Green Bean Casserole Nutrition Facts: Calories, Vitamins, and More

Understanding the Nutritional Value of Green Bean Casserole

Green bean casserole is a beloved traditional dish often served during the holidays. It typically consists of green beans, cream of mushroom soup, and fried onion topping. But how healthy is this classic comfort food really?

Looking closer at green bean casserole nutrition information provides better insight on its merits and downsides. We’ll analyze its key nutritional components and how from-scratch adjustments can optimize this recipe for your diet.

The Origin Story Behind Green Bean Casserole

Before diving into specifics on its nutritional profile, it helps to understand a bit of backstory on how green bean casserole came to be such an iconic dish.

It was invented in 1955 by Dorcas Reilly while working in the Campbell’s Soup Company test kitchens. Her original recipe aimed to increase cream of mushroom soup sales by creating an easy, affordable casserole using pantry basics.

When Campbell’s published Reilly’s recipe in their corporate magazine, it quickly grew famous. To this day it remains a beloved staple side dish for holiday meals and potlucks in regions like the American Midwest.

Typical Ingredients in Green Bean Casserole Recipes

While some modern lightened adaptations exist, traditional green bean casserole recipes call for:

• Canned cut green beans
• Condensed cream of mushroom soup
• Milk
• Soy sauce
• Fried onions
• Black pepper

By looking at the nutrition facts behind each ingredient, we can calculate totals for the overall dish.

Analyzing the Nutrition Facts of Green Bean Casserole

Here’s how green bean casserole stacks up nutritionally per 1 cup cooked traditional recipe serving:

Calories and Macros

• 233 calories
• 13g fat
• 16g net carbs
• 7g protein

This provides moderate total calories comprised of mostly fat and carbs. The saturated fat and sodium levels are high given over 60% of calories come from the condensed soup.

Vitamins and Minerals

• 30mg calcium
• 1mg iron
• 22mcg folate
• 6mg vitamin C
• Trace amounts vitamins A, B6, B12, and K

Bean casserole dishes up a modest amount of vitamins and minerals. Top components include bone-supporting calcium, oxygen-carrying iron, and immunity boosting vitamin C.

Micronutrients

• 770mg sodium
• 417mg potassium
• 2g fiber
• Minimal other micronutrients

Micronutrient levels are less than ideal. While providing some fiber and potassium, salt content from canned soup and fried onions is very high.

Evaluating the Pros and Cons Nutritionally

Looking at the full nutritional breakdown reveals both advantageous and disadvantageous aspects of traditional green bean casserole:

Potential Benefits

• Provides vegetables like green beans
• Relatively low in sugar and carbs for a casserole dish
• Contains immune boosting onions and mushrooms
• Offers small amounts of vitamins, minerals and fiber

Including a full pound of vegetables per batch means nutritious plant foods make up part of this meal. The veggie content paired with some protein from milk gives it merit over more carb or fat-laden sides.

Potential Downsides

• Very high in sodium at over 750mg per serving
• Also high in saturated fat from full-fat soup and fried onions
• Minimal amounts of most other vitamins, minerals, or fiber
• Vegetables lose some nutritional value from canning process

Sodium and saturated fat levels are the biggest limiting factors for green bean casserole’s nutrition score. Canning green beans leads to some vitamin C and fiber loss versus fresh or frozen too.

Adjustments for Making Healthier Green Bean Casserole

Luckily with some substitutions you can still enjoy flavorful green bean casserole while improving its nutritional value. Healthier tweaks to try include:

Replace Canned Beans with Fresh or Frozen

Using freshly cooked green beans preserves more vitamins, minerals and fiber versus the canned version. Just briefly steam or roast them before assembling the casserole.

Swap Condensed Soup for Reduced Sodium

Cutting back on sodium while keeping creaminess is possible by using reduced sodium condensed cream of mushroom soup. This shaves roughly 600mg salt per serving.

Choose Low-Sodium Fry Crispy Onions

Most of the sodium in fried onions comes from the salt used to flavor them. Opt for a no-salt or low-sodium variety to trim another 250mg or so of sodium per serving.

Use Low-fat or Skim Milk

Substitute skim or 1% milk for heavy cream or whole milk called for in traditional recipes. This saves about 8g of fat and 60 calories per serving.

Increase Black Pepper and Herbs

Boost flavor without adding salt or fat by using more black pepper, thyme, parsley or paprika when assembling the bean casserole.

With these easy substitutions in place, you get a final nutrition profile with far less sodium, fat and calories while increasing fiber and nutrients. A win-win!

The Bottom Line on Green Bean Casserole Nutrition

While traditional recipes for classic green bean casserole can be high in sodium and saturated fat, with some simple ingredient tweaks you can still enjoy it guilt-free.

Focus on using fresh green beans, reduced-sodium soup, skim milk, and no-salt onion crisps. Then season up with black pepper and herbs in place of added salt.

This creates a healthier profile that’s lower in calories yet still packed with nutrition from vegetables, mushrooms and onions. So savor green bean casserole this holiday season knowing it can actually be good for you!

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.