This Mediterranean Green Bean Casserole features sun-dried tomatoes and kalamata olives for a rustic, romantic vibe. An excellent changeup to a familiar favorite, this fancy green bean casserole recipe is sure to WOW those who try it!
Did you make my Healthy Green Bean Casserole recipe last year during the holiday season?
It was such a hit among my friends and family that I made it several times. And now I’m back with a very similar dish but we’re making it all rustic and romantic with Mediterranean feels.
The flavor in this casserole is so intense, it’s bound to be the star of the evening. Creamy, briny, rich, a show-stopping flavor-blasted dish.
If you’re looking to stick with traditional, familiar sides but love the idea of adding a unique spin to change the flavor profile, this Mediterranean Green Bean Casserole is for you!
And it’s so intoxicatingly addicting (never thought I’d say that about green beans), you’ll want to make it for any gathering, not just the holidays!
If the thought of having a Mediterranean themed Thanksgiving appeals to you, also check out my luscious Mediterranean Scalloped Potatoes!
The preparation of this casserole is fairly time-intensive but far from complicated.
I do recommend reading all of the instructions before you embark on this Mediterranean Green Bean Casserole Adventure, because it will make the preparation process orders of magnitude easier.
Don’t sweat it, put on a podcast, relax into it, and enjoy the ride.
And if you like to make recipes well in advance to keep things low-stress on the day of the big feast, this is a glorious option for that! Not only can the recipe be made in parts, but it can also be made in full well in advance as it saves very well.
Let’s discuss the ingredients.
Ingredients for Mediterranean Green Bean Casserole:
Caramelized Onion Topping: Onions and almond flour. Caramelizing two yellow onions to perfection with a little almond flour for a bit of crisp makes for the most excellent, flavorful topping to this dish.
A note to the folks who love the iconic crispy topping on classic green bean casserole: the topping isn’t crispy here so if you prefer a different topping, feel free to make the swap!
Creamy Dairy-Free Sauce: Bacon, mushrooms, garlic, coconut milk, gluten-free flour, sun-dried tomatoes, and kalamata olives makes for an intensely rich and flavorful sauce!
We render the fat of the bacon to sauté the mushrooms and garlic and save the actual bacon for the topping later. Coconut milk is then added to the mushrooms and garlic, along with the flour for thickening, and sun-dried tomatoes and kalamata olives for an incredible Mediterranean vibe. This dairy-free sauce takes the place of condensed cream of mushroom soup from the traditional version.
If you’d like to add some grated parmesan or gruyere cheese to the sauce to make it even wilder, feel free to do so!
Green Beans: Fresh green beans (you can purchase them pre-washed and pre-trimmed to save time!), avocado oil, and sea salt.
We boil the green beans before using them in the casserole so that they’re nice and tender. After boiling and draining the green beans, we toss them in avocado oil and sea salt to ensure they’re well-seasoned.
Now that we have the ingredients down, let’s bake the casserole!
How to Make Healthy Green Bean Casserole:
Preparing this healthy green bean casserole is simple and easy, but requires a chunk of time. It can be broken into four main steps.
The most time-consuming part is caramelizing the onions. The good news is, you can easily prepare the rest of the recipe while the onions are caramelizing because they don’t require much attention.
Prep Ahead Tip:
If you like to make recipes in parts, you can easily make the caramelized onions and sauce ahead of time and store them in containers in the refrigerator. Simply boil the green beans and compile the casserole on the day you’re going to serve it.
Make the Topping.
Begin by caramelizing the onions. Add the avocado oil to a large non-stick skillet and heat to medium-high. Add the onions and sprinkle liberally with sea salt.
Cover the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions turn translucent and have softened. Remove the cover from the skillet and reduce the heat to medium or medium-low. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the onions are brown and caramelized, about 50 to 60 minutes.
Remove caramelized onions from the heat and stir in the almond flour.
Set aside until ready to use (Note: If you perform this step ahead of time, you can transfer the onions to a bowl or tupperware container and store in the refrigerator until you’re ready to bake the casserole).
Pro Tip: If the onions begin to turn very dark on the edges too quickly, lower the heat. If the onions begin to stick to the skillet at any point, deglaze it with a little bit of broth or water.
Pre-Cook the Green Beans:
While onions are sautéing, prepare the rest of the recipe.
Heat a large pot of water on the stove top and bring it to a full boil. While the water is heating up, trim the ends off the green beans and chop them into 2-inch pieces. Transfer the green beans to the pot of boiling water and cook until softened, but still al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Immediately drain the beans into a colander and set aside until ready to use.
