No Thanksgiving spread is complete without green bean casserole. Check out this prep-ahead recipe that’s vegan and gluten free!
Green Bean Casserole: A Thanksgiving Classic
For years, green bean casserole was my favorite Thanksgiving dish! I loved the taste, and it always reminds me of the holidays and spending time with my family. Then, when I found out I needed to eat gluten free, I was crushed to find that crispy onions contain wheat. How was I going to enjoy my beloved casserole without the most important ingredient? Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered! This recipe captures all the flavors of the classic without any dairy or gluten. If you’re looking for another easy one pan side, check out my savory bread pudding recipe here.
Key Ingredients
Not only do the crispy onions contain wheat, but it can also be hard to find cream of mushroom that’s gluten free. One of my favorite brands Pacific Foods has got you covered. They make a cream of mushroom soup that’s gluten free! If you want a vegan option, they also have a mushroom gravy that you can also use.
After retesting this recipe, I found something so exciting. Kroger makes gluten-free crispy onions! So, really my recipe is kind of obsolete now because you can make green bean casserole the old-fashioned way. But, if you want to elevate the flavor of your dish, or can’t find crispy onions for yourself let’s talk about caramelizing onions.
Caramelized Onions
Caramelized onions are the star of of this dish because they give the dish a nice sweet onion flavor. Caramelizing onions is a bit of a processes but it is well worth in for the flavor you get. Prepare yourself, it can take at least 1 hour to get nice brown onions because you have to cook them slowly at a low temperature. Low and slow is the motto here!
First, the onions will begin to sweat meaning they’ll release some of their liquid. You want a low heat because you don’t want to sauté them and brown them too quickly or they’ll burn.
As the onions become softer, they will become translucent. Then some will begin to brown. This is about 20 minutes in where you might become impatient like me. Do not turn the heat up too high because you can’t speed up the process. The onions will just burn.
You can see that some pieces are really getting nice as brown as the sugars in the onions caramelize and turn brown. If the onions are looking dry and starting to stick, you can add a splash of water to deglaze the pan and loosen up the onions.
And about an hour later we have delicious, sweet, caramelized onions! You can see what 2 onions looks like when you begin and how much they cook down. Caramelized onions keep great in the fridge, so you can definitely do this step ahead and keep them in the fridge until you’re ready to assemble the casserole.
Assembling the Casserole
First, add the soup, milk, and spices into the dish and mix to combine. Then you can add in the green beans. You can use either canned green beans or fresh green beans. If you go for fresh green beans, I’d recommend blanching them first. Blanching means cooking the green beans in boiling water for 4-5 minutes until the desired texture is reached. Then you take the green beans out of the boiling water and put them in cold water to stop the cooking process. This will seal in the flavor and keep them from overcooking.
Then it’s time to add all those delicious onions. I usually mix some into the green beans and them I’ll put the rest on top. Then you can top with sliced almonds to get a nice crunch on top. With the discovery of GF crispy onions, I’m planning on mixing the caramelized onions in and topping with crispy onions instead of almonds. Really you can build this however you’re feeling. Want to read more about my favorite GF Thanksgiving staples? Head over to this post to read more!
Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients
- 16 oz. green beans
- 1 tsp neutral oil
- 2 medium onions
- 12 oz. cream of mushroom soup
- ⅓ cup milk
- ¼ tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup sliced almonds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Steam the green beans according to the directions on the bag in the microwave. Alternatively, add about 2 cups of water to a pot and bring to boil. Prep a bowl with cold water. Blanch the green beans in the boiling water for 4-5 minutes until cooked to desired texture. Remove the green beans and place in cold water to stop the cooking process.
- When the green beans are cooked, roughly chop them into 1-inch pieces.
- To caramelize the onion, add oil to a pan over low heat and add the onions. The key to caramelizing is to use low heat over 50-60 minutes and to minimally stir the onions. Let them sit so that the become translucent and begin to brown, lightly flipping them so that they do not burn.
- Cook the onions until they have become brown and sweet. Add a splash of water if the onions begin to stick to release them from the pan.
- In a oven safe casserole dish, add the green beans, soup, milk, white pepper, black pepper, garlic powder, and salt. Mix to incorporate.
- Cut the onion in half down the middle of the base. Cut 1/4-inch slices around the each half of the onion. Then cut the base off of each end to create equal julienne slices.
- Mix in half of the onions to the base of the casserole, and spread the remaining half of onions over the top.
- Cook the casserole for about 30 minutes or until bubbly.
- Finally, sprinkle the sliced almonds over the top of the dish.
- Return the casserole to the oven and broil for 2-3 minutes or until the almonds are a light brown. Watch the casserole as it broils because the nuts can burn quickly.
Notes
