Lighter Green Bean Casserole Recipe: Lower Calories & Sodium

Understanding Calories in Green Bean Casserole

Green bean casserole is a beloved Thanksgiving staple in many households. This creamy, comforting dish typically consists of green beans, cream of mushroom soup, fried onions, and seasonings baked together in a casserole dish. But like many holiday favorites, traditional green bean casserole tends to be high in calories, sodium, and saturated fat.

The Classic Green Bean Casserole Recipe

The traditional green bean casserole recipe was invented in the 1950s and popularized by Campbell's Soup. It calls for:

• 2 (10.75 ounce) cans Campbell's Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
• 12 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 cups cooked cut green beans
• 1 1/3 cups French's French Fried Onions

For a 9x13 inch casserole, the total calorie count works out to:

• Cream of Mushroom Soup: approx. 840 calories
• Milk: 80 calories
• Green Beans: 120 calories
• Fried Onions: 320 calories

So one 9x13 pan of classic Campbell's green bean casserole contains about 1360 calories total. That's a hefty calorie load for one side dish!

Calculating Calories per Serving

To determine the calories per serving, divide the total calories by the number of servings the recipe yields. The traditional 9x13 recipe makes 12 servings. So each 1/12 pan serving contains around 113 calories from the green bean casserole.

If you transfer the hot casserole into a smaller baking dish for serving, the number of servings could be less, thus increasing the calories per individual serving. Be careful of your serving sizes!

Creating a Lighter Green Bean Casserole

With a few simple substitutions and recipe tweaks, it's easy to lighten up green bean casserole so it's not quite so heavy. Here are some tips for making green bean casserole more nutritious and lower in calories:

Use Reduced Sodium Soup

Swap out those regular cans of cream of mushroom for low-sodium or no-salt added soup. This will immediately cut a significant amount of sodium and calories:

• Regular cream of mushroom soup: approx 840 calories per can
• Low-sodium cream of mushroom soup: approx 460 calories per can

Replace Fried Onions with Fresh Onions

Fried onions may taste delicious, but they account for nearly one-fourth of the calories in traditional green bean casserole. For a lighter option, saut fresh onion slices in olive oil or butter.

Sauted fresh onions have only around 50 calories per cup versus 320 calories per cup of fried onions. This shaves off 270 calories per casserole!

Use Frozen or Fresh Green Beans

Canned green beans are pre-cooked and soaked in water, which dilutes flavor. For a tastier, crispier casserole, use frozen or fresh green beans instead. Blanch them briefly before mixing into the casserole to maintain texture and color. Fresh green beans have only 35 calories per cup.

Swap Half the Soup for Nonfat Greek Yogurt

Nonfat Greek yogurt is a nutritious substitution for half the cream soup in green bean casserole. It adds protein and cuts fat and calories. For each cup of soup, use 1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt instead. This saves around 200 calories per substituted cup.

Use Low-fat Milk

The small amount of whole milk adds unnecessary calories and fat. Opt for skim or 1% milk instead to trim 20-30 calories.

Boost Flavor with Herbs and Spices

To make up for less sodium and richness from light ingredients, amp up flavor with fresh herbs like parsley, thyme, sage and flavorful spices like garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and black pepper.

Healthy Green Bean Casserole Recipe

This lighter recipe for green bean casserole delivers all the creamy, comforting flavors but in a more nutritious, lower calorie preparation:

Ingredients

• 2 (10 oz) cans low-sodium cream of mushroom soup
• 1 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup skim or 1% milk
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 cups fresh green beans, blanched (or 2 (14 oz) bags frozen green beans)
• 1 medium yellow onion, sliced and sauted
• 1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• Black pepper and paprika to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9x13 baking dish.
2. In a large bowl, combine soup, yogurt, milk, garlic and spices. Mix well.
3. Add green beans and sauted onions. Stir gently to coat.
4. Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish. Top evenly with panko crumbs.
5. Drizzle olive oil over top and sprinkle with paprika.
6. Bake for 25 minutes until hot and bubbly. Broil 2-3 minutes to brown crumbs.
7. Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Facts

This lighter, healthier green bean casserole provides the following nutrition per 1/12 pan serving:

• 123 calories
• 5g fat
• 14g carbs
• 5g protein
• 252mg sodium

That's 10 fewer calories, 5g less fat, and nearly 800mg less sodium than the classic recipe!

Tips for Reducing Calories Further

To lighten this green bean casserole even more, you can make a few more simple substitutions:

• Mushrooms: Swap out half the mushrooms for riced cauliflower to cut carbs and calories.
• Onions: Replace half the onions with chopped celery for more nutrition without affecting flavor.
• Beans: Mix in an equal amount of asparagus along with the green beans to add nutrients.
• Topping: Use crushed corn flakes cereal or whole wheat panko for the crunchy topping instead of traditional bread crumbs.

With smart tweaks and healthy swaps, you can feel good about enjoying every savory, satisfying bite of green bean casserole!

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.