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Healthy Green Bean Casserole From Scratch

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Healthy Green_Bean_Casserole
Wellness Mama » Blog » Recipes » Healthy Green Bean Casserole From Scratch

Green bean casserole is probably my favorite Thanksgiving dinner dish of all time. Unfortunately, cream-of-mystery-franken-foods-soup is not healthy. Neither are the french-fried onions that typically grace the top of this casserole. (Note: real onions don’t turn crispy when fried by themselves … I tried … they burn)

This was one of my most requested recipes, and I’m happy to share the healthy version. I think I actually prefer this one to the processed version, though it’s been so long that I don’t completely remember how that one tasted. Either way, this one is good! It’s also free of mystery ingredients!

The Best Green Bean Casserole Recipe

The classic green bean casserole features Campbell’s canned soup and mushy canned green beans. Then the whole thing is topped off with crispy fried onions. Some conventional fried onions in a can surprisingly have fairly decent ingredients, but most still have all-purpose flour so they aren’t gluten-free. Making green bean casserole from scratch isn’t just healthier, but it tastes so much better!

It is a little time-intensive to make, but is worth the effort. You can even make it ahead of time to make prep time faster on Thanksgiving. See the directions below the recipe to make this veggie casserole dish ahead.

Prepping the Green Beans

You can use the typical canned green beans in this recipe, but I really prefer fresh. They’ll take forever to cook in the oven if they aren’t precooked though and by then the onion topping will be burnt. I’ve found that the easiest way is to lightly steam them before I add the mushroom sauce.

Another option some people like is to blanch the green beans in a large pot of boiling water and then put them in ice water in a large bowl.

If you can’t find fresh green beans frozen will also work. Lightly cook them and then drain before adding the mushroom sauce.

A Faster Option

Since originally writing this recipe, I discovered an easier way to make cream of mushroom soup at home. It reduces the time needed to make this recipe. If you opt for this version, just use the homemade cream of mushroom soup in whatever green bean recipe you use (though no need to dilute half and half with water like the canned versions).

If you’re looking to save even more time, you can always use Kettle and Fire’s Mushroom Bisque soup. It’s an amazing option to homemade and tastes great!

Healthy Green_Bean_Casserole

Healthy Green Bean Casserole Recipe

A healthy real food take on the classic … without the cream of mystery ingredients soup!
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Bake time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Calories 395kcal
Author Katie Wells

Servings

8 servings

Ingredients

Onion Topping

  • 3 medium onions (thinly sliced)
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 TBSP heavy cream (or coconut milk)
  • 2-3 TBSP coconut flour
  • ½ cup coconut oil (or tallow)

Healthy Cream of Mushroom Sauce

  • ½ cup butter
  • 10 mushrooms (finely diced)
  • ½ cup cream (or coconut milk)
  • 4 egg yolks
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • of onion topping mixture from above
  • heavy cream or coconut milk (or water)

Other

  • 2 pounds fresh green beans (or 5 cans or 2-3 bags of frozen)

Instructions

For Onion Topping

  • Put the sliced onions, eggs, and heavy cream into a medium-sized bowl and mix until evenly incorporated.
  • Add the coconut flour and mix by hand until evenly coated.
  • Put coconut oil (or tallow) in a large skillet and turn on medium heat.
  • When hot, add the coated onions and evenly brown, turning occasionally.
  • When browned, remove from heat and set aside.

For Mushroom Sauce

  • In a medium saucepan, melt the butter.
  • Add the diced mushrooms and sauté until starting to brown.
  • Add cream or coconut milk.
  • Whisk in egg yolks and spices and about 1/3 of the onion topping mixture (save the rest for the end) and continue stirring until the yolks begin to cook and the mixture thickens.
  • If needed, add extra milk or water to the mushroom cream sauce to thin.

