Delicious & Healthy Slow Cooker Green Bean Casserole: A WW-Friendly, Low-Point Recipe for Any Occasion
Prepare to delight your taste buds with this incredibly flavorful and wonderfully convenient green bean casserole, specifically designed to be WW-friendly and incredibly easy to make in your slow cooker. At just 2 points per serving, this dish proves that healthy eating doesn’t mean compromising on taste or tradition. What sets this casserole apart from its conventional counterparts is its commitment to fresh, vibrant ingredients: crisp fresh green beans and a topping of irresistible homemade crispy onions. This thoughtful approach elevates a beloved classic into a healthier, more gourmet experience.
Yet, it perfectly balances modern health-consciousness with nostalgic comfort. By incorporating canned cream of mushroom soup (specifically a 98% fat-free version), the casserole retains that cherished, creamy texture and familiar savory depth that makes green bean casserole a timeless favorite. This means you can enjoy the classic taste you remember, but with significantly fewer guilt-inducing calories and points.
Whether you’re planning a cozy family dinner, hosting a holiday feast, or bringing a dish to a potluck, this slow cooker green bean casserole is an ideal choice. The harmonious blend of a rich, creamy sauce, perfectly tender-crisp green beans, and the satisfying crunch of homemade fried onions creates a side dish that complements an extensive range of main courses. It’s also naturally vegetarian, making it a wonderfully inclusive option that ensures all your guests can enjoy a delicious and comforting meal without dietary concerns.
Looking for the perfect main dish to accompany this exquisite side? You’ll find a wealth of inspiration in my dinner recipe collection. Or, if you’re seeking additional sides that pair beautifully, explore the side dish recipe collection, featuring delightful options like honey-roasted butternut squash or savory garlic breadsticks. Whatever you choose, this yummy green bean casserole promises to transform your meal into a hearty, comforting, and unforgettable culinary experience.
Why This Slow Cooker Green Bean Casserole is a Must-Make
This recipe isn’t just another green bean casserole; it’s a thoughtful re-imagining of a holiday classic that brings together health, convenience, and incredible flavor. Here’s why it deserves a spot on your table:
- It’s Wonderfully Low-Point: For those managing their intake, this side dish is a game-changer. At only 2 WW points per serving, it allows you to enjoy a generous portion of a comforting favorite without derailing your health goals. This recipe is proof that you can indulge in delicious, classic dishes while staying firmly on track, offering a guilt-free way to enjoy holiday meals or everyday dinners.
- Delicious, Healthier, and Bursting with Freshness: Unlike many traditional recipes that rely heavily on canned ingredients, this version champions freshness. By using crisp, fresh green beans, you get superior texture and flavor that canned beans simply can’t match. The homemade crispy onions provide a delightful crunch and savory depth without the excessive sodium and preservatives often found in store-bought versions. While we do use 98% fat-free cream of mushroom soup for that classic creamy base, its low-fat content ensures you’re making a healthier choice without sacrificing the nostalgic taste. It’s a win-win for both your palate and your well-being.
- Effortlessly Adjustable and Versatile: Whether you’re cooking for a small family dinner or a large festive gathering, this recipe adapts beautifully. You can easily double or even triple the ingredients to accommodate a larger crowd, simply by accounting for a slightly longer cooking time in your slow cooker. This flexibility makes it an ideal dish for any occasion, from weeknight meals to grand holiday feasts. Its inherent versatility also allows for simple substitutions and additions, ensuring it can cater to various tastes and pantry staples.
- Ultimate Convenience with Your Slow Cooker: One of the biggest advantages of this recipe is its “set it and forget it” nature. The slow cooker does most of the heavy lifting, freeing up your oven and valuable kitchen space, which is especially beneficial during busy holidays. This means less stress and more time to enjoy with your loved ones, while still serving up a delicious, home-cooked side.
Recipe At-a-Glance
Here’s a quick summary of what you need to know to get started on this fantastic green bean casserole:
- Serving Size: A hearty 200g, ensuring a satisfying portion.
- Number of Servings: This recipe yields 8 generous servings, perfect for a family meal or a small gathering.
