The people's voice of reason
It's remarkable how many people hate green bean casserole. Or maybe not, because so many people don't know how to make a good one.
Too many of them are mushy, soggy and bland. They taste like they've been made with ditch water and wallpaper paste, and are always the holiday leftovers that sit in the back of the fridge until May or June, when they finally get thrown out.
Here's a few simple tricks to use to make a green bean casserole that's not only tasty, but won't last long enough to begin mutating in the fridge.
Let's start with the classic Campbell's recipe: cream of mushroom soup, milk, green beans, a dash of soy sauce and fried onions. Mix, dump, bake, take out, throw more onions on the top, bake some more, done. What could go wrong?
There are three main points of failure in the classic recipe: cheap soup, canned green beans and old fried onions.
I'm as cost-conscious as the next cook, but seriously-use real Campbell's soup. This is not a recipe to use the generic brand in. Also, either use a good brand of canned green beans OR (my personal choice) frozen green beans. Using overcooked canned green beans is why your casseroles are mushy and nasty. Either blanch the fresh beans yourself (too much work!) or use a good brand of frozen beans. Finally, fried onions don't keep well once the bag is opened. Start with a fresh bag.
Now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's make the classic green bean casserole! (You can also find this recipe at https://www.campbells.com/recipes/green-bean-casserole/)
You'll need:
1 can (10 ½ oz) Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup
½ cup milk
1 bag (16 oz) of frozen green beans
1 tsp soy sauce
1 ⅓ cup fried onions, divided
-preheat oven to 350 degrees
-lightly grease a 1 ½ qt casserole dish
-in a large bowl mix soup, milk and soy sauce until well blended
-fold in green beans, gently mix
-fold in half (⅔ cup) of the fried onions, gently mix
-pour into casserole and bake until it's bubbling, about 25 minutes
-remove from oven, sprinkle remaining ⅔ cup of fried onions in the top and return to the oven
-bake about 5 more minutes until the onions are golden brown
-remove and let rest for at least 10-15 minutes before serving
Congratulations! You've made the classic green bean casserole that's a staple of covered dish suppers and holiday meals, and it won't embarrass you. But, let's be honest-it's pretty boring.
Now, let's take it up a notch or three, and make it spectacular!
Here are some of the things I add to my green bean casserole, either individually or as a group.
-diced or sliced water chestnuts, for the crunch
-sliced mushrooms
-bacon bits
-minced garlic
-Parmesan cheese
-fresh pepper
-celery seeds or powder
Use your own judgement for this-if you know someone HATES mushrooms, leave them out. If you're afraid the canned water chestnuts will taste "tinny", soak them in cold water with a tablespoon of baking soda for 15-20 minutes then rinse and dry on a paper towel before adding them. As for the rest, add them "to taste."
So, here's my recipe for a large (or two small) green bean casserole that's anything but boring:
You'll need:
1 can (10 ½ oz) Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup
1 can (10 ½ oz) Campbell's Cream of Celery soup
2 bags (16 oz ea) frozen green beans
1 cup Fairlife whole milk OR 1 cup half and half
2 cans (8 oz) diced water chestnuts, drained
2 cans (8 oz) sliced mushrooms, drained
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1-2 tsp minced garlic
Black pepper grinder
1 tsp celery powder (or salt)
⅔ cup bacon bits, divided
⅔ cup Parmesan cheese, divided
3 cups fried onions, divided
-preheat the oven to 350 degrees
-lightly grease a 3 quart casserole (or 2 1 ½ qt casseroles or 2 small aluminum pans, if you're taking them somewhere)
-in a large bowl, combine the soups, milk (or half and half), soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, celery powder and 3-4 cracks black pepper. Mix until well blended.
-add ⅓ cup bacon bits and ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese, mix just until combined
-fold in green beans
-fold in 1 ½ cups fried onions, gently mix until just blended
-pour into casserole(s) and bake until bubbly, about 25 minutes
-while it's baking, add remaining bacon bits, Parmesan cheese and fried onions into a large plastic zipper bag, seal and shake to mix well
-remove casserole(s) from oven, top with bacon/cheese/onions mix, return to oven
-bake until the onions are golden brown, about 5 minutes
-remove from oven and let rest 15/20 minutes before serving
Serve with hot sauce on the side, and enjoy!
That recipe may look a little daunting, but it really isn't. It's the basic recipe with a few extra things added, but the process is the same-dump a bunch of stuff in a bowl, mix, add more stuff, mix, dump into a baking dish, bake, top, bake some more, done.
Line up all your ingredients before you begin. Measure them out into little bowls or ramekins and it'll be quick and easy.
Why Fairlife milk? Because it's incredibly rich, almost like half and half straight out of the jug. I have no idea why, except they probably start with high quality milk before they do whatever mystic voodoo they do to remove the milk sugar. Using it or half and half makes your casserole extra creamy.
If you can't find celery powder, use celery salt. You may have to cut out the soy sauce if you do, and use a little extra Worcestershire sauce instead.
Above all, don't be afraid to try different things. By itself, classic green bean casserole is a bit bland, so think of it as a blank canvas waiting for you to add new flavors and textures. If you fail? You can always send it out the door as leftovers and make it somebody else's problem.
And always, follow Julia Child' s advice and "be a fearless cook." https://youtube.com/shorts/zILJppYIL1Q?si=O1AnpMy66p9baRRy
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