Green bean casserole is a Thanksgiving classic that few American tables go without. The dish made of canned green beans, condensed mushroom soup, milk, and French fried onions can pack in over 700 milligrams of sodium and 7 grams of fat in just ½ cup. Luckily, it just takes a few tweaks to slash the sodium and cut down on a few extra calories.

Green Bean Casserole

• 10.75 ounce can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 or 3 (14.5 ounce) cans green beans, drained
• 1 1/3 cups French-fried onions

• 10.75 ounce can condensed cream of mushroom soup: Substituted lower-sodium/reduced fat (heart-healthy) version
• 3/4 cup milk: Used skim milk
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper: Increased to 1/4 teaspoon to boost flavor when less salt is used
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans green beans, drained: Switched to 24 ounces frozen green beans to lower sodium, and increasing the amount of green beans lowers calories per serving and increases fiber content
  
• 1 1/3 cups French-fried onions: Decreased to 2/3 cup and added onion powder for flavor without fat, sodium, and calories
• Added 1/4 teaspoon salt for taste (other changes reduced sodium significantly, which allows us better control over the amount of salt when we add it back in)

Nutrition Facts Face-Off!

1/12 recipe (about 1/2 cup)

Green Bean Casserole (Printable PDF Version)

Serves 12

Ingredients

• 1 can (10 3/4 oz.) condensed cream of mushroom soup, reduced in fat and sodium
• ¾ cup skim milk
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 24 ounces frozen cut green beans, cooked
• 2/3 cup French fried onions, divided
• ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper or to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare a 1 ½ quart casserole dish with nonstick spray.
2. Mix together soup, milk, onion powder, green beans, salt, pepper, and 1/3 cup onions in casserole dish.
3. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Top with remaining 1/3 cup of onions and bake additional 5 minutes or until onions are golden and crisped.

Nutrition Facts (1/12 recipe): Calories 70, Total Fat 2g (Saturated 0g), Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 160mg, Total Carbohydrate 8g, Dietary Fiber 2g, Protein 2g, Vitamin A 10% DV, Vitamin C 0% DV, Calcium 6% DV, Iron 15% DV

Today's post was written by Leia Kedem. Leia Kedem, MS, RD, is a registered dietitian and Nutrition & Wellness Educator covering Champaign, Ford, Iroquois, and Vermilion Counties. She appears weekly on WCIA-3/WCIX-49 and is a biweekly contributor to the Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette. She also maintains Facebook and Twitter accounts where she regularly posts health tips and answers nutrition questions for free.