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Capture the nostalgic flavors of the classic side dish, without any processed ingredients, with this Healthy Green Bean Casserole recipe! It’s made with fresh green beans and a homemade cream sauce that your guests will love, plus it’s nutritious!
Many side dishes for the holidays are loaded with processed ingredients that aren’t great for you. This healthier green bean casserole skips the canned cream of mushroom soup in favor of a protein-packed yogurt sauce. Making this recipe from scratch still only takes 30 minutes, so it won’t add any stress to your holiday to serve a healthier option.
If you like healthier Thanksgiving recipes, you will love my Paleo Thanksgiving stuffing and low-calorie sweet potato casserole!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Same Great Flavor, But Better for You: You don’t have to sacrifice all of your holiday favorites to stay healthy; instead, make substitutions and changes that transform those dishes into nutritionally balanced foods that taste great AND are good for you. Check out my other healthy Thanksgiving recipe ideas if you need some inspiration!
- No Processed Ingredients: This healthy green bean casserole without mushroom soup cuts out canned soup and fried onions in favor of a creamy sauce made with high-protein yogurt, yet still tastes delicious.
- Ready in Less Than 30 Minutes: Sometimes we think healthy, fresh foods take longer to cook, but this healthier casserole will be ready in less than 30 minutes.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- Green Beans: The casserole tastes best with fresh green beans. Just be sure to clean and trim them before you start cooking.
- Greek Yogurt: This yogurt contains a good amount of protein and is best for the creamy sauce. You can use blended cottage cheese if you prefer.
- Almond Milk: An unsweetened milk helps thin out the yogurt so it easily drips into the green beans.
- Vegetable Broth: This easy casserole is naturally vegetarian, but if you don’t need it to be, you can use low-sodium chicken broth instead.
- Almond Flour: Keep this recipe gluten-free and use almond flour to create the crispy topping on the casserole.
- Corn Starch: You’ll need cornstarch to thicken the sauce mixture. You could also use tapioca starch or arrowroot powder.
- Parmesan Cheese: Grated parmesan combined with the almond flour makes a crispy and delicious topping.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations & Dietary Modifications
- Make It Dairy-Free: If you have guests who are dairy-free or vegan, you can make this dish using a dairy-free yogurt and skip the Parmesan cheese.
- Add Mushrooms and Onions: The classic version of this casserole has both onions and mushrooms, so feel free to add those to your healthy version. You’ll want to saute both on the stove for about 5 minutes to soften them before adding them to your casserole.
- Add Bread Crumbs: Make your topping a little extra crunchy with a sprinkling of breadcrumbs. Be sure to use gluten-free breadcrumbs!
How to Make Green Bean Casserole Healthy
This high-protein green bean casserole is going to transform your holidays. Not only is it delicious, but it’s made without processed ingredients. Your guests will love the healthier spin on a classic. Be sure to preheat your oven to 350°F and prepare your baking dish with cooking spray before you start cooking!
Step 1: Cook the Green Beans. Place your cleaned and trimmed green beans in a pot of boiling water for about 10-15 minutes until they are tender. Drain the pot and add the green beans to your baking dish.
Step 2: Make the Sauce. In a saucepan, combine the vegetable broth, Greek yogurt, almond milk, garlic powder, salt, and pepper over medium heat. Stir continuously for 2-3 minutes.
Step 3: Thicken the Sauce. Add the cornstarch to the sauce and continue stirring until the sauce thickens to your desired consistency.
Step 4: Combine and Bake. Pour the sauce over the green beans. Then sprinkle the almond flour and grated Parmesan cheese over the top of the beans and sauce. Bake the dish at 350°F for 10 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to a high broil for 2-3 minutes, or until the topping is slightly browned. Enjoy as a side for my healthy pot roast recipe.
Expert Tips
- Blanch the Beans: Ensure that your green beans are vividly green and still have a little crunch by blanching them. Blanching is a cooking method where food is boiled for a few minutes, strained, and submerged in ice water. The ice water halts the cooking process so the vegetable doesn’t turn mushy.
