String bean casserole is lightened up with homemade spicy sriracha baked onion rings and a smoky creamy cream-less sauce.

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Silk. As always, my thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep me inspired in the kitchen!
smoky string bean casserole with sriracha buttermilk onion rings

I’m having very conflicted feelings about Thanksgiving this year.

On the one hand THANKSGIVING! CRANBERRY SAUCE! ALL THE PIE!

On the other hand, 48 hours before the wedding do I really need to be in the kitchen cooking all the things?

This seems like an existential crisis in the making. Send help. (And pie.)

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I refuse to miss out on a single second of Thanksgiving cheer and overeating, though, so I’ve been spacing my favorite parts of the holiday out throughout the past few weeks, all under the auspices of recipe testing and #foodbloggerproblems, though we all know these are really the best problems to have.

One of the Thanksgiving classics that I love to hate and hate to love is the green bean casserole. With can after can of condensed cream of something soup mixed all up in there, it’s usually more of a “don’t ask, don’t tell” situation as I shovel bite after bite into my mouth in ignorant bliss. But when you’re DIY-ing Thanksgiving over a three month period, you do kind of have to figure out what goes into things, as it turns out. Having never actually made it myself, I was fairly horrified that most recipes call for artificial this, that, and the other thing, while categorizing the dish as a vegetable. Ummm, what now? 

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That was not going to fly in my kitchen, so I set to making a green bean casserole that was not only made with all totally fresh REAL things, but also had some smoky spicy jazzed up flavor going for it. Dare I say, it might even classify as a real live legitimate health food?

I dareth.

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There are a few (not so) small things that set this green bean casserole apart from it’s processed food filled brethren.

To start, I totally nixed the shelf stable weirdo fried onion crispy things for panko-crusted baked onion rings that have been double dipped in a mixture of buttermilk and sriracha. They bring the heat in that slow subtle burn kind of way. It’s a good thing.

Then, the green beans are roasted instead of steamed or boiled so that they get all crispy caramelized on the outside. You might confuse them with French fries and try to eat a whole batch in one sitting, straight from the pan. I’ve been there. It’s okay. Just make double what you think you’ll need and everything will work out.

Finally, since I refuse to let the “cream of” brigade within a 200 foot radius of my apartment door, I used Silk Original Unsweetened Almondmilk to make a creamy without the cream sauce that gets a hint of smokiness from a dash of smoked paprika. It adds some much-needed umami to the casserole party.  Feel free to lick the pot clean.

Everything is tossed together in a casserole pan and baked until thickened.

Serve as dinner, with bread to sop up all that sauce, or as the side dish that it was meant to be. There are no rules when it comes to pre-Thanksgiving! Eat as desired.

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Smoky String Bean Casserole with Sriracha Buttermilk Onion Rings
 
String bean casserole is lightened up with homemade spicy sriracha baked onion rings and a smoky creamy cream-less sauce.
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients
For the onion rings
  • 1 medium Vidalia onion, thickly sliced
  • 2 cups panko bread crumbs
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • ½ tsp cayenne pepper
  • 2 cups buttermilk
  • 1 tbsp sriracha
For the casserole
  • 1½ lb fresh string beans, trimmed and halved
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • salt and black pepper, to taste
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 2 tbsp all purpose flour
  • 1 cup vegetable broth
  • 1 cup Silk original unsweetened almondmilk
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 475F. Line a baking pan with parchment paper.
  2. In a large, shallow bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs, salt, garlic powder, black pepper, and cayenne. Set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and sriracha. Dip each onion slice into the buttermilk mixture, then dredge with the panko mix. Repeat with another coat of buttermilk and a second layer of bread crumbs. Set on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining onion rings.
  3. Bake onion rings for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy. Set aside.
  4. Lower oven to 450F. In a large bowl, toss together the string beans and olive oil. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Spread out on a second parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast for 15-20 minutes in the oven until crispy and starting to brown. Remove from oven.
  5. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the onions to the pan and saute until translucent, about 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the flour and saute for 1 minutes, stirring constantly. Slowly stir in the vegetable broth and almond milk. Simmer until mixture is thickened. Stir in the smoked paprika. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
  6. In a large casserole, toss together the string beans with the sauce. Top with the onion rings.
  7. Place in the oven and bake until bubbly, about 15-20 minutes. Serve immediately.
Notes
An Eats Well With Others Original
Nutrition Information
Serving size: ⅙th of recipe

