Classic Vegan Green Bean Casserole

by Steph Sunshine at StephSunshine.com

Yield10 servings

Prep Time20 minutes

Cook Time58 minutes

Total Time78 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 lbs. fresh green beans, ends trimmed, chopped into 1 1/2" pieces
  • 1 large onion, sliced and quartered
  • 8 oz. baby bella (cremini) mushrooms, sliced
  • 1/2 tbsp. coconut oil
  • 1 cup raw, unsalted cashews, soaked
  • 1 1/2 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 1 3/4 tsp. coconut aminos or low-sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp. nutritional yeast
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. black pepper
  • 1 1/4 cup french fried crispy onions (3.5-oz package)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 9x13 or 10x15 casserole dish.

  2. (Optional) Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add green beans and boil for 5 minutes. Drain the green beans and use a slotted spoon to place them in an ice bath with cold water. This will stop them from cooking further.

  3. While green beans are boiling, melt coconut oil in a large skillet or saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion begins to brown (about 8-10 minutes).

  4. Add the sliced mushrooms to the pan, and cook until the mushrooms are soft and the juices have reduced, about another 6-8 minutes. Remove from heat.

  5. Blend soaked cashews (no need to soak them if using a high-powered blender), vegetable broth, soy sauce, nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper in the blender until a smooth and creamy sauce is formed, 2-4 minutes.

  6. Add your sautéed onions and mushrooms, green beans, and cashew cream to the baking dish, and mix so everything is evenly distributed and the vegetables are coated.

  7. Bake the casserole at 350°F (180°C) for 35 minutes, then add your crispy fried onions on top and continue baking for another 5 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

Notes & Hints

If you're using a high-powered blender, you won't need to pre-soak your cashews. For everyone else, soak your cashews in water for 2 hours, or boil them for 10 minutes.

Boiling your green beans before baking them is optional. If you don't boil them, your beans will be slightly more crisp. However, boiling them then icing them helps the beans to retain a bright green color after cooking.

Make Ahead: Follow all the instructions, except the last step (baking). Refrigerate the casserole (don't add the crispy onions ahead of time), then remove it an hour before you're ready to cook it. Then cook and add onions as normal!

Leftovers: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days, or freeze for up to 6 months.

Reheat: I reheat this in a small pan on the stove and add almond milk to keep it from drying out. You could also reheat in the oven at 350°F (180°C) for about 12-15 minutes.

StephSunshine