Meal Makeover: Green Bean Casserole

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I decided to have a mock Thanksgiving/Christmas dinner two  nights ago. I made stuffing, cranberry relish, rolls, this green bean casserole and dessert. Although we didn’t have the turkey, the meal was absolutely amazing. The stand out dish, for sure, was the light green bean casserole. I’m such a HUGE fan of the original recipe [Campbell’s]. I usually have about 2-3 servings at dinner and then another serving the next day for breakfast. Although it’s not the worst dish you could possibly eat, 3-4 servings in 2 days can really add up, calorie and fat wise!

It’s hard to beat the original recipe! [Photo via]

  • A one-cup serving of Campbell’s green bean casserole has 300 calories and 20 grams of fat! Times that by 2 or 3 servings and you are at an entire meal’s worth of calories!

Because of how much I love this recipe and how much I eat of it [and plan to eat at Christmas] I knew I had to find a way to lighten it up but keep all of the comforting flavor. Thanks to My Recipes, I found the perfect recipe for a lighter casserole. Although the calories are equivalent to the original, the fat grams are cut in half! As you’ll see, this recipe omits the standard French fried onions for herb flavored stuffing. Honestly? I liked the stuffing better! It added a unique flavor but still had that crunch I crave. This light side dish is perfect for any holiday party! Oh, and it’s so easy to make and Elliot loved it. Those are two big bonuses in my book!

Lighter Green Bean Casserole

What You’ll Need:

  • Vegetable cooking spray
  • 1/4  cup  chopped onion
  • 2  tablespoons  all-purpose flour
  • 1  cup  skim milk
  • 1/2  cup shredded reduced-sodium, reduced-fat Swiss cheese
  • 1/2  cup  fat free cream
  • 1  teaspoon  sugar
  • 1/2  teaspoon  salt
  • 18 oz of frozen green beans [I used fresh, though]
  • 1 1/2  cups  herb-seasoned stuffing mix
  • 2  teaspoons  butter, melted
  • 1  egg white, lightly beaten

How to Make It:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Coat a medium saucepan with cooking spray and, over medium heat,  saute onions for 5 minutes or until tender.

  • Add flour, and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.

  • Gradually add the milk, stirring until blended.

  • Stir in cheese, sour cream, sugar, and salt; cook 5 minutes or until thick and bubbly, stirring constantly.

  • Place green beans in an 8-inch square baking dish. [If you use fresh, cut beans in half].

  • Pour sauce over beans and stir well.

  • Combine stuffing mix, margarine, and egg white in a bowl and stir.

  • Sprinkle mixture over the green beans.

  • Bake for 25 minutes or until bubbly. [NOTE: If you use fresh green beans, you will need to cook for an additional 10-15 minutes].

Nutritional information per 1/2 cup: 135 calories, 4.3 grams of fat, 7 grams of protein and 2 grams of fiber.

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Comments

  1. Posted by Megan Acosta on
    Friday, December 10th, 2010
    This sounds delicious! Will have to try it!
  2. Posted by Christina Berry on
    Friday, November 15th, 2013
    Hello,
    I am the dietitian with USF Dining. I randomly came across your page and really enjoy seeing your modificatons of delicious recipes to 'healthier' recipes. I was looking at your lighter green bean casserole and saw that the amount of sour cream to be used is not listed in the ingredients.

    Thought I would just let you know!

    I am trying this recipe next week with a cooking class here and im sure it will be great!

    Thanks.