Lots of people do Thanksgiving and fall recipes by the books. That includes the ubiquitous green bean casserole with the creamy mushroom soup. The standard recipe for this is probably written on the back of a packet of green beans or perhaps printed on a can of cream of mushroom soup. However, that shouldn’t stop you from being creative and just winging your own green bean casserole.
Essential ingredients to include:
- Green beans
- Mushrooms
- Creamy soup like cream of mushroom or cream of chicken
- Milk
- Soy sauce
- Fried onions
Let’s talk about ingredients some more, it’s okay to put your own spin on this and get creative!
Green Beans
Canned generally turn out mushy especially after this beloved side is reheated days after Thanksgiving is over. However, if you love this recipe the regular way, go with canned. You have your choice of flat Italian green beans, julienne, regular cut or any other type you find in the store. Frozen beans make a nice alternative in this recipe. Get a couple of bags depending on how many people you’re feeding. Choose whole fresh. You can chop them up if you feel like it later.
You definitely want cream of mushroom soup. Campbell’s has always been the first choice but any brand will do. If you don’t have cream of mushroom, you can get cream of chicken which has a nice flavor.
You also want to pick up fried onions. Durkee has cornered the market on this product. They are fried onions are delicious and come in a convenient little foil sealed package, right in the aisle where you would find the green beans.
If you don’t have canned cream of mushroom soup, you can add your own mushroom flavor along with some onion. In fact, it might even come out better if you do this. Just use olive oil and butter and sauté up some finely chopped onions with sliced mushrooms. Cook through and then remove from the pan to let cool.
It’s time to make the casserole.
Take out a casserole dish. Grease the bottom with some butter. Place the green beans on the bottom of the casserole. On top of those layer the cooked mushrooms and onions if you’ve prepared those. If you didn’t, you can just use cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup. No one said mushrooms were a casserole must!
Scoop out the contents of the can and pour over your vegetables. Add a few dashes of soy sauce. Add two or three tablespoons of milk. Carefully stir everything together. Cover with the fried onions. Bake in a 350° oven for about 20 minutes or until bubbly.
You could also add cooked rice to this dish! It’s very versatile.
