Green bean casserole is the side dish I will defend at any table, because its my favorite. I know. I’m the person who looks forward to the green beans, so weird (but so right!). The one we all grew up with is basically a can of soup poured over canned green beans that gave up a while ago. And while that’s not my personal favorite one, I love it anyway. The way I’ve always made it was with fresh green beans, fresh mushrooms onion and garlic, fresh thyme, and still the can of creamed soup. Which lives up to the hype. With this vegan from scratch version, I just wanted to take the can away, take away the dairy, but ensure it still tastes like the one that shows up every Thanksgiving, and this, I’m PUMPED to say, is it. In fact, if you didn’t tell anyone that this was vegan/dairy-free/plant based, I have a feeling no one would say anything. Anything except that the green bean casserole was spot on delicious and if they could have your recipe. (Which, of course you can, always!).
The sauce is browned mushrooms, garlic, onion and thyme folded into homemade quick cashew cream. It’s thick, savory, and rich enough that nobody at the table is going to think its “healthy”. The crispy fried onions on top stay exactly as they are, because some things don’t need fixing (although if you add in the textured pea protein on top, you will find it does add a little something extra in a good way, just like a breadcrumb might).
If you haven’t made cashew cream before, it’s sooo easy and basically the only reason at any given moment my pantry has raw cashews hanging around. Raw cashews blended with water turn into something very close to heavy cream, flavor neutral, and you don’t need an overnight soak. Fifteen minutes in just-boiled water softens them enough for a high-speed blender or immersion blender to handle the rest. Blend longer than you think you need to still though! Any grit left in the cream ends up in your sauce, and you will notice it in that case.
The mushrooms are where most of the flavor comes from, so give them a minute. Chop them either finely or if you are like me, in full slices. Get the pan hot, then leave them alone for a couple of minutes so they actually brown. I know the urge to stir is strong (I have the same problem, we’re working on it together I guess). Keep cooking until all the liquid they release has cooked off. That browning is doing the job the canned soup used to do, so trust the process and have some patience.
For the green beans, a quick four-minute blanch followed by an ice bath keeps them bright green with a little bite left after baking. Dry them well before they go into the sauce. The water released from wet beans thin everything out, and a watery casserole is no bueno. When you taste the sauce, it should be slightly saltier than you’d want to eat on its own, since the beans absorb some of it in the oven.
This is also a great or perfect make-ahead dish, which matters when your oven has a schedule on Thanksgiving. Assemble everything except the topping, cover it, and keep it in the fridge for up to a day. Bake it straight from the fridge with about ten extra minutes, then add the onions topping at the end.
If you need it gluten-free, the sauce is already thickened with cornstarch instead of flour, so the only swap is the topping. Swap in a gluten-free crispy onion brand or crisp up some shallot on your own to mix in with the dried textured pea protein. Don’t forget to double-check that your broth is gluten-free too.
If you make it, and I surely hope you do, don’t forget to tag me @herbyeater so I can see it on socials! Happy Thanksgivings, I’m extra grateful for your support.
Vegan Green Bean Casserole
Equipment
- High-speed blender
- Large Pot
- Large bowl (for ice bath)
- Large skillet
- 2-quart baking dish (or 8×8-inch)
Ingredients
- Cashew Cream
- 1 cup raw cashews 140g
- ¾ cup water plus more as needed (180g)
- Green Beans
- 1½ lb fresh green beans trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces (680g)(about 6 cups)
- 1 tbsp kosher salt for the blanching water (9g)
- Mushroom Sauce
- 2 tbsp olive oil 27g
- 8 oz cremini or baby bella mushrooms sliced (225g)
- 3 garlic cloves minced (9g)
- ½ yellow onion finely diced
- 2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves 16g or 1 tsp (3g) dried
- 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth 240g
- 1 tbsp cornstarch 8g
- 2 tbsp cold water 30g
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast 8g
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice 5g
- 1 tsp kosher salt adjusted to taste (3g)
- ½ tsp black pepper 1g
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg 1g
- Topping
- 1⅓ cups crispy fried onions divided (85g)
- ½ cup dried textured pea protein optional add
Instructions
- Soak the cashews. Cover the cashews with just-boiled water and let them sit 15 minutes. Drain, then blend with ¾ cup (180 g) fresh water until completely smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. You want it pourable, like heavy cream. Add water a tablespoon at a time if it’s too thick. Set aside.
- Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Blanch the green beans. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 tbsp salt. Cook the green beans 4 minutes, until bright green and just tender, then move them straight into an ice bath. Drain well and pat dry. (Wet beans make a watery casserole, and nobody wants that!)
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and leave them alone for 2 minutes, then keep cooking, stirring occasionally, until browned and their liquid has cooked off, 6 to 8 minutes total. Add garlic, onion and thyme and cook 1 minute.
- Begin to build the sauce. Pour in the broth and scrape up the browned bits. Whisk the cornstarch with 2 tbsp cold water, stir it in, and simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes. Lower the heat and stir in the cashew cream, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Taste. It should be a little saltier than you think, since the beans will soak some of it up. Less is more though, so feel free to adjust.
- Fold the green beans into the sauce, then spread everything into the baking dish.
- Bake uncovered for 20 minutes, until bubbling at the edges. Scatter the fried onions over the top (and optional dried TPP) and bake 3 to 5 more minutes, until they’re deep golden. Keep an eye on them, because they go from golden to burnt faster than you’d like to believe! Let it rest 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Gluten-free: Swap the fried onions for a gluten-free crispy onion brand. Everything else in the recipe is already gluten-free (check that your broth is too).
- Cornstarch: Arrowroot powder swaps in 1:1.
- Mushrooms: White button mushrooms work. Add a few chopped dried porcini (soak first) for a deeper flavor.
- Fresh vs. frozen beans: Frozen cut green beans work. Skip blanching, thaw, and pat very dry.
- Cashew-free: Use full-fat canned coconut milk in place of the cashew cream. Expect a faint coconut flavor.
- A splash of dry white wine after the mushrooms brown (let it cook off before adding broth)
- ¼ cup toasted sliced almonds mixed in with the topping
- Make ahead: Assemble through step 6, cover, and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Bake straight from the fridge, adding 10 minutes, then top with the onions at the end.
- Sauce too thick? Loosen it with a splash of broth before folding in the beans.