Green Bean Casserole with Pumpkin Seed Crumble (Eat Clean for Thanksgiving)

I came up with this 'eat clean' healthy green bean casserole recipe for the Thanksgiving feature article of Natural Health magazine using Dr. Oz's 10 super foods. The super food in this dish is pumpkin seeds. As for green bean casserole, although it's always been a hit in our family, I realize there are two types of people; those who love green bean casserole, and those who don't. As for me, even before I became enthused with eating and cooking healthfully I was never a particularly enthusiastic fan of mushroom soup dumped on top of green beans. Garnish with whole pumpkin seeds.

• Preparation Time: 10 mins
• Cooking Time: 28 mins
• Total Time: 38 mins
• Calories: 257 Calories

Ingredients

• salt to taste
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• ½ cup pumpkin seeds
• 1 (8 ounce) package baby portobello mushrooms, stemmed and roughly chopped
• ½ teaspoon ground white pepper, or to taste, divided
• 2 tablespoons white whole wheat flour (such as King Arthur®)
• 2 tablespoons whole milk (such as Natural by Nature®)
• ¼ cup whole wheat panko bread crumbs

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch glass baking pan.

Step 2

Fill a large bowl with cold water and ice to make an ice bath.

Step 3

Fill a large pot with water and add 1 tablespoon salt; bring to a boil. Add green beans; boil until fork-tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Drain beans in a colander and immediately plunge them into the ice bath. Drain again. Pat dry with a kitchen towel or paper towels.

Step 4

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic; saute for 1 minute. Add mushrooms; saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and white pepper. Remove from heat. Toss in the cooked green beans. Transfer mixture to the baking pan.

Step 5

Heat 1 tablespoon oil and flour in the skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until incorporated, about 1 minute. Add milk slowly, whisking until the roux is creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and white pepper. Add roux to the pan, tossing to coat the green bean-mushroom mixture.

Step 6

Combine pumpkin seeds, bread crumbs, and 2 teaspoons oil in a food processor. Pulse about 10 times until ground. Season with salt; pulse once more. Top green bean-mushroom mixture with the pulsed pumpkin seed mixture.

Step 7

Bake in the preheated oven until top is golden brown, about 10 minutes.