Healthy Green Bean Casserole

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Bring a large stockpot of water to a boil. Grease a large casserole dish with olive oil and set aside.

Add green beans to boiling water and boil for 4–5 minutes, or until almost tender but still slightly crisp. Drain cooked green beans, then transfer to a bowl filled with ice water to stop them from cooking more.

To make the crispy onion topping, start by heating olive oil in a large fry pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add thinly sliced onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5–8 minutes or until they are tender and starting to brown. Remove onions and place into a medium mixing bowl and set aside.

In the same pan you used to cook the onions, add almond meal. Cook, stirring constantly, for 3–5 minutes, or until almond meal is starts to turn lightly golden. Be careful not to burn it.

Remove from heat and transfer toasted almond meal to the bowl with the onions. Stir in shredded Parmesan cheese and sea salt, and then toss the mixture until combined. Set aside.

For the mushroom sauce, in the same pan, heat a little more olive oil until hot. Add mushrooms and cook for 4–5 minutes, or until they are tender, stirring occasionally.

Add minced garlic and cook for an additional minute until fragrant, stirring frequently. Sprinkle chickpea flour over the mushrooms, and stir to combine. Slowly add low sodium chicken broth, whisking to combine until smooth. Whisk in almond milk bring the mixture to a simmer. Let cook for 2–3 minutes, or until thickened.

Stir in Parmesan cheese, sea salt, and pepper until cheese is melted.

Transfer the cooked, chilled green beans into the pan with the mushroom sauce and toss until combined. Pour the green bean mixture into the prepared baking dish and then top with the crispy onion topping evenly over the top.

Place in the oven, uncovered, and bake for 25–30 minutes, until top is golden brown.

Note: To keep these green beans vegan, the only change you need to make is to use nutritional yeast instead of Parmesan.