A BETTER Version of an Iconic Classic + 2 Recipes!
Some traditions just don’t die. Green bean casserole served at holiday meals is one example. People get either a “BOO!” or a “YAY!” when asking if they can bring this proverbial dish to the gathering. A few folks give it a shrug, but mostly it’s either really liked or really disliked.
I’m OK with it, and I’ve never gone out of my way to have some. That is until I discovered Linda Loosli’s version on her site, www.preparednessmoms.com. THIS recipe is one so good I’ll be serving it all year long. That’s saying something for green bean casserole!
Made with green beans, cream of mushroom soup, and French-fried onions, it is the ultimate comfort food. Dorcas Reilly created the first recipe for this casserole at the Campbell Soup Company in 1955, and it has been a tradition ever since.
After some experimenting, Linda came up with the ultimate approach. She now adds a little soy sauce, garlic powder, and pepper. The result has been people cleaning the dish—asking for seconds and preferring it over stuffing.
Linda offers a few suggestions if you’re interested in making this. First, while she understands the ease and convenience of using canned cream of mushroom soup, she encourages us to make our own from scratch (more on this below). And as far as the green beans go, she says any type work—fresh, canned, dehydrated or freeze-dried. You’ll notice, however, you’ll get a brighter flavor if fresh are used. And style of bean is irrelevant as well—whether cut or French sliced, it matters not. Here’s her recipe; see what you think.
Improved Green Bean Casserole
1 (10 1/2-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup do not dilute
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 to 6 cups fresh or frozen green beans or equal amounts of drained canned green beans
1 1/2 cups French's French-fried onions
Directions:
Preheat the oven to (350∞F) = (176∞C).
Grease a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish.
If using fresh green beans, cut off the ends and cut them into bite-size pieces. Steam until tender (about 5-7 minutes in a pot of boiling water), drain.
Combine the mushroom soup, milk, soy sauce, garlic powder, and pepper, and set aside.
Place the green beans into the greased baking dish.
Sprinkle 1/2 of the French'sÆ French Fried Onions over the green beans.
Pour the soup mixture over this layer.
Baked uncovered for 25 minutes or until cooked through.
Sprinkle the remaining French'sÆ French Fried Onions on top and bake another 10 minutes or until golden brown.
Grease a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish.
If using fresh green beans, cut off the ends and cut them into bite-size pieces. Steam until tender (about 5-7 minutes in a pot of boiling water), drain.
Combine the mushroom soup, milk, soy sauce, garlic powder, and pepper, and set aside.
Place the green beans into the greased baking dish.
Sprinkle 1/2 of the French'sÆ French Fried Onions over the green beans.
Pour the soup mixture over this layer.
Baked uncovered for 25 minutes or until cooked through.
Sprinkle the remaining French'sÆ French Fried Onions on top and bake another 10 minutes or until golden brown.
Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.
NO-Fat Cream of Mushroom Soup
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch tapioca flour, or Ultra GelÆ
4 cups cold water
4 tablespoons Better Than Bouillon Chicken BaseÆ
2 1/2 to 3 cups fresh mushrooms sliced
1 stalk celery (don't dice)
Directions:
Place cold water, flour (or other thickener) in a blender and blend until smooth; pour into a medium pot and set heat to medium.
Add celery stalk, mushrooms, chicken bouillon; bring to a boil. Cover and simmer until vegetables are soft, about 20 minutes. Remove celery stalk and 2 cups of soup to blender; blend well than return this mixture to soup pot. Stir well.
Allow to sit and thicken before adding it to any recipe. This is delicious on its own as a soup course, or it can be used as a gravy with additional seasonings of choice.
Add celery stalk, mushrooms, chicken bouillon; bring to a boil. Cover and simmer until vegetables are soft, about 20 minutes. Remove celery stalk and 2 cups of soup to blender; blend well than return this mixture to soup pot. Stir well.
Allow to sit and thicken before adding it to any recipe. This is delicious on its own as a soup course, or it can be used as a gravy with additional seasonings of choice.
Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.
Alice Osborne
Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2006
Email the author! alice@dvo.com
