Tasty vegan green bean casserole

I have loved green bean casserole ever since I was a kid. My mom never cooked much, but she did take pride in her green bean casserole she made every year for Thanksgiving and other special occasions. Unfortunately since going vegan, I told her I wouldn't be able to take part in the dairy filled cream of mushroom soup she would use to blend all the flavors together. This year, we found an alternative recipe from Minimalist Baker, and everyone was fooled it was vegan. It does involve a bit more effort than simple dumping a can of soup together with frozen green beans and tossing some fried onions on top- but it has that homemade taste that will leave you eating so much there won't be any leftovers. This recipe serves 4, so double or triple it depending on how many you're serving and how much leftovers you HOPE to have. I think we tripled it to accommodate the huge bag of frozen green beans we wanted to use. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 lb. of green beans, fresh (washed and cut in half) or frozen

sea salt and black pepper to taste

1 tablespoons of earth balance or olive oil

1 shallot, minced

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 cup of finely chopped mushrooms

2 tablespoons of flour

¾ cup of vegetable broth

1 cup unsweetened almond or soy milk

1 ½ cups of crispy fried onions (check to ensure they are vegan) Trader Joe's are great


Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

To cut on baking time, cook green beans in a pot of water until soft (optional). If you want to allow them to bake longer, place fresh or frozen green beans in casserole dish of appropriate size (or a few dishes if you're making a lot) and put aside.

Prepare the sauce by adding butter or oil to a heated saucepan with shallots and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and stir. After cooking for a few minutes, add mushrooms and season with more salt or pepper to taste. Cook until lightly browned. Sprinkle in flour and whisk so it coats everything well. After covering well, slowly add in vegetable broth, whisking as you go.

Add milk, as you continue to whisk. Add more salt and pepper and reduce heat to thicken. Cook until thick and bubbly. Lower heat, taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.

Pour over green beans in casserole dish and mix together. Stir in half of the fried onions, and top with the remainder.

If your green beans were pre-cooked, bake for 15 minutes or until warmed through and slightly browned on top. If not, cook for about a half hour or so until warmed through and browned on top.

Enjoy!