- Prep Time: Approximately 30 minutes, which includes blanching the green beans and preparing the homemade crispy onions.
- Cook Time: 3 hours in the slow cooker, allowing for tender beans and a perfectly bubbly, creamy sauce.
- WW Points Per Recipe: Each serving contains only 2 WW points, with the entire recipe totaling 15 points. You can easily view the recipe in the WW app here (a WW login is required).
Essential Ingredients for Your Healthy Green Bean Casserole
Crafting this delicious and healthy green bean casserole requires a few simple, accessible ingredients. Each component plays a crucial role in building the casserole’s classic flavor profile and satisfying texture, all while keeping it WW-friendly:
- 24 oz Fresh green beans: The star of the dish, providing a crisp-tender texture and vibrant green color that elevates the casserole. Choosing fresh over canned makes a significant difference in taste and nutritional value.
- 2 cans (10.5 oz each) 98% fat-free cream of mushroom soup: This is the foundation of our creamy sauce, delivering that essential savory, umami-rich flavor characteristic of traditional green bean casserole, but with a lighter profile.
- ⅔ cup Fat-free milk: Used to thin the soup and create a smooth, luscious sauce without adding extra fat. Any fat-free dairy or non-dairy milk can work here.
- Salt and pepper, to taste: Essential seasonings to enhance all the flavors in the casserole and the crispy onions.
- 1 Med/large yellow onion, thinly sliced: These onions are transformed into our homemade crispy topping, offering a sweet, savory, and satisfying crunch.
- 1 Egg: Acts as a binder for the flour coating on the onions, ensuring they crisp up beautifully.
- ¼ cup All-purpose flour: Provides the coating for the onions, helping them achieve their desired crispiness when baked.
- Garlic powder, to taste: A touch of garlic powder sprinkled over the crispy onions adds an extra layer of savory aroma and flavor.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Your Slow Cooker Green Bean Casserole
Making this delightful casserole is surprisingly simple, especially with the help of your slow cooker. Follow these steps for a perfect, comforting side dish:
- Prepare the Green Beans: Begin by trimming both ends of your fresh green beans. This ensures they are clean and ready for cooking. Next, blanch them in a pot of hot boiling water for 2-4 minutes. This brief cooking step helps them retain their vibrant green color and a desirable tender-crisp texture. Immediately transfer the blanched green beans to an ice bath (a bowl of ice water) to stop the cooking process. Once cooled, drain them thoroughly.
2. Craft Your Crispy Onions: For that irresistible crunchy topping, thinly slice your yellow onion. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg. Add the sliced onions to the egg and toss to coat them evenly. Then, sprinkle the flour, salt, and pepper over the coated onions and toss again until they are lightly but thoroughly coated. Spread the onions in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 400°F (200°C) oven for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, stir the onions to ensure even browning and return them to the oven for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until they are beautifully crispy and dark golden brown. Keep a close eye on them to prevent burning. Once done, remove from the oven and sprinkle with garlic powder to taste while still warm.
3. Assemble and Slow Cook the Casserole: In a large mixing bowl, combine the blanched green beans, fat-free milk, and the 98% fat-free cream of mushroom soup. Stir until all ingredients are well incorporated and the green beans are evenly coated in the creamy sauce. Transfer this mixture to your slow cooker. Cook on the LOW setting for two hours, making sure to stir the mixture halfway through the cooking time to ensure even heating and prevent sticking. After two hours on low, increase the heat setting to HIGH and continue cooking for another 30-60 minutes, or until the green beans are perfectly tender to your liking (test with a fork) and the creamy mixture is visibly bubbly and heated through. Cooking times can vary based on your slow cooker, so it’s always best to check for doneness.
4. Rest, Season, and Serve: Once the casserole is cooked and bubbly, turn off the slow cooker and allow the casserole to rest for about 15 minutes. This crucial resting period allows the sauce to thicken beautifully, achieving that perfect creamy consistency. Taste the casserole and adjust the seasonings with additional salt and pepper as needed. Just before serving, generously sprinkle your homemade crispy onions over the top. Serve warm and enjoy this comforting, healthy side dish!
