Green Bean Casserole of My Dreams

This tasty, healthier green bean casserole is what the old fashioned green bean casserole, with canned beans and cream of mushroom soup, only wishes it was! The fresh green beans and bacon make this a winner in my book , gluten and dairy free and delicious! If you like the traditional green bean casserole taste, but want to get rid of the processed and problematic ingredients, this recipe will feed your nostalgia with flavors that are even more vibrant and fresh.

Ingredients

1 lb Fresh Green Beans 

8 oz Roughly Chopped Mushrooms 

4 oz Bacon (about 5 large strips)

1 cup thinly sliced yellow or white onions

 ½ cup finely chopped shallots

3 tbsp minced garlic

½ cup almond meal 

1 cup unsweetened almond milk 

3 tsp sea salt

2 tsp cracked black pepper 

2 tbsp organic olive oil

Cooking Instructions

Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Step 1: Drizzle olive oil and salt onto onions and massage evenly into the onions with your hands. Spread the onions out on the baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes at 350F, removing from the oven and stirring/flipping every 10 minutes. You’re looking for a brown/crispy texture. You can cook it more if they’re not crispy enough. Set onions aside.

Step 2: Bring a pot of water to a boil, cut green beans in thirds and blanch for 2-3 minutes, remove from water and set aside. I like my green beans retain some crispiness. If you like them softer, blanch for 5 minutes.

Step 3: Chop the raw bacon and add to a sauté pan on high heat. Lightly crisp the bacon and then add chopped shallots. Once the shallots are slightly clear, add minced garlic. A few minutes after adding the garlic, add the mushrooms and continue to stir over medium-high heat. When the mushrooms are thoroughly cooked and browned, remove and place in a separate bowl. Keep this sauté pan, you will use it again.

Step 4: Place the sauté pain on medium-low, add 1 tbsp olive oil and 1/2 cup of the almond milk and stir with a metal whisk. Add half of the almond meal and whisk until it dissolves. Carefully add the rest of the almond milk and almond meal, whisking the mixture together over a medium simmer. Add additional milk, up to an extra half cup if needed. Add 2 tsp sea salt and the 2 tsp pepper. Whisk until the gravy thickens slightly to the texture of heavy cream. Reduce the heat to low and add the bacon/mushroom mixture, then stir. Add the green beans to the sauté pan and stir.

Step 5: Pour the entire mixture into a medium-sized casserole dish. Cover (with either aluminum foil or lid) and bake at 350F for 15 minutes. Remove the lid and sprinkle the dried onions evenly on top. Place back in oven for 5 minutes at 350F uncovered.

Serves 8-9. Or 2 with leftovers :)