I think the perfect Thanksgiving side dish standby recipe everyone loves is Green Bean Casserole. Am I right? I look forward to it all year, but I’m not waiting all year to eat it anymore! Today, I have the most delicious healthy velvety green bean casserole that you’ll be making all year long.
While the old recipe called for frozen green beans, that’s the first thing I wanted to change. To me, there’s nothing better than long fresh green beans. Yes, it takes a bit more work, but buy the ones that are already have the ends snipped and are cleaned. Easy peasy!
The second ingredient I changed was using canned soup. Make your own. It’s easy, and healthier and way more tastier too.
Let’s get cooking.
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Bali Green 2 Quart Baking Dish
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Healthy Velvety Green Bean Casserole
What ingredients do you need to make Healthy Velvety Green Bean Casserole?
2 Pounds of Fresh String Beans, Ends Snipped & Washed
1 Tablespoon of Light Whipped Butter
Vegetable Cooking Spray
2 Large Onions, Quartered and Sliced
1 Large Can of Sliced Mushrooms, Drained
3 Tablespoons of All Purpose Flour
1 Cup of Skim Milk
1/2 Cup of Fat Free Half & Half
Teaspoon Each of Salt & Pepper
1 Teaspoon of Garlic Powder
1 Tablespoon of Dried Parsley
8 Ounces of Fat Free Plain Greek Yogurt
1/2 Cup of Whole Wheat Panko Crumbs
8 Tablespoons of Finely Shredded Parmesan Cheese
2 Teaspoons of Light Whipped Butter, Melted
How to preCook the green beans
- You can precook your green beans 1 of 2 ways. I use the microwave and use my vintage Tupperware vegetable steamer. You add the string beans to a microwaveable vegetable steamer. Add string beans and water according to steamer directions. Microwave for 4 minutes. Remove from microwave and place in an ice bath to stop them from cooking and wilting. Allow to cool for 1 minute in the ice water, drain and dry string beans on a bed of paper towels. Set aside.
- Blanching Method: Bring a stock pot or large sauce pan filled with water to a rolling boil. Add a pinch of salt. Place the string beans in the water and cook for about 4 minutes. Again, have a bowl filled with ice and put the string beans in to cool for about 1 minute. Drain water and dry string beans on a bed of paper towels. Set aside.
How to Cook the onions and mushrooms to add to the Green Bean Casserole
- Spray a large deep saute pan with vegetable cooking spray and place over medium high heat. When pan is hot, add the tablespoon of light whipped butter.
- Add in all the onions and mushrooms. Cook until the onions brown and start to caramelize – about 15 minutes.
- Sprinkle the flour on top and mix into the vegetables. Cook until the flour is no longer white and is tan in color.
- Slowly add in the skim milk and then the fat free 1/2 and 1/2. Keep stirring after each addition of milk and 1/2 and 1/2.
- Stir in salt, pepper, garlic powder and parsley.
- Continue cooking over medium high heat until the milk mixture thickens and then reduces – about 10 minutes. If the mixture coats the back of a spoon, you can remove from the heat.
- Next whisk in the fat free Greek yogurt a bit at a time. Make sure it is combined well and is smooth. Set aside.
How to Make the Crispy ToppingÂ
- Combine Panko Crumbs and finely shredded Parmesan Cheese together in a bowl. Add in 2 teaspoons of melted light butter. Stir to combine. Set aside.
How to arrange and Bake the Healthy Velvety Green Bean Casserole
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Spray a 2 quart baking pan with vegetable cooking spray.
- Arrange 1/2 of the green beans into the pan.
- Spread 1/2 of the onion/mushroom creamy mixture on top of the green beans.
- Add the rest of the green beans and then top with the remaining onion/mushroom mixture.
- Top with the Panko Bread Crumb mixture.
- Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 5 minutes to brown the topping.
- This makes 6 generous side dish servings. On Weight Watchers Blue Plan, each serving is 4 SP, on the Green Plan it is 5 SP and on the Purple Plan, it is 4 SP. Enjoy!
RELATED POST:Â How I Lost Almost 10 Pounds in 2 Weeks on Weight Watchers
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- 2 Pounds of Fresh String Beans, Ends Snipped & Washed
- 1 Tablespoon of Light Whipped Butter
- Vegetable Cooking Spray
- 2 Large Onions, Quartered and Sliced
- 1 Large Can of Sliced Mushrooms, Drained
- 3 Tablespoons of All Purpose Flour
- 1 Cup of Skim Milk
- ½ Cup of Fat Free Half & Half
- Teaspoon Each of Salt & Pepper
- 1 Teaspoon of Garlic Powder
- 1 Tablespoon of Dried Parsley
- 8 Ounces of Fat Free Plain Greek Yogurt
- ½ Cup of Whole Wheat Panko Crumbs
- 8 Tablespoons of Finely Shredded Parmesan Cheese
- 2 Teaspoons of Light Whipped Butter, Melted
- You can precook your green beans 1 of 2 ways. I use the microwave and use my vintage Tupperware vegetable steamer. You add the string beans to a microwaveable vegetable steamer. Add string beans and water according to steamer directions. Microwave for 4 minutes. Remove from microwave and place in an ice bath to stop them from cooking and wilting. Allow to cool for 1 minute in the ice water, drain and dry string beans on a bed of paper towels. Set aside.
- Blanching Method: Bring a stock pot or large sauce pan filled with water to a rolling boil. Add a pinch of salt. Place the string beans in the water and cook for about 4 minutes. Again, have a bowl filled with ice and put the string beans in to cool for about 1 minute. Drain water and dry string beans on a bed of paper towels. Set aside.
- Spray a large deep saute pan with vegetable cooking spray and place over medium high heat. When pan is hot, add the tablespoon of light whipped butter.
- Add in all the onions and mushrooms. Cook until the onions brown and start to caramelize - about 15 minutes.
- Sprinkle the flour on top and mix into the vegetables. Cook until the flour is no longer white and is tan in color.
- Slowly add in the skim milk and then the fat free ½ and ½. Keep stirring after each addition of milk and ½ and ½.
- Stir in salt, pepper, garlic powder and parsley.
- Continue cooking over medium high heat until the milk mixture thickens and then reduces - about 10 minutes.If the mixture coats the back of a spoon, you can remove from the heat.
- Next whisk in the fat free Greek yogurt a bit at a time. Make sure it is combined well and is smooth. Set aside.
- Combine Panko Crumbs and finely shredded Parmesan Cheese together in a bowl. Add in 2 teaspoons of melted light butter. Stir to combine. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Spray a 2 quart baking pan with vegetable cooking spray.
- Arrange ½ of the green beans into the pan.
- Spread ½ of the onion/mushroom creamy mixture on top of the green beans.
- Add the rest of the green beans and then top with the remaining onion/mushroom mixture.
- Top with the Panko Bread Crumb mixture.
- Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 5 minutes to brown the topping.
- This makes 6 generous side dish servings. On Weight Watchers Blue Plan, each serving is 4 SP, on the Green Plan it is 5 SP and on the Purple Plan, it is 4 SP. Enjoy!
I hope you make this Healthy Velvety Green Bean Casserole this Thanksgiving. And remember, now you can enjoy this more than one time a year since it’s so low in SmartPoints.