Green Bean Casserole

Peggy

Feb 26

This is as close to the classic, ever-popular green bean casserole as I've been able to achieve as a low-carb alternative. My husband liked it so much, he said "This one is your best to date!" and dipped up seconds. So I'll be making this version from now on, it would appear.

I owe many thanks to Jennifer Eloff for her inspirational recipe: Casserole Topping, to which I made a few additions to her topping. I finally got around to trying it, Jen, and it really does work with cheese and bake mix! I had visions of it sinking down into the bean mixture during baking, but it didn't sink at all! I added even more crunch with the addition of crushed pork rinds, which I couldn't taste as such in the final dish.

I also used her Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup for this dish, which I adore for so many things. If you haven't tried it yet, you simply MUST! This delicious recipe is not suitable until you have gotten to Atkins Pre-Maintenance or Maintenance because of the grain in the bake mix. Sub in coconut flour in the mix if you avoid grains.

INGREDIENTS:

3 c. frozen green beans, regular or French style

½ recipe Jennifer Eloff's low-carb Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 6-oz. can sliced mushrooms, drained (about ½ c.)

Dab olive oil to grease dish

1 recipe crumble topping (see below)

CRUMBLE TOPPING:

½ c. shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

1/3 c. Jennifer Eloff's Splendid Low Carb Bake Mix

2 T. cold unsalted butter

10 medium pork rinds

1 T. toasted, dehydrated (or fresh) shallots (or red onion)

¼ tsp. my Cajun Seafood Spice Blend

1 T. hemp hearts (optional, adds a nutty flavor)

DIRECTIONS: Lightly oil a 2-qt. baking dish. Preheat oven to 350º. Place defrosted beans (uncooked), soup and mushrooms in a large bowl and toss well to coat. Scrape the mixture into your lightly oiled baking dish.

To make topping, toss all ingredients but shallots or red onion into a food processor or blender and pulse a few times to make a crumbly mixture. Sprinkle topping over the green bean mixture. Sprinkle over shallots/onion and pop into 350º oven for about 20 minutes for French-style beans, 30 minutes for regular cut beans until golden brown on top. Serve at once.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 5 servings, each contains:

237 cals, 18.3g fat, 9.52g carbs, 3.32g fiber, 6.2g NET CARBS, 10.3g protein, 294 mg sodium