This classic casserole is made with a simple white sauce, green beans, mushrooms, and crispy golden tater tots. It's just like green bean casserole but with meatless beef mixed in and tater tots on top!
3cupsunsweetened non-dairy milksoy, almond, or oat milk
1tablespoonsoy sauce
12ouncesfrozen cut green beanssee note #1
32ounce bag of frozen tater tots(you will see ~⅔ of the bag); see note #2
Instructions
Preheat the oven 375F. Lightly spray an 8x8 or similarly sized glass casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and mushrooms to the pan. Sprinkle on ¼ teaspoon salt. Saute for 7-8 minutes, or until the mushrooms release most of their juices and the onions are softened.
Add in the Impossible or Beyond meat. Skip this step if you aren't using a meat substitute. Sprinkle with garlic, thyme, and black pepper. Use a spatula to break up the ground beef. Cook until it is browned, stirring as needed.
Remove the cooked mushrooms and meatless beef from the pan and set aside. To the now empty pan (it does not need to be cleaned between steps), add ¼ cup vegan butter.
Once melted, sprinkle in ¼ cup flour. Whisk the butter and flour together. Let cook for 1-2 minutes, until the flour is lightly golden. Stir frequently.
Slowly whisk in the non-dairy milk ½ cup at a time. Keep whisking while pouring to avoid lumps.
Once all of the milk is added, bring the sauce to a rapid simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat. Stir in the soy sauce. Simmer until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon without sliding off.
To assemble the casserole: To the lightly oiled casserole dish add the mushroom mixture. Top with the frozen green beans. Season lightly with salt and black pepper. Next, pour the sauce over the green beans. Cover with an even layer of frozen tater tots.
Bake uncovered on the middle oven rack for 30 minutes, or until the tater tots are golden brown and the casserole is bubbling. Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Meatless beef: Earlier versions of this casserole did not include this, but traditional tater tot green bean casserole does include ground beef. If omitting this ingredient, I recommend increasing the mushrooms to 16 ounces.
Green beans: For softer green beans, cook the frozen green beans according to the package directions before adding them to the casserole dish. Canned green beans or cooked fresh green beans also work.
Tater tots: Most bags of frozen tater tots/potato puffs come in 32 ounce size. For this recipe, you only need about 24 ounces.