If you are looking for a perfect side dish, look no further. Healthy and environmentally friendly as well.
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This green bean casserole can be easily made vegan or non-vegan, with or without gluten. I (for obvious reasons) love the vegan version and think you will too. I used unsweetened almond milk to veganize this meal, but you can use soy milk, oat milk, or dairy milk, if you prefer. If you’re not currently vegan, but looking to see how delicious a vegan side dish can be, I encourage you to use non-dairy milk. I even think it’s good enough to serve to non-vegans!
As with all my cooking, I do my best to purchase foods in bulk. If I cannot find a bulk item, I buy items packaged in paperboard or glass before buying plastic packaging, which is less recyclable, never compostable, and often unnecessary. This recipe calls for mushrooms: right now, at the peak of fall, is prime wild mushroom season. Check your local markets for delicious wild mushroom varieties that may be popping up right now for a limited time.
Vegan Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients
- 3 cups nondairy milk
- 2 cubes veggie bouillon
- ½ medium onion, diced
- 1-2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp shallots, finely diced
- 1 cup chopped mushrooms
- 1 carrot, diced
- ½ tsp basil
- ½ tsp thyme
- ½ tsp marjoram
- ½ tsp oregano
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch or tapioca starch
- 3 tablespoons cold water
- 1 lb green beans (I prefer fresh green beans that come package-free)
- French fried onions (see recipe below)
Instructions
- In a saucepan, heat the nondairy milk and veggie bouillon on low-medium heat, stirring frequently. Heat until warm, do not boil or scald.
- In a skillet, heat the oil. Add the green beans and cook until softened. Add the mushrooms, carrot, onion, garlic, shallots, herbs, and salt and pepper. Saute until onions are translucent.
- Make a thickener by combining starch with cold water, mixed well. Pour into the nondairy milk-bouillon mixture. Stir well as it can coagulate quickly.
- Add nondairy milk mixture to skillet with the veggies. Pour mixture into a casserole dish. Add French fried onions on top.
- Bake at 350 degrees 10-15 minutes.
Makes 4-6 servings
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
French Fried Onions
If time is of the essence, Trader Joe’s (I’m not a fan, but for the sake of example) sells pre-packaged Gourmet Fried Onion Pieces that probably taste fine. I, as you know, avoid packaging and processed foods as much as possible and prefer to make my own fried onions. They are crispy and sweet hot out of the frying pan. My onion recommendation (wow, I’m going to leave that accidental pun…) for these is that you make more than you need because you will definitely eat your fair share during the prep process!
Ingredients
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced (sweet onions taste best)
- Nondairy milk to cover
- 1 cup flour (all purpose or gluten-free)
- ½ tsp salt
- pinch of pepper
- oil (sunflower seems to work the best for this)
Instructions
- Pour onions into a bowl, add milk to cover and let soak for a few minutes.
- Heat oil over medium-high heat.
- Mix together the flour, salt and pepper in a deep plate or shallow bowl.
- Remove onions from milk and toss with flour, a small batch at a time.
- Gently put breaded onions into the oil and fry until golden brown, flipping them over halfway through.
- Using a slotted spoon or spatula, remove from oil. Drain and cool on a paper towel.
Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 20 mins
Inspiration was taken from these two recipes:
Vegan Green Bean Casserole
Gluten Free Crisp French Fried Onions
Please visit zerowasteguy.com for more zero waste and vegan recipes.
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This article was originally published on Zero Waste Guy and has been republished to Medium.
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Photo: iStock