Healthier Green Bean Casserole

Green bean casserole has a pedigree. It was invented by Campbell Soup Company in 1955 to prompt happy housewives to buy more cream of mushroom soup, it’s a piece of American marketing history. A culinary icon, but one, like many from its era, that falls squarely in our makeover sweet-spot.

EatingWell's Green Bean Casserole [4]

Makeover [5]
Add/Read Comments (1) [6]

More Thanksgiving Recipe Makeovers

Healthier Roast Turkey [7]
Healthier Gravy [8]
Healthier Thanksgiving Sweet Potatoes [9]
Healthier Sausage Stuffing [10]
Healthier Pumpkin Pie [11]
Cut 851 calories from Thanksgiving dinner (without sacrificing taste!) [12]

More Thanksgiving Recipes

Easy Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes [13]
Easy Thanksgiving Casserole Recipes [14]
EatingWell's Best Thanksgiving Turkey Recipes [15]
Easy Thanksgiving Stuffing Recipes [16]
Gravy Recipes [17]
Easy Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes [18]

EatingWell Green Bean Casserole [19]

Traditionally made with butter, canned soup and canned French-fried onions, this classic is high in calories, sodium and saturated fat. We get an equally delicious result by using fresh mushrooms, low-fat milk and lightly pan-fried sweet onions coated with garlic-seasoned flour. When you taste our version, we’re sure you’ll agree this is one culinary icon that was ready for a re-invention.

How We Made It Healthier

We skip the canned mushroom soup (which has plenty of sodium) and instead make our own creamy sauce.
We use frozen green beans instead of fresh - this keeps it easy, but still healthy. Frozen beans are a great option [20]— they're picked at the peak of ripeness when they have plenty of nutrients then frozen right away.
To reduce sodium we call for sherry in this recipe- but don't use cooking sherry as it has added sodium.
Buttermilk powder is one of the "secret" ingredients that makes this so "rich" tasting but still healthy. It adds depth of flavor but not a lot of calories or fat. Look for it in the baking section of your supermarket.
Get the recipe for Green Bean Casserole [19]

Recipe comparison of EatingWell’s Green Bean Casserole versus a traditional version. We:

Cut calories by about a quarter
Cut fat in half
Cut saturated fat by 80%
Added fiber
Cut sodium

Nutrition Comparison
EatingWell’s Green Bean Casserole [19]	Traditional Green Bean Casserole Recipe
212 Calories	276 Calories
10 g Fat	21 g Fat
2 g Saturated Fat	10 g Saturated Fat
3 g Fiber	2 g Fiber
533 mg Sodium	649 mg Sodium

Links:
[1] http://www.eatingwell.com/user?destination=print/1870
[2] http://www.eatingwell.com/print/1870
[3] http://www.addtoany.com/share_save?linkurl=healthy_cooking/quick_healthy_cooking/healthier_green_bean_casserole&linkname=Healthier Green Bean Casserole
[4] http://bed56888308e93972c04-0dfc23b7b97881dee012a129d9518bae.r34.cf1.rackcdn.com/sites/default/files/green_bean_casserole_close.jpg
[5] http://www.eatingwell.com/healthy_cooking/quick_healthy_cooking/healthier_green_bean_casserole
[6] http://www.eatingwell.com/healthy_cooking/quick_healthy_cooking/healthier_green_bean_casserole?section=comments#tabs
[7] http://www.eatingwell.com/healthy_cooking/quick_healthy_cooking/healthier_roast_turkey
[8] http://www.eatingwell.com/healthy_cooking/quick_healthy_cooking/healthier_gravy
[9] http://www.eatingwell.com/healthy_cooking/quick_healthy_cooking/healthier_thanksgiving_sweet_potatoes
[10] http://www.eatingwell.com/healthy_cooking/quick_healthy_cooking/healthier_sausage_stuffing
[11] http://www.eatingwell.com/healthy_cooking/quick_healthy_cooking/healthier_pumpkin_pie
[12] http://www.eatingwell.com/blogs/healthy_cooking_blog/cut_851_calories_from_thanksgiving_dinner_without_sacrificing_taste
[13] http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/recipe_slideshows/easy_thanksgiving_side_dishes
[14] http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/recipe_slideshows/easy_thanksgiving_casserole_recipes
[15] http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/recipe_slideshows/eatingwells_best_thanksgiving_turkey_recipes
[16] http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/recipe_slideshows/easy_thanksgiving_stuffing_recipes
[17] http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/recipe_slideshows/gravy_recipes
[18] http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/recipe_slideshows/easy_thanksgiving_dessert_recipes
[19] http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/green_bean_casserole.html_0
[20] http://www.eatingwell.com/nutrition_health/nutrition_news_information/fresh_vs_frozen_vegetables_are_we_giving_up_nutrition_fo

Healthier Green Bean Casserole

Healthier Green Bean Casserole

More Thanksgiving Recipe Makeovers

More Thanksgiving Recipes

EatingWell Green Bean Casserole [19]

How We Made It Healthier

Recipe comparison of EatingWell’s Green Bean Casserole versus a traditional version. We:

Nutrition Comparison