Lightened Green Bean Casserole

Lightened Green Bean Casserole

The Thanksgiving side nobody skips, rebuilt without canned cream-of-mushroom soup. A quick pan sauce of fresh mushrooms, garlic, and a touch of flour-thickened low-fat milk coats tender-crisp green beans, finished with a modest scatter of crispy onions. At 120 calories per serving it has all the creamy, savory comfort at roughly a third of the calories of the original.

Ingredients

• 1.5 lb fresh green beans, trimmed
• 8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup low-fat milk
• 1/2 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 cup crispy fried onions (store-bought)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and lightly coat a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Blanch the green beans in boiling salted water 4 minutes, then plunge into ice water to keep them crisp and bright green; drain well.
3. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and saute the onion 3 minutes until soft.
4. Add mushrooms and cook 5-6 minutes until browned and their liquid evaporates; stir in garlic 30 seconds.
5. Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and cook 1 minute, stirring, to remove the raw taste.
6. Whisk in the milk and broth gradually, simmering 2-3 minutes until the sauce thickens; season with salt and pepper.
7. Fold the green beans into the sauce, transfer to the baking dish, and top with crispy fried onions.
8. Bake 15-18 minutes until bubbly and the onions are golden. Serve hot.

Nutrition Facts

Tips

• Blanch the beans a day ahead and refrigerate; assemble and bake just before serving.
• For dairy-free, swap the low-fat milk for unsweetened oat milk.
• Serve alongside roast turkey breast and healthy stuffing for the full holiday plate.