Easy Green Bean Casserole Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Which is better in green bean casserole canned or frozen? ›

Frozen French-cut green beans are a better option. They hold their texture better than canned, and you can cook them straight from their frozen state. And if you're using fresh green beans? You'll need to cook them first by roasting, steaming or boiling them.

Any liquid from the beans will make your casserole watery. Only add 1/4 cup milk with the condensed soup—do not add the water as directed on the can. Add the crispy fried onions during the last 5 minutes of baking or they will absorb some of the sauce and become soggy.

Notes: ✿ 4 cups of green beans is about 1½ pounds fresh or 16 ounces frozen or 2 cans (15 ounces each) drained.

A green bean casserole makes the Thanksgiving holiday complete, and this version can be on the table in no time at all thanks to just four ingredients from your pantry or fridge: canned green beans, condensed mushroom soup, French-fried onions, and shredded Cheddar cheese.

It's important to note that frozen green beans—usually the best choice for green bean casseroles—are blanched before the freezing process begins, so they're already partially cooked, too. That means they'll also cook pretty fast, which could easily morph into overcooking if you aren't careful.

Add a thickener

While your green bean casserole is on the stove, incorporate a thickener into the vegetables, such as cornstarch or flour. According to The Kitchn, you can combine cornstarch and a small amount of water or broth in a cup and stir until the lumps are gone, and it becomes a thick yet drizzly consistency.

Fans love the dish in part because of how simple it is to throw together. It calls for ingredients that could be found in a typical home kitchen pantry: canned or fresh green beans, mushroom soup, milk, soy sauce and black pepper.

Stored properly, your leftover green bean casserole will last 3-4 days in the fridge. Freezing: Wrap your green bean casserole tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil, freezer wrap or transfer to an airtight container and keep in the freezer for 6 months.

How to estimate how many green beans you need per person. Don't have time to count or measure? You can safely estimate that one handful of green beans will serve one person, or two people if you have other green sides, Hartigan says.

What restaurant in New York serves green beans in a bag? ›

Kathleen Ashmore | Green beans in a bag: Spring's hottest accessory 👛 There is a Mediterranean street food restaurant called Miznon whose NYC location...

We found that 1 pound contains about 35 to 40 green beans which yields about 3 cups chopped, making a 1/3 pound purchase just about right for a 1 cup chopped green bean recipe. Remember when cooked, 1 cup of green beans will reduce in quantity by 2 to 3 tablespoons.

Mistake #5: A Runny Casserole

If you sense it's a little watery, "add a thickener like roux or starch to absorb the additional liquid or cook a little longer," she says. That'll give it that rich, dense consistency you're looking for.

How It Became a Holiday Staple. Green bean casserole was considered a perfect dish for holiday entertaining because it was simple, inexpensive, and could easily be made ahead of time. It became known as a "jiffy casserole" because it went from one bowl to one pan.

The starch settles out of the food during canning. Second, minerals in hard water can give a cloudy appearance. Third, using table salt instead of canning salt. Table salt contains anti-caking agents that can cause cloudiness.

In fact, some frozen vegetables, such as green beans, have an edge over the limp and old green beans in your fridge! Frozen vs. Canned: In general, frozen vegetables are better than canned. Fresh vegetables are blanched before freezing, and they do lose some nutrients but not a lot.

Canned Foods

According to Dr. Surampudi, canning requires a lot more processing, and is likely to have less nutritional value than frozen foods. The process of canning is different for different types of food, but typically it involves three major steps that keep the food safe to eat for long periods of time.

"I use fresh French-cut green beans the majority of the time," says lifestyle blogger Chantelle Hartman Malarkey. If fresh isn't available, Malarkey reaches for frozen. "Canned green beans are very soft and delicate," Malarkey says.

They'll never be as crisp-tender as fresh green beans, but as far as convenient frozen veggies go, they're phenomenal! They get tossed with olive oil, garlic, and lemon zest for a bright and delicious flavor.