Assemble

  • Preheat oven to 325°F.
  • Lightly steam the green beans and drain to remove excess liquid. If you’re using canned green beans then drain off the liquid. Place the green beans into a 9×13 baking dish.
  • Pour the cream mixture over and mix until incorporated.
  • Top the green bean mixture with the remaining onion topping mixture and heat in the oven until the topping starts to crisp (but not burn!) and the green beans are heated.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Healthy Green Bean Casserole Recipe
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 395 Calories from Fat 324
% Daily Value*
Fat 36g55%
Saturated Fat 25g156%
Trans Fat 0.5g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g
Monounsaturated Fat 7g
Cholesterol 192mg64%
Sodium 421mg18%
Potassium 429mg12%
Carbohydrates 15g5%
Fiber 5g21%
Sugar 7g8%
Protein 7g14%
Vitamin A 1628IU33%
Vitamin C 18mg22%
Calcium 87mg9%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Notes

  • If you want the mushroom sauce to be even saucier, add an extra egg yolk.
  • You can use the leftover egg whites to make the topping for this sweet potato casserole.

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How to Make Green Bean Casserole Ahead of Time

To make this ahead of time make the recipe according to the directions above, but don’t add the onions to the top. Refrigerate for up to several days until ready to eat. Let the casserole come to room temperature before putting it in the oven or the cold casserole dish could explode in the hot oven. Add the onions to the top and reheat in the oven until the topping is golden brown and crunchy.

More Thanksgiving Side Dishes

What’s your favorite Thanksgiving side dish? Leave a comment and let me know!

Katie Wells Avatar

About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Comments

47 responses to “Healthy Green Bean Casserole From Scratch”

  1. Debbie Avatar

    Thanks for the recipe. Your nutrition chart says there are 3618 mg of sodium in 1 serving! That seems like 10 times too high, but I can’t figure out where sodium is coming from except maybe salted butter and canned green beans. I always cut back on sodium, but I’m not seeing how I can do that if the chart is correct. Thanks

  2. Karysa Avatar

    If I opt for the kettle & fire mushroom bisque, how much of it do I use? Thank you!

  3. Estelle George Avatar
    Estelle George

    My daughter is gluten free but does not like the taste of coconut. Can I use gf all purpose flour instead? Thanks.

  4. Jen Avatar

    Hi and thank you for this! Preparing for thanksgiving tomorrow and just made the cream of mushroom soup.. should that be used in place of the sauce or along with it?

    Thanks!
    Jen

  5. Tarah Avatar

    So if I use frozen beans do I need to steam them first or can I incorporate everything and have them just cook in the oven?

  6. Michelle Avatar

    I’m confused…Starting at step 7 after onions are fried… when does the previously made “healthy cream of mushroom soup” get incorporated?

  7. Robyn Avatar

    Hi there! I am in the process of making the mushroom soup for the green bean casserole. How much of the soup do you use in the casserole? Do you adjust the amount of other ingredients like mushrooms and onion? And, do you have a suggestion to replace the egg yolks? Not sure using flax eggs would work.

    Thanks and Happy Thanksgiving!

  8. Elizabeth Avatar

    Just wanted to add that while it may be that you can’t fry onions (dunno, never tried!), you can absolutely fry shallots to delicious effect. I do this for a number of East Asian-flavor dishes and it’s super easy – you just need a fine slice and a good high-heat oil. I like avocado oil b/c: yum.

  9. Barbara Avatar

    While I agree with all the healthy substitutions, I can’t get my head wrapped around canned green beans.

  10. Marija Avatar

    Dear Katie,
    Can you tell me how do you can fresh vegetables? Is there an recipe on your blog? Can fruits also be canned? I tried to find it, but without luck…
    So far, I only pasteurized fruits in glass jars, but hoping you might help so I can preserve by myself some veggies next season. I do not like the taste of them if I freeze them. After some time, they loose nice taste and I have a feeling all I can taste is ice… and would like to save up money on buying frozen ones.
    Thank you in advance!
    Regards!

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