Green Bean and Butternut Casserole is not your grandmother’s green bean casserole.  Did your grandmother make the traditional green bean casserole with cream of mushroom soup and french fried onions on top?  I know mine did and shoot for that matter I made it up until a several years ago, before I started changing my eating habits, eating a whole food and mostly plant-based diet.  I made it prior to reading the label on the cream of mushroom soup.  Have you ever read what’s in a Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup?  We’re talking MSG, Modified food starch, soy lecithin, to name just a few.  It’s examples like these, why I eat as much unprocessed food as possible.  That’s why I decided to make a different Green bean casserole this year, and since I’m on a butternut kick, thought why not add that too.

There is a variety of textures going on here with an array of flavors too.  The crunch of the almonds, the melt in your mouth butternut, compounded by the onions or shallots and of course the green beans.  It’s not the same as your grandmother’s green bean casserole, but oh so much better for you.

My green beans came from my garden, but of course you can get some organic fresh or frozen.  Green beans, although they may not look like it due to their green chlorophyll color, are a high source of Vitamin A, like carrots.  Low in calorie and high in fiber, more vitamins like B and C, antioxidants, minerals, are plenty of good reasons to eat your green beans.

Of course there is butternut, another great source of beta carotene and high in fiber too.  Potassium is a hitter in butternut along with vitamins A, B6 and C.  Are you seeing why this is better for you than the cream of mushroom soup, french fried onion version?

So take the time to change-up your Thanksgiving table this year and throw out the cream of mushroom soup.  You can also change-up your sour cream and butter laden mashed potatoes with Golden Garlic Potatoes.  Now while these recipes aren’t calorie free, you would have to be just serving water for that, there are a lot fewer calories and less bad processed foods than what you will typically see on a Thanksgiving table, and your guests will leave saying Wow!

Tags:  almonds gluten free shallots vegan