Green Bean Casserole

This is not your mother-in-law’s Green Bean Casserole! Well, to be honest, this was my mother-in-law’s recipe until I changed it to fit my dietary needs (no gluten) and to make it more appetizing for my kids (more cheese)! This casserole is the perfect balance of flavors with tender green beans, creamy mushroom sauce, and a crispy cheese topping. I hope you enjoy it!

Prep time:  About 30 minutes 

Cook time:  About 10 minutes 

Number of Servings: About 10 – 12

This meal is gluten-free, dairy-free, and soy-free.

Ingredients

• 40 oz. of frozen organic green beans
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups of shredded cheese (I prefer Kirkland Signature Manchego Cheese made with sheep’s milk from Costco)
• 3 large cloves of garlic; minced
• 3 cans of cream of mushroom soup (I prefer Pacific Foods Organic Cream of Mushroom Condensed Soup)
• 1/2 tablespoon of seasoning (I prefer Kinder’s “The Blend” Seasoning with salt, pepper, and garlic)
• 1 heaping tablespoon of salt
• Olive Oil

Kitchen Utensils You Will Need

How To Make It

Start by preparing the green beans.

Preheat your oven to broil.

Add 3 quarts of water to your stock pot or Dutch oven bottom.

Add 1 heaping tablespoon of salt to the water.

Turn up the heat so the water starts to boil.

Add the green beans (frozen or fresh) to the boiling water. Boil the green beans for about 10 minutes or until the beans start to soften. The green beans are ready when they are firm, but not hard. Do not boil the green beans too much so that they become mushy.

Combine the ingredients to make the casserole.

While the green beans are boiling, spread a thin layer of olive oil on the bottom and sides of your 9″x13″ pan.

When the green beans are done boiling, strain them, and then evenly spread them over the bottom of the 9″x13″ pan.

Evenly sprinkle the 1/2 tablespoon (or 3 to 4 shakes) of the seasoning over the green beans.

Use a garlic press to mince the garlic cloves. Then evenly sprinkle the minced garlic over the top of the green beans.

Mix the garlic and seasoning into the green beans.

Pour all the mushroom soup onto the green beans. Push the mushroom soup down into the green beans so that they are evenly mixed.

Shred about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of cheese. Evenly spread the shredded cheese over the top of the green beans and mushroom soup mixture.

Cook, cut, and serve!

Place in the oven for 20 minutes. The cheese should be melted and started to turn golden brown.

When the casserole is done cooking, remove it from the oven and let it cool down for about 10 minutes before serving.

Now cut, serve, and enjoy!

Other Versions of Green Bean Casserole

Traditional Green Bean Casserole

For a more traditional version, make the following changes to the recipe above:

• Reduce the amount of shredded cheese in my recipe above to about 1 cup. After evenly spreading the shredded cheese on top of the casserole, then evenly spread about 1 1/2 cups of crispy fried onions on top of the cheese. Cook until the cheese is melted and the crispy onions are turning brown in color. This will give the casserole an interesting crunch and texture.
• Instead of the Manchego cheese that I recommend, use shredded sharp cheddar cheese.

Important: Watch the ingredients of the crispy fried onions you buy off the shelf in the store! Some of the brands contain unpronounceable ingredients and there is a good chance many of the brands are NOT gluten-free.

Also, if you use the cheddar cheese instead of the recommended Manchego cheese, your recipe will no longer be dairy-free.

Additional Flair

Green bean casserole is a great dish to experiment with when cooking to make it your own! Here are some additional ideas to add a little flair to your Borscht.

• Mix in some fried bacon bits!
• Use fresh green beans from the garden! You will need to boil the fresh green beans for about 3 to 5 minutes until they are tender-crisp, but still bright green.
• Use Cream of Celery soup instead of Cream of Mushroom soup. Then mix in some sauteed mushrooms and onions with the green beans.
• Try different flavors of shredded cheese. Cheddar, Pepper Jack, Swiss, Monterrey…there are many different flavors of cheese to try!
• For a little spicy kick, add some cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper when mixing the green beans and mushroom soup.

If You Enjoyed This Recipe…

Additional recipes are being added to my blog every couple of weeks. You can find them here: Recipes