Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays.  This Skinny Green Bean Casserole is a hit!

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I get to spend time with family I don’t see often.

The fall air is crisp and cool and it’s filled with a time of thanks.

It’s a time of year when we can all gather around those that mean so much to us and count our blessings.

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and football are on the tube, food is cooking in the oven in preparation for the gatherings, and the store ads are laid out for us to scour for the best Black Friday deals.

Most of all, it’s a time to give thanks. 

It helps keep us grounded.

It helps us to reflect on what we have overcome and the goals we are working towards.

Anytime we can be thankful, it will motivate us and help center us.

It’s a time to thank God for what he has blessed us with and for giving us the things we need to sustain our lives. 

When my grandmother passed, we went through her things as a family and I found a small prayer book that is for grace before meals. 

I love this Thanksgiving day prayer found inside of it:

“Once more we come, Lord, to the day of special thanksgiving.
Our thoughts are turned backwards.
The days have rolled into the seasons, the seasons into the year.
Each day has been crowded with Thee.
Each season has brought forth new proofs of Thy loving forethought.
May we this day pledge Thee our gratitude anew.
Continue, we pray Thee, to surround us with Thy care, in Jesus’ name.
Amen.”
(Source: Nyce, A. W., & Bunyea, H. (1939). Grace Before Meals; Brief Prayers Arranged for Each Day in the Year. Philadelphia, PA: The John C. Winston Company.)

We use this book before dinner each night and we take turns reading the prayer of the day.

That small, worn book means a lot to me, not only because it once belonged to one of the greatest women I’ve ever known, but because of the wonderful messages it has inside of it. 

I don’t think I could find a better Thanksgiving Day prayer. I simply love it. 

We usually spend Thanksgiving Day with my mom’s side of the family, and in the evening we head to my husband’s family and my dad’s side of the family.

That means a lot of food.

Thanksgiving is known for its food, right?

The turkey, the potatoes, the pies, the green bean casserole.  

We stuff ourselves silly and then what?

Sit in misery of our stuffed bellies.

Thanksgiving food isn’t the healthiest. It’s often full of fat and…butter.

But, it doesn’t have to be!

We can enjoy our meals with recipes that don’t give us guilt the next day, or, immediately after the meal.

You have to preplan these things.

We have to get a game plan in place.

One tip I have is to have some of everything you want, but don’t overdo it.

Have that pie, but just take a small piece.

Eat the mashed potatoes but don’t cover your plate with them.

It’s all in moderation, right?

One staple I know that will always be at the table is green bean casserole.

It can be made the easy way with fat filled soup and tons of fried onions, or you can make it from scratch with the same stuff, hoping you’ll avoid some of the preservatives.

Stuff made from scratch just tastes better too.

I’m usually not the biggest fan of green beans.

I tried to eat them multiple times in my life and I just couldn’t do it.

It all started when I was a child at daycare.

The gag was enough to make me not touch them the rest of my childhood.

As I came into adulthood, I liked eating them freshly picked.

Cooked green beans were still not my thing though.

I’ve tried eating green bean casserole over the years but I was never a big fan.

I thought I better get a couple of Thanksgiving posts up for you all to use this holiday season and I felt up to the challenge to try and make a healthier version of Green Bean Casserole and Skinny Green Bean Casserole was born.

So, I thought I would research recipes and try to make one that tastes good AND is healthier.

I was able to come up with one that is only 2 Weight a Watchers Personal Points™ per serving!

I am thrilled to say that even I like this one!

I think it’s because it’s made from scratch and the beans are fresh in this Skinny Green Bean Casserole.

As you can see in the video, it’s simple to make too!

The part that took me the most time was trimming and cutting the beans.

It took a bit for the sauce to thicken as well.

Even the time in the oven isn’t long!

I like that this recipe calls for blanching the beans, which is a simple process.

It gives the beans a beautiful green color, which is so much more appetizing that the blah color of canned beans.

It also seals in the vitamins and nutrients that are loaded in each bean. 

My husband said this is one of the best he’s had, so…it’s true. 

Without further delay, here is the Skinny Green Bean Casserole recipe. 

Skinny Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients:

• 1 TBS Salt + 2 TSP salt
• 2 Pounds Fresh Green Beans
• 2 TBS Light Butter, made with Canola Oil
• 1/2 Cup Chopped White Onions
• 1 Clove Garlic, Minced
• 1 Package (8 oz) Mushrooms (I used white button)
• 1 TSP Ground Black Pepper
• 2 TBS of this ingredient
• 1 Cup Fat Free Chicken Broth
• 1/2 Cup Skim Milk
• 1/2 Cup French Fried Onions

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Spray a 9×13 casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.
• Boil green beans in a pot of water with a tablespoon of salt for about 5 minutes.
• Immediately drain the beans and place in an ice bath for a few minutes.
• Drain beans and set aside.
• Melt the butter over a medium high heat skillet.
• Add the garlic and the onions, sauté for about 5 minutes.
• Add the mushrooms, flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, and pepper. Cook for 3 minutes.
• Add the chicken broth and milk and mix together.
• Simmer the mixture until the sauce is thick to your liking. 
• Remove from the heat and add to the bowl of green beans. Mix together. 
• Add the bean mixture to the baking dish. 
• Top with the fried onions. 
• Bake for 15 minutes or until mixture is bubbling. 
• Serve immediately.
  

Points Per Serving: 2 WW Personal Points™- 8 Servings (About 1 Cup a Serving)

I hope you enjoy this Skinny Green Bean Casserole. You can double the recipe if you need bigger amounts. 

Let me know what you think by using the comment form below or send me an email though the about page here. 

I wish you a relaxing, cozy, delicious, fun-filled and blessed Thanksgiving. 

Enjoy!