When prepared with whole ingredients, green bean casserole can be a healthy addition to your family dinner.
Whether you call them green beans, string beans, or snap beans, this skinny vegetable is a staple at most holiday meals. Although the beans by themselves offer essential nutrients, including calcium and vitamins A and C, per the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), at most family gatherings it’s rare to find green beans simply steamed without butter and salt. Instead, green bean casserole is typically the go-to festive dish. The dish is delicious, sure, though the USDA notes that a 1-cup serving contains 360 calories and 26 grams (g) of fat.
But just because the standard green bean casserole dish isn’t exactly a healthy side dish doesn’t mean you need to avoid it. Part of what adds to the unhealthy saturated fat content of the traditional recipe is the addition of heavy cream, cream of mushroom soup, cheese, and fried onions. But with a few small tweaks, your green bean casserole can be transformed into a delicious dish that doesn't break the calorie bank.
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Whether you are looking to make a green bean casserole that’s entirely plant-based for your vegan or vegetarian guests, looking to reduce the saturated fat to make the dish more heart-healthy, per the American Heart Association, or simply want a lower-calorie version you can enjoy more than once a year, these "healthified" green bean casserole recipes have you covered.
Easy Vegan Green Bean Casserole
Planning your menu for the holidays can be tricky, especially if you have guests with specific dietary restrictions, such as those with food allergies or who are following a vegan diet. But no matter who attends your next gathering, this dish should please pretty much everyone on your list. With only 10 ingredients, this green bean casserole from Lindsey Janeiro, RDN, of Nutrition to Fit, is entirely plant-based and free of the top eight most common allergens.
Heart-Healthy Green Beans With Caramelized Onions and Almonds
One of the easiest ways to reduce the unhealthy saturated fat and calories in a green bean dish is to ditch the heavy cream, cheese, and cream of mushroom soup. But if you are worried that may leave you with a boring, flavorless side, think again. This healthier spin on the classic recipe from Marisa Moore, RDN, of Marisa Moore Nutrition, swaps in plant-based olive oil for a heart-healthy twist, per the Mayo Clinic. Meanwhile, melt-in-your-mouth caramelized onions are added to the mix, as are crunchy almonds for additional heart-healthy fat, according to a study published in February 2019 in Circulation Research.
Lower-Fat Green Bean Casserole With Au Gratin Topping
If you’re looking for a traditional creamy green bean casserole taste, look no further than this simple recipe from Kristina LaRue, RD, of Love & Zest. The chicken broth and a touch of flour allow you to reduce the amount of cream without losing the texture you love. And with reduced cream comes less added fat and calories. Bonus: Mushrooms provides extra flavor along with a boost of fiber, protein, and potassium, per the USDA. To reduce the sodium of this dish, trade canned green beans for fresh ones.
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Kidney-Friendly Green Bean Casserole
Inviting the family over for the holidays also means being able to accommodate the various dietary needs of all of your guests. If one of your family members are among the 37 million Americans with chronic kidney disease, as the American Kidney Fund estimates, making a dish that works for their dietary restrictions will be a welcome addition to the holiday table. Low in both potassium and sodium — which the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) recommends for chronic kidney disease — this dish from DaVita Kidney Care contains only seven ingredients.
Gluten-Free Green Bean Casserole
According to the NIDDK, as many as 1 in 141 Americans have celiac disease, an autoimmune condition in which eating foods with the protein gluten damages the small intestine. Grains like barley, wheat, and rye contain gluten. If you know someone managing celiac disease or a gluten intolerance (which can lead to symptoms similar to that of celiac, but does not damage the small intestine), understand that eating away from home during the holidays can be stressful for them. After all, with dinner rolls, pies, and casseroles galore, gluten-free fare isn’t always on the menu when there’s a crowd to feed. That’s where this creamy gluten-free (and vegan!) casserole dish from Rhian Williams, of Rhian's Recipes, comes in.
Lower-Sodium Homemade Green Bean Casserole
If your standard casserole recipe calls for condensed cream soups, a simple swap can help you to cut down on the sodium and saturated fat. This easy recipe from Jessica Fisher of Good Cheap Eats shows you how to whip up your own homemade cream soup to incorporate into your casserole for a less-processed, lower-sodium option with the same taste you know and love. Win-win!
Low-Carb Green Bean Casserole
Have a friend or family member on a low-carb diet? This recipe from Maya Krampf of Wholesome Yum is for you. Bonus: It’s gluten free and vegetarian-friendly, too! With only a few ingredients, you can throw it together in 10 minutes flat, leaving you plenty of time to prep the rest of your holiday menu. Just keep in mind that low-carb isn’t one-size-fits-all. At 11 g of carbs per serving, this side dish may contain too many carbs for someone on a very-low-carb diet like keto, which calls for consuming between 20 and 50 g of total carbs per day, according to Ruled.Me.
Lactose-Free Cream of Cauliflower Green Bean Casserole
The cream, butter, and cheese in traditional casseroles can spell disaster for dinner guests who are lactose intolerant. (The U.S. National Library of Medicine estimates 65 percent of the U.S. population has a decreased ability to digest lactose.) Thankfully, this delicious recipe from Crystal Blanchette of Chef's Guide to Divorce cuts the lactose without sacrificing the flavor. By blending cauliflower with plant-based creamers, this recipe is lower in saturated fat and total calories than your everyday casserole, as well as easier to digest for those sensitive to dairy.
Dairy- and Gluten-Free Green Bean Casserole
Whether you’re looking to incorporate more plant-based dishes into your next holiday meal or are trying to accommodate loved ones with gluten or dairy sensitivities, this vegan recipe from Alexis Joseph of Hummusapien is for you. Thanks to the secret ingredient — raw cashews — this dish is just as creamy as the traditional version, but without the added saturated fat or dairy from heavy cream. Not to mention, those cashews provide a welcome crunch and a bounty of nutrients, such as calcium, potassium, and magnesium, per the USDA.