I like to use a chicken-style vegetable broth for extra umami. Or you can use a plain unsweetened nondairy milk that you think would taste good in a savory context. If you aren’t a fan of cashews, you can substitute in a vegan-friendly heavy whipping cream alternative (such as Silk Dairy-Free Heavy Whipping Cream Alternative or Country Crock Plant Cream). If you know me, you know I love using cashew cream (just soaked raw cashews blended with water till smooth) whenever I need a creamy base for a soup or sauce. You can use white rice flour if you need a gluten-free alternative.
Together, these form a roux which will thicken the vegan-friendly creamy mushroom soup base.
These contribute to the savory backbone of the dish. For this vegan-friendly recipe, we’re making our own savory and creamy mushroom soup base! Typically I use white button mushrooms or creminis because they’re easy to find and more affordable, but if you want to amp up the flavors in this dish, feel free to use a blend of fancier mushrooms! Traditional green bean casserole calls for a can or two of Campbell’s Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup. This helps us to avoid a mushy green bean casserole! You can get away with using canned green beans if you’re short on time or space in the kitchen, but nothing really compares to fresh! We blanch these and then shock in an ice bath so they’re vibrant green and still slightly crisp when they go into the oven.
