Green Bean Casserole with Chickpea Sauce

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I love green beans, but I’m not a fan of mushrooms, which are a staple of traditional green bean casseroles. This recipe uses a chickpea (garbanzo bean) sauce instead of cream of mushroom soup, and it is delicious! I adapted this recipe from Detoxinista.

Green bean casserole with chickpea filling

Ingredients:

Green Beans:

  • 1 teaspoon olive oil

  • 1 yellow onion, chopped

  • 2 pounds fresh green beans (or frozen)

  • 1 (15 oz.) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed (or 1 1/2 cups cooked garbanzo beans)

  • 1 1/4 cups water

  • 1 clove garlic

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary (1 teaspoon fresh)

  • Freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Nut Crust:

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.

  2. Prepare the green beans: Bring water to a boil in a large pot, and stir in the green beans (alternatively, you may steam the green beans). Cook for 2-3 minutes. Fill a large bowl halfway with ice cubes and add some cold water. Place a colander squarely inside the ice bath. When the beans are cooked, remove them from the hot water with a strainer and plunge them to the colander in the ice bath. “Swirl” the beans around and submerge them in the ice water so they cool quickly (this allows the green beans to stay a bright green color). Drain.

  3. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and sauté the onion until it starts to soften, about 5 minutes.

  4. While the onions are cooking, combine the garbanzo beans, water, garlic, 1 teaspoon of salt, rosemary, a couple grinds of fresh black pepper, and the balsamic vinegar into a blender. Blend until smooth and set aside.

  5. Make the pecan crust: In a food processor, mix together the pecans, panko breadcrumbs, nutritional yeast, and salt until the pecans are coarsely chopped. Set aside.

  6. Add green beans, onions, and blender mixture to a large bowl and stir to combine. Place this into a casserole dish (you may need two depending on the size). Sprinkle the pecan crust over the top. Bake the casserole at 350ºF for 30 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Green bean casserole without mushrooms.