Description
Green bean casserole combines classic American comfort with creamy textures and crispy onion toppings. Home cooks can enjoy this simple side dish that highlights fresh ingredients and nostalgic family gathering flavors.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 cups fresh green beans
- 2 cans (14.5 oz / 411 g) green beans, drained
- 1 can (10.5 oz / 298 g) condensed cream of mushroom soup
- 1 ½ cups crispy fried onions
- ½ cup (120 ml) milk
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Oven Preparation: Ignite the oven to 350F (175C) and delicately lubricate a 9×13-inch baking vessel with cooking spray or butter to prevent adhesion.
- Bean Preparation: Trim fresh green beans into bite-sized fragments or gently defrost frozen beans using microwave or stovetop techniques, ensuring uniform texture.
- Sauce Creation: Harmonize cream of mushroom soup with milk and soy sauce in a capacious mixing vessel, whisking until a velvety, uniform liquid emerges, seasoning with salt and pepper for depth of flavor.
- Casserole Assembly: Fold green beans into the creamy concoction, guaranteeing comprehensive coating, then elegantly transfer the mixture into the prepared baking dish, distributing evenly to ensure consistent culinary alchemy.
- Initial Baking Phase: Slide the casserole into the preheated oven, allowing ingredients to transform and meld for approximately 25 minutes, developing a rich, bubbling landscape of flavors.
- Crispy Topping Finale: Lavishly cascade French fried onions across the surface, then return to the oven for a brief 5-10 minute interlude, vigilantly monitoring to achieve a golden-brown crown without scorching.
- Resting and Serving: Extract the casserole from the oven, permitting a momentary pause for flavors to harmonize before presenting as a sumptuous accompaniment to your chosen main course.
Notes
- Optimize Bean Texture: Avoid overcooking green beans to maintain a crisp, vibrant texture; blanch fresh beans briefly or steam frozen beans carefully to prevent mushiness.
- Control Moisture Balance: Use minimal extra liquid when mixing soup and beans to prevent a watery casserole; drain frozen beans completely before incorporating into the mixture.
- Enhance Crispy Topping: Add French fried onions during the final 5 minutes of baking to prevent burning and ensure a perfectly golden, crunchy layer that doesn’t become soggy.
- Dietary Adaptation Options: Substitute cream of mushroom soup with dairy-free alternatives for lactose-intolerant guests, or use low-sodium soup for those monitoring salt intake; gluten-free fried onions work well for gluten-sensitive diners.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Appetizer
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 7
- Calories: 200
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 10 mg