limit it to the holidays.
Green Bean Casserole (GF/DF)
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
1-2 cups chopped bella mushrooms
3 cups of fresh green beans
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
1 cup almond milk
1 cup veggie broth (or sub 1/2 cup white wine)
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons breadcrumbs OR 1-2 tablespoons flour
Optional Topping: Crispy "Fried" Onions
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Dice up mushrooms and halve green beans.
Over medium heat in a large saucepan, heat a drizzle of olive oil and add mushrooms, garlic and dried onion. Saute 3-5 minutes.
Lower heat, add in green beans and cover. Steam for 3-4 minutes.
Remove cover and add remaining ingredients. Bring temperature back up to medium and let simmer. Add in breadcrumbs or flour to help thicken. Simmer for 5-7 minutes.
When desired thickness of sauce is reached, pour into a glass pan and put into oven to bake for 30 minutes.
Top with optional crispy fried onions and serve hot.
xx
Rita