This low carb green bean casserole is a simple yet tasty vegetarian side dish for any time of the year. Green beans are cooked in a cream cheese sauce and topped with crispy air fried onions.
The classic green bean casserole uses canned beans and mushroom soup. This recipe uses fresh green beans and cream cheese for a lower carb version. We have kept a crispy onion topping using the air fryer.
This keto vegetarian green bean casserole is also made with no mushrooms. Mushrooms feature in many bean casseroles but we omitted them. Feel free to add cooked mushrooms to your dish.
What type of green beans to use
We use fresh green beans that are steamed before use. You could use frozen or even tinned. If you use tinned beans, check the label for sneaky sugars. Frozen green beans can be soggy if used defrosted. Put them in the casserole frozen.
Carbs in green bean casserole
The net carbs in this recipe are 5g net carbs a serving. We've assumed that there are 8 small servings in this dish as it is a side dish for sharing.
If you want to increase your serving size but keep the carb content low, omit the onions and add more cheese to the topping.
How to make low carb green bean casserole
This recipe is made of a four stages.
- Air fry the onions
- Steam the green beans
- Make the cheese sauce
- Assemble and bake
Make this keto vegetarian green bean casserole ahead
This side dish is a great recipe to make ahead and once assembled, rather than bake the dish, cover it with clingfilm and store it in the refrigerator. Once you are ready to eat, bake it.
However, if you want to use frozen green beans do not assemble until you are ready to bake. You will be left with a watery side dish if not.
Recipe Tips
If you want to use a mushroom soup to replace the cheese sauce we have a cream of mushroom soup recipe you could use.
The onions could be replaced sliced almonds for another form of crunch with slightly lower carbs.
The crispy onions do not need to be made in the air fryer. You could bake them or pan fry them but they won't be as crispy. Caramelized onions would be a delicious taste instead!
Season the sauce with mustard and add more cheese for your own tastes. We've kept this sauce simple so you can play around with it if you wish.
More low carb vegetarian side recipes
Roasted Pumpkin, Broccoli with Feta
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Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 cups green beans topped and tailed
- 2 medium onions peeled and cut into rings
Sauce
- ¼ cup cream heavy/whipping
- 3 oz cream cheese
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Topping
- 2 oz Cheddar cheese grated
Instructions
Making the crispy onions
- Preheat the air fryer according to the manufacturers instructions.
- Place the onion rings in the basket and spray lightly with oil.
- Cook for 10 minutes at 180C/360F degrees, checking half way that they are not burning.
Cook the green beans
- Steam the green beans or cook them in a pan of boiling water for 3-5 minutes until they are slightly tender. Drain and set aside.
Making the cheese sauce
- In a small saucepan on a medium heat, place the butter, cream and cream cheese it in. Heat until blended.
- Season with the garlic powder, salt and pepper. You could add extra grated Cheddar cheese to the sauce.
Assemble
- Place the beans in a baking dish.
- Pour the cheese sauce over the beans and top with the crispy onions and the Cheddar cheese.
- Bake at 180C/350F for 10 minutes
- Serve warm.
Notes
YOUR OWN NOTES