Enhance Your Casserole: Variations and Smart Substitutions
This slow cooker green bean casserole recipe is incredibly versatile, allowing for various adaptations to suit your taste, pantry, or dietary needs. Don’t hesitate to experiment and make it your own!
- Canned Crispy Fried Onions: While our homemade crispy onions offer a fresher, lower-point alternative, we understand that convenience sometimes trumps all. If you’re short on time or prefer the classic shortcut, you can certainly use store-bought crispy fried onions. Be mindful that these often come with higher points values due to fat content, so check labels if tracking WW points. A 6 oz package is typically sufficient for this recipe. Add them during the last few minutes of cooking on high heat, or just before serving, to maintain their crispiness.
- Green Bean Casserole with Canned Green Beans: For ultimate convenience or when fresh green beans aren’t available, you can substitute drained canned green beans. If using canned, we recommend approximately 4 cans (around 14.5 oz each), thoroughly drained to prevent a watery casserole. Note that the texture will be softer than with fresh beans, and you might need to adjust the slow cooker cooking time slightly downwards, as canned beans are already cooked.
- Other Mix-Ins: To add more layers of flavor and texture to the casserole filling, consider stirring in some additional ingredients. Finely diced yellow onion can be sautéed briefly before adding to the mix for a sweeter, more mellow onion flavor throughout the sauce. Including fresh, thinly sliced mushrooms would also be a delicious and earthy addition, complementing the cream of mushroom soup beautifully. You could also try a dash of Worcestershire sauce for an umami kick or a pinch of cayenne pepper for a subtle warmth.
- Milk Type: The recipe calls for fat-free milk to keep the points low, but almost any kind of milk will work perfectly. We’ve successfully made this recipe with unsweetened almond milk, and it yielded excellent results, with no discernible almond flavor. Feel free to use skim milk, soy milk, or even a low-fat dairy milk if you prefer, adjusting WW points accordingly if they differ from fat-free options.
- Cheese Please! For a richer, cheesier casserole, consider stirring in a quarter cup of grated Parmesan cheese or a low-fat cheddar cheese into the mixture during the last hour of cooking. This will add a savory depth and a delightful gooey texture.
- Spice It Up: A pinch of nutmeg can enhance the creaminess, while a dash of paprika or a sprinkle of dried thyme or rosemary could introduce a different aromatic profile.
Expert Tips and Tricks for a Perfect Slow Cooker Green Bean Casserole
Achieving a perfectly creamy and delicious green bean casserole in your slow cooker is simple with a few helpful hints:
- The Art of Stirring: We highly recommend stirring the casserole mixture every hour during the cooking process. This is crucial for several reasons: it promotes even cooking of the green beans, prevents the creamy sauce from sticking to the bottom or sides of the crockpot, and ensures all the flavors meld together beautifully. If your slow cooker tends to have hot spots, carefully rotating the insert halfway through cooking can also help distribute heat more evenly.
- Storage and Reheating Best Practices: If you find yourself with delightful leftovers (which is rare with this dish!), transfer them to an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. For reheating, if you want to recapture the glorious crispiness of the homemade onions, reheating in the oven is your best bet. Place the casserole in an oven-safe dish, cover loosely with foil, and bake at 300-325°F (150-160°C) until heated through, removing the foil for the last 5-10 minutes to crisp up the topping. Alternatively, a microwave works for quick reheating, but the onions will soften.
- Patience is Key for Thickening: Don’t be alarmed if the sauce mixture appears a little runny immediately after the cooking time is complete. This is perfectly normal! The casserole needs about 15 minutes of resting time off the heat for the sauce to naturally thicken to its ideal creamy consistency. This allows the starches to set and the flavors to deepen.
- Know Your Slow Cooker: Every slow cooker is unique, with variations in heating elements and overall efficiency. This means that the cooking time provided in the recipe (3 hours total) should be used as a guideline. It might require a slightly longer cooking time for your specific appliance. Always test the green beans by pricking them with a fork to ensure they are tender to your liking before turning off the heat.