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For more Thanksgiving side dishes, check out these:

roasted acorn squash and brussels sprouts with honey, smoked paprika and sage salt from Eats Well With Others

Roasted Acorn Squash and Brussels Sprouts with Honey, Smoked Paprika and Sage Salt

roasted sweet potato salad with cranberry-chipotle dressing from Eats Well With Others, gluten-free, vegan

Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Cranberry Chipotle Dressing

roasted brussels sprouts with pomegranates

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pomegranates

From Around the Web:

Balsamic Brussels Sprouts with Maple, Walnuts and Feta from The Law Student’s Wife

Citrusy Brown Rice with Butternut Squash and Pomegranate from The Roasted Root

Roasted Citrus Thyme Ombre Carrots from See and Savour

Tart Cherry Glazed Brussels Sprouts from Love & Olive Oil

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Cream and Aleppo Pepper from Healthy Green Kitchen

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This conversation is sponsored by Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.

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46 Responses to Smoky String Bean Casserole with Sriracha Buttermilk Onion Rings

  1. Lynn says:

    I’d want to go straight to the onion rings! That looks so good. Hmmm – maybe we’ll try that this year.

  2. Love the giant onion rings, the smoky sauce and the sriracha – I guess I just love everything about this 🙂

  3. Joanne, dude, love this!! This is the green bean casserole. . . reinvented!! love the panko-crusted baked onion rings and the unsweetened almond milk. . that’s just genius .. and I hear you. . right now I have about 3-4 casseroles and gratins that I’ve already made for the blog, where a 1/4 is missing. . for you know, the taste testing. . which, as you said, really are the best problems to have.

  4. okay so the onion rings are just killing me. green beans I have had before and many different ways but the addition of the crispy hot onion rings just take me to another place:) love it

  5. Monica says:

    Oh, your wedding is fast approaching! How exciting! : ) I don’t know how you do it all – the cooking, creating, blogging, working… – and I’m just amazed. This casserole looks divine. I am all in the Thanksgiving spirit right now.

  6. Sues says:

    omg seriously?? These look RIDICULOUS! (in an obviously awesome way!!)

  7. This looks fantastic, Joanne! My MIL is a total wimp with spicy though, so I’ll just have to make this for non-Thanksgiving instead!

  8. I couldn’t imagine a better makeover of green bean casserole than this. Wow!

  9. danielle says:

    I love the idea of topping this casserole with crunchy onion rings.

  10. Would it be so wrong to just eat all the onion rings?

  11. This is a BRILLIANT Twist in a classic!! Absolutely love the creativity here! XOXO!

  12. I’ve never been super into green bean casserole, but this looks great!

  13. Heather says:

    The dreaded green bean casserole… I’ve never made it and have never liked the traditional recipe. This, however, I think would get eaten by everyone. Hello, onion rings!

  14. I need a big bite of those onion rings dipped in that creamy sauce!! This looks amazing. I usually make a green bean casserole every Thanksgiving but I need to try it this way for sure!

  15. Are you kidding me??!! Yes, I’m yelling! These look amazing!! Brilliant twist on a classic!! PS) I can’t wait for pictures of the wedding! 🙂

  16. A big yes to making twice as many green beans as you think you’ll need – they disappear quickly around here (like the 2yo and I eating a pound of asparagus for lunch the other day?!).

    The fact that you have managed to save green bean casserole from the clutches of cream-of-something “soups” makes you a Thanksgiving hero!

  17. Ohmygoodness, do you know how to do Thanksgiving right! I’ll send help (in the form of pie) if you send me this. 😉

  18. Mmmm, delicious – hard as it maybe Joanne, let someone else do the cooking:)

  19. Kate says:

    I would take just a side of those onion rings on their own!

