Classic Green Bean Casserole
I have to say this is my absolute favorite Thanksgiving side dish. I cannot imagine Thanksgiving without the classic green bean casserole on the menu. But guess what? This is actually a fairly new addition to the traditional Thanksgiving dinner in North America. This recipe was created in the 50s and you can thank Campbell’s Soup for the green bean casserole we identify with Thanksgiving today.
A Capitalist Creation
The original name of this recipe was “Green Bean Bake”. While dishes consisting of vegetables with cream and a crunchy topping date back much further, the familiar mix of cream of mushroom soup, canned green beans and fried onions comes from a recipe developed by the soup company in 1955.
But it wasn’t always meant as a holiday dish! The original recipe was developed as an everyday side dish, and it didn’t take off as a Thanksgiving favorite until the 1960s when Campbell’s put the recipe on the Cream of Mushroom soup can label. It worked like a charm and the green bean casserole became so popular due to its combination of on-hand ingredients, affordability and heartiness.
To this day, the original recipe calls for only six ingredients: canned or fresh green beans, cream of mushroom soup, soy sauce, black pepper, milk, and fried onions. Unlike the original recipe, I do prefer to make my version from scratch instead of using so many canned ingredients — the fresher the better right?!
Recipe | Serving: 3-6
Ingredients
Chicken Stock - ½ cup
Heavy Cream - ⅓ cup
Soy Sauce - ½ tsp
Lemon Juice - ½ tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Butter - ½ tbsp
White or Cremini Mushrooms - ½ cup, diced, rinsed and dried
Garlic - 1 clove, finely minced
Flour - 1 tbsp
Salt - ¼ tsp
Pepper - ¼ tsp
Green Beans - 8 oz, ends trimmed and cut into 1-2 inch pieces
Salt - 3 tbsp
French’s Fried Onions - 2 cup
Directions
Combine chicken stock, heavy cream, soy sauce and lemon juice in a bowl and set aside.
Add oil and butter to a nonstick skillet. Heat over high heat until butter is melted and foaming subsides. Add mushrooms to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is evaporated and mushrooms begin to sizzle, 6 to 10 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium-high. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, until light golden blonde, 1-2 minutes. Whisking constantly, add the chicken stock and cream mixture.
Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until mixture achieves a texture between pancake batter and heavy cream, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bring 2 litres of water and 3 tbsp of salt to a boil over high heat. Add green beans to water and boil until tender but still bright green, about 5 minutes. Fill a large bowl with 2 cups of ice cubes and 1 litre water. Drain the green beans through a colander set over the sink and immediately transfer to ice water until completely cooled. Once cooled, drain green beans and set aside.
Combine green beans, mushroom sauce, and 1 cup fried onions. Transfer to a 9- by 13-inch rectangular baking dish or a 10- by 14-inch oval baking dish. Bake until hot and bubbly, 15 to 20 minutes.
Top with remaining cup of fried onions and serve immediately.
If you do recreate our recipe, be sure to
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