Vegan Green Bean Casserole
This Vegan Green Bean Casserole is creamy, crunchy and wholesome. Topped with mouthwatering caramelized onions for an extra level of comfort!
Green bean casserole is indeed a must during the holiday season.
Crunchy and hearty green beans coated in a super creamy white sauce all topped with a generous layer of perfectly caramelized red onions, is simply to die for!
Here's how to make a completely vegan version of this family classic for you plant based (and not!) guests.
I'll be honest with you. The first time I had this dish was only a couple of years back and I was literally blown away by its flavour and indeed simplicity!
It's amazing how a bunch of humble and simple ingredients combined together can create such wonderful flavours.
Since then I've started baking a vegan version of this green bean casserole with my own twist and as a result it has became a staple on our holiday tables too! This is why I decided to share it with all of you.
So if you are looking to serve something still traditional but different, you have to try my take on this absolute comfort food!
The components of this version are completely made from scratch, but please do not be intimidated by it, I assure you it's way easier than expected and the results will definitely pay off every single minute you've spent making it.
How to make Vegan Green Bean Casserole
First step to make this beautiful and hearty side dish is to prepare and pre cook the green beans.
After washing the beans, tip both (or just the stalk bit as I do) ends and boil in hot salted water for 5 to 10 minutes, or according to your own preference. If you prefer the beans to be crunchy and have a bit of a bite cook for max 6-7 minutes; if you like them rather soft boil for 10 minutes or longer. Please note the will still continue cooking a bit in the oven once we bake the casserole.
Next we can caramelize the onions.
Peel the outer skin, and finely slice the onions. To avoid lacrimation too much you can run under the water both your knife blade and your chopping board, or even wear some safety/swimming goggles if you happen to have a pair at hand (my husband does actually wear those sometimes, looking in the kitchen like an absolute weirdo, haha! But he says they do the trick!).
Add the sliced onions to a pan with some olive oil and cook on high heat for 7 to 10 minutes, stirring every now and then, until soft and well coloured.
Then set aside.
Third step is to make the super creamy white sauce.
Start by melting some plant based butter (or margarine) into a pan, then add the flour. Remove from the heat and mix the two ingredients until they come together into a paste. Gently add the plant milk a bit at a time. Do not add more milk until you have nicely incorporated the previous portion with the flour and butter mixture. This will prevent creating unpleasing lumps. Put the pan back on the heat, season with the spices, and cook on low until it start thickening (should be required 2 to 5 minutes at very least). If you happen to have formed lumps, do not worry, you can use an hand blender to save it and turn it to smooth.
Now all that remains to do is to assemble the casserole.
Place the cooked green beans at the bottom of a tray that is at least 5 cm (2 inches) deep (for this dosage I used a 20x30cm (7x11'') pyrex casserole dish).
Pour over the beans the white sauce, and spread it evenly with a spatula.
Next, form a generous layer of caramelized onions.
Finally top the casserole with some panko bread (or normal breadcrumbs), spray with some olive oil and bake in the oven at 190°C (375°F) for 30 minutes. In the last five minutes turn the grill mode on if you'd like to have an even crispier top.
You can also add some vegan grated cheese or this vegan mozzarella over the white sauce to make this green bean casserole even cheesier and scrumptious!
Serve it warm as a rich side to your main or, why not, as a comforting main dish!
You can prepare this easy vegan green bean casserole up to three days in advance and bake it on the day you'd like to serve it.
Once cooked it can be stored in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, or in the freezer for a couple of months.
If you prefer, you can also prepare the casserole minus the baking step, freeze it and finish cooking it whenever you fancy.
Vegan Green Bean Casserole Recipe
Ingredients:
500 g Green Beans (fresh or frozen)
3-4 Red Onions (medium)
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
25 g Panko (or regular breadcrumbs - use ground cornflakes for a GF version)
...for the white sauce...
400 g Plant Based Milk (Soy)
2 tablespoon Vegan Butter (or margarine, or 1 butter and 1 olive oil)
2 tablespoon All Purpose Flour (you can also use GF flour)
1 tablespoon Nutritional Yeast
½ teaspoon Smoked Paprika
¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
¼ teaspoon Salt (or to taste)
Pepper
Method:
1. Wash the green beans, tip both ends and boil in hot salted water for 5 to 10 minutes (or according to your own preference). Please note the will still continue cooking a bit in the oven once we bake the casserole.
2. Peel the outer skin of the onions and finely slice them. Add the onions to a pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and cook on high heat for 7 to 10 minutes, stirring, until soft and well coloured. Set aside.
3. For the white sauce: melt the plant based butter (or margarine) into a pan, add the flour. Remove from the heat and stir with a whisk until they come together into a paste. Gently add the plant milk a bit at a time. Do not add more milk until you have nicely incorporated the previous portion with the flour and butter mixture. This will prevent creating unpleasing lumps. Put the pan back on the heat, season with the spices, and cook on low until it start thickening (should be required 2 to 5 minutes at very least). If you happen to have formed lumps, do not worry, you can use an hand blender to save it and turn it to smooth.
4. Assemble the casserole. Place the cooked green beans at the bottom of a 20x30cm (7x11'') tray that is at least 5 cm (2 inches) deep. Pour the white sauce over the beans, and spread it evenly with a spatula. Cover with a generous layer of caramelized onions.
5. Finally top the casserole with some panko bread (or normal breadcrumbs*), spray with some olive oil and bake in the oven at 190°C (375°F) for 30 minutes. In the last five minutes turn the grill mode on if you'd like to have an even crispier top.
6. Serve the vegan green bean casserole ideally warm.
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