Traditional Green Bean Casserole is a popular dish during the Thanksgiving season. It is a creamy, savory, and comforting dish that is sure to please everyone at your table.
Green bean casserole is a dish made with green beans, cream of mushroom soup, and French fried onions. It was created in the 1950’s by Dorothy H. McIntyre, a home economist for the Campbell Soup Company, as a way to use up leftover green beans from Thanksgiving dinner.
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Why You’ll Want To Make My Traditional Green Bean Casserole
- It’s a classic dish that everyone loves. Green bean casserole has been a Thanksgiving staple for decades, and for good reason. It’s creamy, savory, and comforting, and it’s sure to please everyone at your table.
- It’s easy to make. This dish is incredibly simple to put together, even if you’re not a seasoned cook. It only requires a few ingredients and can be made in just a few minutes.
- It’s affordable. Green bean casserole is a very budget-friendly dish. The ingredients are inexpensive, and it can be easily stretched to feed a crowd.
- It’s a great way to sneak in some vegetables. Even picky eaters will enjoy green bean casserole, and it’s a great way to get them to eat their vegetables.
- It’s a crowd-pleaser. No matter who you’re hosting for Thanksgiving, green bean casserole is sure to be a hit. It’s a dish that everyone loves, and it’s sure to make your Thanksgiving dinner a memorable one.
Ingredients – Here’s What You’ll Need
- Green Beans: They are already pre-washed, trimmed, and cooked, so you don’t have to do anything to prepare them before adding them to your casserole. This can save you a lot of time and effort, especially if you are short on time or not a confident cook. Just be sure to drain and rinse them before adding them to your casserole.
- Half and Half: Using half and half in green bean casserole provides several advantages over milk. The higher fat content contributes to richness, creaminess, smoothness, flavor enhancement, and emulsification, resulting in a superior casserole experience.
- Cream of Mushroom Soup: This recipe was originally developed using Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup. Overall, using canned cream of mushroom soup in green bean casserole is a convenient, flavorful, and affordable way to make a delicious and satisfying dish.
- Black Pepper: I prefer to use freshly ground black pepper, but pre-ground pepper will work just as fine.
- French’s Crispy Fried Onions: I like to crush up half of the six ounce container and mix it in with the casserole, because it’s a great way to add texture and flavor. The other half of the container sprinkled on top gives it a visually appealing and extra tasty golden-brown topping.
Steps To Making Traditional Green Bean Casserole
- Drain and rinse your green beans in a colander over a bowl or in your sink. You should also pick through them to remove any stems. I had to remove several from mine.
- In a large bowl, combine the cream of mushroom soup, half and half, and freshly ground black pepper and whisk until combined.
- Divide a six-ounce container of French’s Crispy Onions in half, reserve one half for the topping, and crush up the other half using your hands directly into the soup mixture. Then whisk to combine.
- Add the drained and rinsed green beans to the soup mixture, stirring well to combine everything.
- Spray a large 9×13 casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray and pour the green bean mixture into it. Then bake in a 375°F oven for 30 minutes until bubbling.
- Remove from the oven and top with the remaining French’s Crispy Fried Onions, carefully spreading them evenly over the top of the casserole. Then return to the 375°F oven and bake for an additional ten minutes.
- Once the casserole has finished baking, remove it from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Traditional Green Bean Casserole is a timeless dish that has delighted generations. Whether you’re seeking a quick and easy weeknight meal or a show-stopping dish for a special occasion, Traditional Green Bean Casserole is sure to satisfy. This culinary classic will continue to be a beloved staple in kitchens worldwide for years to come.
No matter who you’re hosting for Thanksgiving, green bean casserole is sure to be a hit. It’s a dish that everyone loves, and it’s sure to make your Thanksgiving dinner a memorable one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Canned green beans are often high in sodium, and rinsing them can help to reduce the sodium content by up to 40%. They are also packed in a liquid that contains starch. This starch can make the beans mushy and can also affect the flavor of your dish. Rinsing the beans will remove most of the starch and will help to keep the beans firm and flavorful.
Fresh green beans can be used, but I don’t recommend it because you will need to blanch them first to cook them partially. Blanching also adds a lot of time and extra steps to an otherwise simple recipe.
Absolutely! I use half and half because it is a combination of whole milk and heavy cream, and it produces a richer, creamier sauce that coats the green beans and other ingredients perfectly. The richness of half and half enhances the overall flavor profile of the casserole and creates a more luxurious mouthfeel. However, feel free to use whole milk instead, though I would not recommend skim milk.
Recipe Tips And Tricks
- Use a good quality cream of mushroom soup. The cream of mushroom soup is one of the main flavor components of green bean casserole, so it’s important to use a good quality soup. Look for a soup that is made with real mushrooms and has a rich, creamy flavor. I would not recommend using a fat-free cream of mushroom soup.
- Make sure to rinse your canned green beans. Canned green beans are often high in sodium, and rinsing them can help to reduce the sodium content by up to 40%. They are also packaged in a liquid that contains starch. This starch can make the beans mushy and can also affect the flavor of your dish. Rinsing the beans will remove most of the starch and will help to keep the beans firm and flavorful.
- Make it ahead of time. Green bean casserole can be made ahead of time and reheated in the oven before serving. This is a great way to save time on Thanksgiving Day. Green bean casserole is best served hot and bubbly. For the best flavor, don’t reheat it more than once.
Other Holiday Side Dishes
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Traditional Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients
- 4 14-oz cans fresh cut green beans
- 2 10 ¾ oz cans Cream of Mushroom Soup
- 1 ½ c half and half
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 6 oz French's Crispy Fried Onions, divided in half
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- In a colander over your sink, drain and rinse the canned green beans, then set aside.
- In a large bowl whisk together the cans of cream of mushroom soup, half and half, and freshly ground pepper.
- Using your hands, crush half of the French's Crispy Fried Onions into small pieces. Then whisk into the soup mixture.
- Stir in the drained and rinsed green beans.
- Grease a large 9×13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray, then pour the mixture into the dish.
- Bake in a 375°F heated oven for 30 minutes until nice and bubbly.
- Remove from the oven and top with the other half of the French's Crispy Fried Onions, spreading them evenly over the top. Then return to the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the onions are a nice golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
- Yield 8 servings.
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