Green Bean Casserole

Green Bean Casserole

by

Green bean casserole has always been a holiday favorite of mine, and I have fond memories of helping make it, as well as usually eating any leftover onion crispies while it baked, and maybe some while we were making it too. The crispy onions are really the star of this dish, and this recipe is no exception! By frying the shallots, we achieve the same flavor profile and texture without all that flour. I prefer to use palm oil, since coconut oil tends to impart a slight coconut flavor, but either will get the job done. The ‘cream of mushroom soup’ can be made a few days ahead and just kept refrigerated until you are ready to assemble and bake the dish. If you don’t like cashews or have a nut allergy, you can replace them with cauliflower. Just cut up and roast one head at 375°F for 15-20 minutes with a drizzle of oil. Once cooked, simply add it to the blender instead of the cashews. Depending on the consistency you may want to use a bit less broth, but if it seems too runny you can always add a cooked and pureed onion to thicken it back up. I know you will enjoy this holiday favorite as much as me and my family! Happy Thanksgiving friends!

Green Bean Casserole 

Serves 8 
Prep: 25 min
Cooking: 45 min
Total:  1 hour 10 min
Beginner

Ingredients:

For the ‘cream of mushroom soup’:

1 cup cashews, unroasted 

2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided 

1 large onion, chopped 

5 cloves of garlic, minced 

1 cup broth, chicken or vegetable 

1 cup almond milk, no thickeners 

1 ½ cups button or bella mushrooms, small dice 

½ cup white wine or more broth

1 oz. lemon juice, about 1 lemon

For the casserole: 

24 oz. green beans 

3 shallots, thinly sliced 

1 cup palm oil or coconut oil, for frying

  Method Of Prep:

  1. Gather and prep ingredients.
  2. Start by making the ‘cream of mushroom soup’. In a medium bowl add cashews.
  3. Pour boiling water over them, enough to cover. Let them soak for 15 minutes.
  4. While soaking, heat a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add in onion and garlic.
  5. Sauté for about 5 minutes or until translucent and cooked through, set aside.
  6. Now that your cashews have soaked, drain the water and discard.
  7. Set up your high-speed blender or food processor, and add in the cashews along with your onion, garlic, broth, and almond milk.
  8. Blend until extremely smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed. Once smooth, set aside.
  9. Bring a large pot with water to a boil, this is for blanching our green beans.
  10. While waiting for the water to boil, get a large bowl filled with ice water, with room to add green beans once cooked.
  11. Now that your water is boiling, add in green beans and cook for 4-5 minutes or until tender then drain and transfer to your ice water to prevent further cooking.
  12. In the same pan, you cooked your onion and garlic in, reheat over medium heat and add in the other tablespoon of oil to cook mushrooms. Don’t worry about washing the pan in between, we want all those good caramelized bits.
  13. Cook mushrooms for 8-10 minutes making sure to brown them.
  14. Now we will deglaze the pan with the wine.
  15. Add in the wine and cook for a minute.
  16. Next, add in cashew mixture and bring to a low simmer.
  17. Then add in lemon juice and stir, turn off the heat, and set aside.
  18. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  19. In a large bowl add ‘cream of mushroom soup’ and green beans.
  20. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  21. Gently mix until combined.
  22. Transfer to a large casserole dish. Bake for 20 minutes.
  23. While the green bean casserole is baking, carefully bring palm oil to medium-high heat in a pot.
  24. Once heated add in thinly sliced shallots and let fry for 8-10 minutes or until golden and crispy. I usually do this in two batches to prevent overcrowding.
  25. Remove from oil with a slotted spoon and place shallots on a paper towel to absorb the excess oil.
  26. After the 20 minutes has elapsed, add crispy shallots to the top of the casserole and bake for another 5 minutes.
  27. Remove from the oven, and serve immediately. Enjoy! Happy Thanksgiving!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Nutrition Facts: 
Calories- 200
Carbs- 19.3 g
Fat- 11.4 g
Protein- 5.4 g