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Vegan Green Bean Casserole + More Plant-Based Thanksgiving Recipes

November 14, 2017  |  By: Whitney E. RD

Whether you’re plant-based or not, this vegan green bean casserole is a delicious, nutritious addition to your Thanksgiving table!

I’ve had a lot of Thanksgiving green bean casseroles in my day.

Several good ones, but many more bad ones. The bad ones were usually a product of mushy canned beans and sodium-heavy condensed cream of mushroom soup. The good ones were usually made from scratch but also tasted a little healthier than I prefer for Thanksgiving.

This year, for a Friendsgiving dinner I hosted, I wanted to bridge the gap between these green bean varieties and produce a dish that was simultaneously nutritious but also as rich, creamy, and indulgent as a classic casserole.

To throw in another criterion, I also wanted to create a vegan green bean casserole.

Initially, I was discouraged when I couldn’t find any premade vegan cream of mushroom soup. However, it turns out that it’s actually very easy to make your own.

Using six simple ingredients (aside from standard spices and oil), this green bean casserole is as creamy and delicious as the dairy-packed original.

While it does take about an hour to make, the steps are very simple and the prep time is under 3o minutes.

A couple of time-saving tricks I used to cut back on prep included using prewashed and trimmed organic green beans from Taylor Farms and buying pre-made vegan fried onions.

You can totally go the extra mile and fry your own green beans, but I personally have to draw the line somewhere, and onion frying is it.

I went basic (and cheap) with white button mushrooms for the sauce, but you can get fancy with portobellos or shiitakes if that’s your style.

The Best Vegan Green Bean Casserole

 

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Prep time

25 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

55 mins

 

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 16 oz mushrooms, chopped
• 1 sweet onion, chopped
• 4 cups green beans, washed and trimmed
• ¼ cup vegetable stock
• 1 cup full-fat canned coconut milk
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• pepper to taste
• 1⅓ cups fried onions

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350.
2. Heat olive oil in a medium pan.
3. Add onion and saute for about 5 minutes.
4. Add chopped mushrooms and continue to saute for 15 minutes.
5. While the mushrooms cook, add green beans to a pot with about ¼ cup of water.
6. Heat pot over medium, steaming beans for about 5 minutes until they are tender.
7. Add beans to an ice water bath to prevent further cooking.
8. Add vegetable stock to mushrooms to deglaze plan.
9. Add ½ of the mushroom mixture to a blender with 1 cup of coconut milk, and puree. Reserve the rest of the mix in the pan.
10. Return pureed mushroom blend to the pan.
11. Stir in salt, garlic powder, and pepper to taste.
12. In a large bowl, mix together the green beans, mushroom soup, and ⅔ cup fried onions.
13. Add to a baking dish.
14. Bake for 25 minutes.
15. Top with remaining ⅔ cup onions and bake for 5 minutes.
16. Serve immediately.

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The casserole turned out fantastic and my husband raved about its decadent flavor.

He couldn’t believe that it (or the rest of the dishes on our Friendsgiving table) were totally vegan.

The spread also included my Lemongrass + Ginger Butternut Squash Soup and two recently upgraded #whitskitch recipes: my Thanksgiving Lentil Loaf and Sweet + Savory Thanksgiving Veggies. Both will be coming to the blog later this week.

I also whipped up an easy, seasonal salad using Taylor Farms organic baby arugula.

I think a light festive salad is always nice to balance out the heavier dishes on your Thanksgiving table.

This Pear, Pomegranate, and Pecan Salad has a lovely, sweet yet peppery flavor thanks to the pungent arugula leaves.

I also created an incredibly simple Pear Vinaigrette to top it off, using just three main ingredients: pear, apple cider vinegar, and extra virgin olive oil.

Pear, Pomegranate, and Pecan Salad with Pear Vinaigrette

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Total time

10 mins

 

An easy, sweet and peppery Thanksgiving side salad.

Author: Whitney English

Recipe type: Salad, Side, Thanksgiving

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 4 cups of arugula
• 1 pear, cored and sliced
• ½ cup pomegranate seeds
• ½ cup pecan halves
• ½ cup soft vegan cheese
• fresh cracked pepper

Pear Vinaigrette

• 1 pear, peeled and cored
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• dash of pepper

Instructions

1. Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl.
2. In a blender, combine all dressing ingredients and puree until smooth.
3. Top salad with dressing and toss to coat.
4. Serve immediately.

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After consuming all of these hearty vegan dishes, we barely had room left for dessert, but naturally, we made some.

I found a vegan pumpkin pie and plant-based whipped cream at the grocery store to finish off the feast and we enjoyed it while catching up on Curb Your Enthusiasm.

It was a perfect pre-Thanksgiving feast without an animal in sight. Well, except for Mr. Chow, who was keeping a close watch for scraps.

Whether you and your family are vegan, Predominantly Plant-Based, or adventurous omnivores, I highly encourage you to try a few of these delicious dishes to add some nutritious flavor to your holiday table.

And stay tuned this week for the rest of my plant-based Thanksgiving recipes!

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Weigh-in: Will you try this vegan green bean casserole for your Thanksgiving table?

*This post is sponsored by Taylor Farms but all recipes, photos, and opinions are my own.