- Stir the Sauce Continuously: Be sure to keep stirring the yogurt sauce to avoid clumps forming in the sauce and to keep the yogurt from curdling.
- Double the Recipe: For the holidays, you may need to double or triple the recipe. Be sure to use a baking dish that is larger to ensure the casserole bakes evenly.
- Storing Leftovers: Store leftover low-fat green bean casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat individual servings of leftovers in the microwave in 60-second intervals until they’re warmed through.
Serving Suggestions
You don’t have to sacrifice flavor or your favorite dishes to eat a little healthier at the holidays. Pair this healthier casserole with more healthy spins on your favorite dishes for a full holiday meal that’s also nutritious. You can also make this casserole more than once or twice a year since it’s so much better for you!
- If you’re looking to make a simple, but healthy Thanksgiving meal for your family, pair it with an easy turkey breast in the Instant Pot, almond flour biscuits, grain-free stuffing, and sugar-free cranberry sauce.
- My pumpkin hummus is an excellent Thanksgiving appetizer that’s healthier and great with raw veggies and crackers.
- You can’t forget the holiday desserts, like a healthy caramel pecan pie made with my low-calorie pie crust.
Recipe FAQs
Unfortunately, this dish does not freeze well. The green beans and topping turn mushy and soggy after freezing and thawing.
I don’t recommend making this dish in advance because it could become soggy and mushy over time. However, you can blanch the green beans the day before, so you only need to add them to your baking dish and make the sauce on the day you’re hosting.
If you find yourself missing the crispy onion topping, try making your own! Cut yellow or white onions into thin strips, then toss them in almond flour, cornstarch, and salt. Pour the coated onions into a heated pan with olive oil and saute them until the outsides turn crispy. Add them to the top of your casserole, then bake and broil. You get all the flavor without adding canned fried onions.
More Delicious Side Dish Recipes
If you tried this Healthy Green Bean Casserole recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below.
Healthy Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients
- 3 cups Green Beans, trimmed and cleaned
- ½ cup Greek Yogurt, plain
- ¼ cup Unsweetened Almond Milk, or milk of choice
- ¼ cup Vegetable Broth, low sodium
- ¼ cup Almond Flour
- 2 tablespoons Corn Starch, or 1/4 cup tapioca flour
- ⅛ cup Parmesan, grated
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- Salt and Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Prepare a rectangular baking dish with cooking spray.
- Boil the green beans in a pot of water about 15 minutes until tender. Drain the green beans in a colander and transfer the green beans to the baking dish.
- Bring a saucepan to medium heat, then add vegetable broth, Greek yogurt, almond milk, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Stir constantly 2-3 minutes then reduce to low heat and add the corn starch. Continue stirring until the mixture thickens.
- Turn off the heat and pour the mixture over green beans. Sprinkle the top with almond meal and cheese.
- Bake at 350 F 10 minutes then turn the oven to broil (high). Broil another 2-3 minutes until the top slightly browned. Serve warm out of the oven!
Notes
- Keep the green beans snappy and tender by blanching them in ice water after you boil them.
- Stir the sauce continuously to avoid clumps.
- If you double or triple the recipe, be sure to increase the size of your baking dish to ensure the casserole bakes evenly.
- Store the green bean casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 5 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I used this recipe for thanksgiving this year but adapted it to use what I had on hand. I substituted whole milk plain yogurt for the Greek yogurt, unsweetened regular almond milk for the coconut milk, and granulated instant tapioca for the tapioca flour. That made it very lumpy so I had to about double the other wet ingredients, and it worked out fine. I also added sauteed crimini mushrooms. My family and I enjoyed this recipe very much.
Love the mushroom addition! I’m glad it worked out for you and everyone enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing!
So delicious, healthy and time-saving! thank you so much for the great tips made by simple things.
Can’t wait to follow your recipe and add one more healthy dish to my list 🙂
Enjoy!