Whole30 and Paleo Green Bean Casserole
The iconic Campbell’s soup can took on a life of its own when the original Green Bean Casserole recipe was published. But now we know that in that can is a bunch of stuff we don’t want in our bodies, right? My Whole30 and Paleo Green Bean Casserole has all the familiar elements to make this a true comfort food recipe, but none of the junk.
Original Recipe vs Whole30 and Paleo Green Bean Casserole
The most obvious difference is there are no cans involved. In order to make this recipe completely Whole30 friendly, nothing can come out of a package because all canned (or boxed) cream of mushroom soups contain cornstarch and packaged gluten-free fried onions (if you can find them) contain some sort of grain. My recipe only contains almond flour and tapioca starch for thickener in the soup and coating on the onions. The creamy ingredient in the homemade mushroom soup is coconut milk instead of dairy milk or cream. Canned green beans were the original version, but for the most nutrients, use frozen or fresh.
Make Ahead Steps
You can absolutely make this ahead.
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Make the fried onions up to 5 days in advance.
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Blanch the green beans (if using fresh) and make the mushroom soup 3-4 days in advance.
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Assemble the casserole (without the onions on top) 1-2 days ahead of time and then baked the day of serving.
Whole30 and Paleo Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients
- Fried Onion Ingredients
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
3/4 cup almond or coconut milk
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp salt, divided
1 tsp pepper, divided
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp paprika
3/4 cup almond flour
3/4 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup coconut or avocado oil
- Green Bean Casserole Ingredients
1 recipe Mushroom Soup (made with Condensed soup directions)
1 1/2 lbs fresh or frozen green beans, stems removed and cut into bite-sized pieces if fresh
1/4 cup almond or coconut milk
1 tsp minced garlic
Directions
- Make the Fried Onions
- Mix the almond or coconut milk with the vinegar and half of the seasonings in a shallow dish. (I use a pie plate.)
- Mix the almond flour and tapioca flour with the remaining seasonings in a ziploc bag or another shallow dish.
- Add the onions a handful at a time to the milk mixture using one hand then drain off excess liquid and move them to the dry mixture.
- Use your dry hand to toss the flour mixture all over the onion pieces to coat.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet until a little of the crumb mixture sizzles. Add enough onions to make a single layer and cook over medium high heat until the onion pieces are brpwn on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel covered plate.
- Repeat until all the onions have been coated and fried. Store at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Blanch the green beans (if using fresh.)
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 2 tbsp sea salt
- Prepare a large bowl of ice water and set to the side of stove
- Carefully add the green beans and let cook until the are just turning bright green
- Remove with a slotted spoon or tongs to the ice water and let stand for 5 minutes.
- Drain well. If immediately assembling casserole, use paper towels or a clean kitchen towels to dry off moisture from green beans. If assembling later, place the blanched green beans in a bowl or ziploc bag and store until ready assemble.
- Assemble the Casserole
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (if cooking the same day of assembly)
- Combine the blanched green beans with mushroom soup, almond or coconut milk, garlic and 1/2 cup of the fried onions.
- Transfer to a 2 quart baking dish and cover with foil. Store for 1-2 days in the fridge or bake covered for 20 minutes or until bubbly.
- Remove cover and top with remaining fried onions. Bake for another 10-15 minutes or until the fried onions crisp up and everything is bubbling together.