this cheesy green bean bake is easy to make and vegan! it packs in lots of sneaky veggies and fiber, which we definitely all need during the holiday season.

the inspiration

I know the big dish that everyone loves at Thanksgiving is green bean casserole. However, to be honest I do not like it. We didn’t eat it growing up in my family. I was going to do a recipe for it but I know there are plenty online and you realistically don’t need another.

So, then I still wanted to do something with green beans and I figured I would put them in a “cheesy” sauce. Then, I thought about a vegan parmesan crust and here we are. A simple but cozy and surprisingly nourishing side dish.

While I am all for indulging during the holidays after a few courses of dinner I start to get full and look for things that are a bit lighter. This cheesy green bake is great because it is made with white beans!

the ingredients

String Beans: of course for the base of our cheesy green bean bake we will need some string beans/green beans. I am using fresh but you can also use frozen.
Vegan Parmesan: I went with the Violife vegan parmesan because I could grate it into very small pieces. You can also use Follow Your Heart or you can make my homemade recipe.
White Beans/Cannellini Beans: the white beans work to make our cheesy sauce creamy! No nuts needed. This will also of course add in extra fiber and a little protein.
Carrots: the carrots are here to mainly give color but it is another little added vegetable which is nice.
Vegan Cheddar Shreds: I always like to incorporate some vegan cheddar shreds in my vegan cheese sauce. It adds in flavor and helps the texture of the cheesy sauce. I am using Follow Your Heart.
Nutritional Yeast: this adds in a nice cheesy flavor as well as essential B vitamins!
Non-Dairy Milk: we need the non-dairy milk to help blend up the cheesy sauce. You can use any unsweetened and unflavored non-dairy milk. I just say to stay away from coconut milk so it doesn’t add in flavor.
Seasonings: you will want some salt and I also added in a little garlic powder to the cheesy sauce.

let’s talk about beans

If this is your first time of hearing about using beans in a sauce you have been missing out. The beans add nice texture without adding any weird flavors. They also add in lots of fiber, some protein, and micronutrients!

I personally think the best beans to incorporate are white beans. Whether they are cannellini or just a generic white bean. They break down the best and become the smoothest. You can also sub in chickpeas.

The other great part is that we do not need to use nuts! So this is very allergy friendly and helps to save some money.

making the cheesy green bean bake

Prepare the cheese sauce. All you need to do is add the drained and rinsed white beans, carrots, vegan cheddar shreds, nutritional yeast, non-dairy milk, and seasonings into a high speed blender. Blend for 30 seconds to 1 minute until it creates a smooth and creamy vegan cheese sauce.

Pour the cheese sauce over the green beans in your baking dish. You can boil the green beans for a few minutes ahead of time or just use them fresh. If using them fresh and raw they will have a slight crisp to them still after baking.

Cover with lots of grated vegan parmesan cheese.

Bake in the oven until golden brown and beautiful.

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serving the cheesy green bake

When it comes time to serve I do not think this dish needs any garnish. The crispy crust of the vegan parmesan is just beautiful on top and all this dish needs.

Just put a big spoon in and enjoy. The green beans still have a bit of bite to them which is so nice when paired with that cheese sauce. If you want to serve it with some extra vegan parmesan on the side you definitely can.

cheesy green bean bake faq

Is this recipe allergy friendly?

Yes, it contains no nuts, gluten, or soy.

How do I store leftovers?

You can just put them in airtight container in your fridge. I would not recommend freezing.

How do I warm up the leftovers?

You can warm them up in the microwave, oven, or air fryer.

I want to add in more veggies, what do you recommend?

Sure! You can add broccoli or cauliflower in with the green beans. That would be delicious. You may just want to double the cheesy sauce recipe.

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