This step ensures the green beans are the perfect texture when you go to eat the dish. If you don’t boil the beans ahead of time, they will be very crunchy and won’t have the luscious consistency a good green bean casserole should have.
Make the Sauce:
Cook the bacon over medium-high heat in a large skillet until crispy, about 5 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a cutting board and leave the drippings in the skillet.
Add the chopped mushrooms to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms have turned golden-brown and are much smaller than they were when raw, about 5 to 8 minutes.
Add the garlic and continue cooking for another 2 minutes.
Add the coconut milk, flour, and sea salt and bring the sauce to a full boil, whisking well until the flour clumps are out. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes and kalamata olives. Continue cooking the sauce until it has thickened to a consistency similar to gravy and pulls away from the skillet when stirred, about 5 to 8 minutes.
Compile the Casserole:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Transfer the cooked and drained green beans to a large (13” x 9”) casserole dish. Drizzle with avocado oil and sea salt and toss everything together until all of the beans are coated with oil.
Transfer the sauce mixture to the casserole dish and stir well until the beans are well-coated in sauce.
Evenly distribute the caramelized onions over the green beans. Transfer the casserole dish to the pre-heated oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the casserole is fragrant and bubbly.
Chop the bacon and sprinkle the crumbles over the casserole.
Serve with your main dish!
If you’re looking for more delicious, healthy side dishes for your gatherings, also check out these recipes:
More Healthy Side Dishes:
- Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole
- Caramelized Cabbage with Bacon
- Creamy Cauliflower Casserole
- Maple Cinnamon Roasted Delicata Squash
- Creamy Brussel Sprout Casserole
- Maple Bourbon Cranberry Sauce
And that’s it! I hope you love this different spin on green bean casserole!
If you make this green bean casserole recipe, feel free to share a photo on Instagram and tag @the.roasted.root!
Mediterranean Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients
Caramelized Onion Topping:
- 3 Tbsp avocado oil
- 2 large yellow onions sliced*
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1/2 cup almond flour
Creamy Mediterranean Sauce:
- 4 sliced thick-cut bacon
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil
- 8 ounces mushrooms chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 15-oz can full-fat coconut milk
- 2 Tbsp gluten-free All-Purpose flour or tapioca flour
- 2/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes drained
- 1/2 cup kalamata olives
- 1/2 tsp sea salt to taste
Green Beans:
- 2 lbs green beans trimmed and chopped into 2-inch pieces
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Make the Topping.
- Add the avocado oil to a large non-stick skillet and heat to medium-high. Add the onions and sprinkle liberally with sea salt. Cover the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions turn translucent and have softened. Remove the cover from the skillet and reduce the heat to medium or medium-low. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the onions are brown and caramelized, about 50 to 60 minutes.
- Remove caramelized onions from the heat and stir in the almond flour. Set aside until ready to use.
Pre-Cook the Green Beans:
- Heat a large pot of water on the stove top and bring it to a full boil. While the water is heating up, trim the ends off the green beans and chop them into 2-inch pieces. Transfer the green beans to the pot of boiling water and cook until softened, but still al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Immediately drain the beans into a colander and set aside until ready to use.
Make the Sauce:
- Cook the bacon over medium-high heat in a large skillet or thick-bottomed pot until crispy, about 5 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a cutting board and leave the drippings in the skillet.
- Add the chopped mushrooms to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms have turned golden-brown and are much smaller than they were when raw, about 5 to 8 minutes.
- Add the garlic and continue cooking for another 2 minutes.
- Add the coconut milk, flour, and sea salt and bring the sauce to a full boil, whisking well until the flour clumps are out. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes and kalamata olives. If adding parmesan cheese, do so now. Continue cooking the sauce until it has thickened to a consistency similar to gravy and pulls away from the skillet when stirred, about 5 to 8 minutes.
Compile the Casserole:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Transfer the cooked and drained green beans to a large (13” x 9”) casserole dish. Drizzle with avocado oil and sea salt and toss everything together until all of the beans are coated with oil.
- Pour the creamy Mediterranean sauce into the casserole dish and stir well until the beans are well-coated in sauce.
- Evenly distribute the caramelized onions over the green beans. Transfer the casserole dish to the pre-heated oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the casserole is fragrant and bubbly.
- Chop the bacon and sprinkle the crumbles over the casserole.
- Serve with alongside your main dish and enjoy!
Nutrition