  20. What a fun twist on the string bean casserole! These onion rings look amazing. I live spicy food and this looks amazing!

  21. Eileen says:

    Hey, you can always delegate a big chunk of the t-day cooking to someone else! It’s all good. I too am generally horrified by traditional green bean casserole (HOW many cans of condensed soup?) so I’m excited to see this superior rendition!

  22. Danguole says:

    You are speaking my language with this! The onion rings in particular–oh my god. Those little canned shreds taste nothing like onion, or even food to be honest. And yes, away with the “cream of” brigade! We don’t like your kind around here.

  23. Kelly says:

    Whoa, I am absolutely in love with this twist on the green bean casserole! I LOVE that you nixed the condensed soup and everything in here is made with fresh ingredients. And those spicy panko crusted onion rings are absolutely brilliant! I would shovel those into my mouth so fast that nobody else would have known they were supposed to be there. Pinned!

  24. Susan says:

    This is not your mother’s green bean casserole! Those onion rings look so delicious and the sriracha kicks this up a delicious notch.

  25. cheri says:

    This is brilliant Joanne, you started a new trend!

  26. Wow this added some snap to change up an old favorite! Yike missing Thanksgiving—–well a wedding is worth it. Smiles—–sending THE best of well wishes!!!!

  27. True confession: I’ve never cared for the classic green bean casserole. But look what you did – you went and made it sexy! I can not wait to try this…

  28. Amanda says:

    Huge Congratulations on your upcoming wedding!!! The onion rings on this are genius!

  29. Megan says:

    Those onion rings look phenomenal! Way better than the shelf-stable ones!

  30. Reeni says:

    How I love you for topping this with onion rings! They look so crispy and amazing – I want to eat them all. I’d probably steal every single one off the top and pretend they never existed! No one has to know. 🙂

  31. Sarah says:

    Cream without the cream is the BEST cream. I love the use of almond milk to get that cream texture. Also onion rings and sriracha! I may be inviting myself over for dinner next time I’m in New York.

  32. Hotly Spiced says:

    Your buttermilk onion rings look amazing. So the wedding is just 48 hours after Thanksgiving! I’m sure I know what the conversation will be centred on around that Thanksgiving table. Do you have to cook? I’m sure others would let you take the day off xx

  33. OMG girl!! These are totally stunning and those onion rings! Genius!

  34. This looks so good! I have never had a string bean casserole before. Time for second Thanksgiving? I think so!

  35. So fun!! I love green bean casserole but neeeeeeever make it – definitely need this lighter version.

  36. A million thank yous for this recipe. This sounds so much better and healthier than that other (icky) stuff. ; ) And you are a super-hero, tackling Thanksgiving 2 days before your wedding! You go!!

  37. CakePants says:

    This looks fantastic!! Green bean casserole is one of my all-time favorites…so I’m super excited to see a healthier version. Looking forward to trying this 🙂

  38. Those string beans and the amazing onion rings.. who wouldn’t love this dish. Amazing.

  39. Good thing you are a food blogger and can use it as an excuse to cook all the Thanksgiving things you want weeks in advance! I’m so excited for you and your wedding day. Cannot wait to hear all about it. As for this dish, holy freaking amazing. I had been trying to think up a fun way to vary green bean casserole without upsetting people for it not being a classic and you definitely found it. Who can deny onion rings?

  40. grace says:

    of course i love the casserole, but the onion rings are the kicker–they look and sound amazing!

  41. Isadora says:

    This recipe is so awesome, Joanne!! What an creative way to do a green bean casserole! I love green beans and I love onion rings so this is definitely a win win!

  42. […] Smoky String Bean Casserole with Sriracha Buttermilk Onion Rings via Eats Well With Others […]

  43. Johanna GGG says:

    omg you really make good sense of thanksgiving – I want to come to your thanksgiving feast just for this dish – amazing

  44. […] Smoky String Bean Casserole with Sriracha Buttermilk Onion Rings from Eats Well with Others […]

  45. […] YUM! smoky string bean casserole with sriracha buttermilk onion rings […]

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