- Make-Ahead Magic: You can prepare components of this casserole in advance to save time on the day you plan to serve it. The blanched green beans can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. The homemade crispy onions can also be made a day or two ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature to retain their crispiness. Just combine the cream sauce and beans, cook, and add the topping when ready to serve.
- Freshness Factor: While substitutions are possible, remember that using fresh green beans and making your own crispy onions significantly contributes to the superior taste and lower point value of this recipe. The effort is well worth the reward!
The Goodness of Green Beans
Beyond their delicious taste, green beans offer a host of health benefits, making them a fantastic addition to any diet. They are a rich source of vitamins, including Vitamin K (essential for bone health and blood clotting), Vitamin C (a powerful antioxidant), and Vitamin A. Green beans are also packed with fiber, which aids digestion, helps maintain healthy blood sugar levels, and contributes to a feeling of fullness, supporting weight management. They provide important minerals like manganese, potassium, and iron, all crucial for various bodily functions. Enjoying dishes like this green bean casserole is a tasty way to incorporate these vital nutrients into your meals.
Perfect Pairings for Your Green Bean Casserole
This versatile slow cooker green bean casserole makes an excellent side dish for a wide array of main courses. Its creamy texture and savory flavor beautifully complement both classic and contemporary dishes:
- Holiday Roasts: It’s a quintessential side for roasted turkey, ham, or prime rib during holiday celebrations.
- Weeknight Dinners: Pairs wonderfully with simple baked chicken, pork chops, or a lean beef roast.
- Vegetarian Mains: Serve alongside a hearty lentil loaf, mushroom Wellington, or a savory stuffed bell pepper for a complete plant-based meal.
- Other Sides: Enhance your meal further with complementary sides like mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, or a crisp garden salad.
More Delicious & Healthy Recipes to Explore
If you loved this recipe, you might enjoy these other delightful dishes that focus on health and flavor:
Weight Watchers Friendly Green Bean Casserole (another variation for comparison!)
Chinese-Style Air Fryer Green Beans
Air Fryer Green Bean Fries
Slow Cooker Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients
- 24 oz Fresh green beans
- 2 cans, 10.5 oz each 98% fat-free cream of mushroom soup
- ⅔ cup Fat-free milk
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 Med/large yellow onion, thinly sliced.
- 1 Egg
- ¼ cup All-purpose flour
- Garlic powder, to taste
Instructions
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Begin by trimming the ends of your fresh green beans. In a pot of boiling water, blanch the green beans for 2-4 minutes until they are bright green and tender-crisp. Immediately transfer them to an ice bath to stop the cooking and preserve their color and texture. Once cooled, drain thoroughly.
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To prepare the homemade crispy onions, thinly slice your yellow onion. In a bowl, toss the sliced onions with the egg until well coated. Then, sprinkle in the all-purpose flour, along with a pinch of salt and pepper, and toss again until the onions are lightly but evenly coated. Spread the coated onions in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 400°F (200°C) oven for 15 minutes. After this time, stir the onions for even browning and return them to the oven for another 7-12 minutes, or until they are golden brown and crispy to your desired texture. Be sure to watch them closely to prevent burning. Once removed from the oven, sprinkle with garlic powder while still warm for an extra layer of flavor.
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For the casserole filling, in a large mixing bowl, combine the blanched and drained green beans, fat-free milk, and the 98% fat-free cream of mushroom soup. Stir until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed and the green beans are well coated. Transfer this entire mixture into your slow cooker. Cook on the LOW setting for two hours, making sure to stir the casserole halfway through to ensure even cooking and prevent any sticking. After two hours, increase the heat to HIGH and continue cooking for an additional 30-60 minutes. The casserole is ready when the green beans are perfectly tender (test with a fork) and the mixture is visibly bubbly and heated through. Remember that slow cooker cooking times can vary by appliance, so adjust as needed.
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Once cooked, turn off the heat and allow the casserole to rest in the slow cooker for about 15 minutes. This crucial resting period helps the sauce to thicken to a perfectly creamy consistency. Taste the casserole and adjust the seasonings with more salt and pepper if desired. Finally, generously sprinkle your freshly made crispy onions over the top just before serving. Enjoy this comforting and healthy dish!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.