Why we love this dairy free green bean casserole
I know it feels like Thanksgiving is a million months away still, but before you know it, we’ll all be scrambling to figure out what we’re contributing to our Thanksgiving dinners. It can be even harder if you’re dairy free, but this green bean skillet casserole is the dish you should make.
It’s the best way to make sure you aren’t going to leave hungry – or sick – and, you won’t have to miss out this classic side dish. Our family doesn’t love mushrooms, so I choose to leave them out, but if you wanted to add mushrooms to this dish, add some chopped mushrooms when you add the onion.
This would not only give you more volume for your dish, it would add even more flavor (flavor that I don’t really care for, but flavor all the same). So mushrooms or no mushrooms. It’s your decision.
More classic holiday side dishes: healthy sweet potato casserole / homemade stuffing / pineapple stuffing / vegan scalloped potatoes
Ingredient notes:
- Green beans – I like to use fresh green beans for this, but if you want to use frozen, thaw whole beans and skip the blanching.
- All-purpose flour – This acts as a thickening agent. If you want to swap it, I recommend 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch. To make this completely gluten free, make sure you’re using GF onions and broth as well.
- Chicken stock – Feel free to swap this for vegetable broth if you want to make this recipe vegan.
- Dairy free milk – I normally use almond or oat milk for this, but any dairy free milk will work as long as it is unsweetened and plain (ie. don’t use vanilla other flavored options)
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
Melissa’s tips + tricks:
- Cast iron skillet: I love using a cast iron skillet for this recipe because it creates one less dirty pan, but if you want to transfer the green beans and sauce to a casserole dish before baking, go for it. I think this would be especially helpful if you’re bring the casserole somewhere, because cast iron skillets can get quite heavy.
- Make ahead: If you want to make your green bean casserole ahead of time, prepare everything except the crispy onions. Cover the casserole and refrigerate until you’re ready to bake. Let it come to it’s almost room temperature, top with onions and bake for 15 – 20 minutes.
More dairy free Thanksgiving recipes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pound green beans - trimmed and halved
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 1/4 cup unsweetened dairy free milk - we usually use almond or oat
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups French fried onions
Instructions
- Mise en place. Preheat your oven to 400˚F and measure/chop all of your ingredients before you begin.
- Blanch the beans. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the green beans for about 4 minutes, until they’re bright green and just slightly tender. Drain and set aside.
- Sauté the aromatics. Heat the olive oil in a large (12-inch) oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion and garlic with a good pinch of coarse salt. If you’re adding mushrooms, toss them in now too. Cook for 5–6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and translucent.
- Make the sauce. Sprinkle the flour over the veggies and stir until it soaks up the oil and forms a paste (that’s your roux). Slowly whisk in the broth, then the dairy free milk, making sure everything stays smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Let the sauce come to a simmer and thicken—this should take about 5 minutes.
- Assemble the casserole. Stir in the blanched green beans and about 1/2 cup of the crispy fried onions. Mix everything until the beans are coated in the sauce.
- Bake it up. Sprinkle the remaining fried onions evenly on top. Bake, uncovered, for 15–20 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown.
- Cool slightly before serving. Let your casserole rest for at least 10 minutes before digging in. The sauce will thicken more as it sits.
