This Classic Green Bean Casserole Is Exactly How You Remember It — Only Better (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.

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.

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.

Green Bean Casserole was created by a Campbell Soup Company employee, Dorcas Reilly, at our Camden, New Jersey headquarters in 1955. She was one of the first full-time members of Campbell's Home Economics department—now known as the Campbell Test Kitchen, where I work.

"Frozen beans hold their texture and flavor better when cooked, while canned beans can become mushy," says Lauren Allen, the owner and creator of recipe website Tastes Better From Scratch and an Amazon best-selling cookbook by the same name.

The Casserole Is Bland

Another one of the most common green bean casserole mistakes is to choose a recipe that's a bit too simple, which can result in a bland dish.

I added some sliced onion sautéed along with the green beans, added some garlic paste from the tube (Gourmet Garden®), some freshly-ground black pepper, and a healthy sprinkle of lemon pepper. Wow, so simple and yet soooo delicious.

“But you also need to remember cream pies and those creamy green bean and sweet potato casseroles can become dangerous if they sit out for too long without refrigeration, which needs to be below 41° F.”

The main different is the texture. Because French cut green beans are sliced so thinly they cook up silky and tender. The slicing also turns the veggie from a tube to a strip, which helps the beans absorb the flavors they're cooked with (more on that below).

If you've ever cooked green bean casserole, you know its consistency should be thick and saucy, not thin and watery, as EatingWell points out. One common cause of a wet, soupy casserole is undercooking the vegetable ingredients on the stovetop.

Can you freeze green bean casserole? ›

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.

The best side dishes to serve with a green bean casserole are collard greens, corn on the cob, kielbasa, fried shrimp, spaghetti and meatballs, London broil, broccoli, caramelized onions, zucchini carrot bread, lentil loaf, Cajun turkey, roasted chicken, grilled steak, baked salmon, pork chops, Apple slaw and Christmas ...

Popularity. It was originally marketed as an everyday side dish but became popular for Thanksgiving dinners in the 1960s after Campbell's placed the recipe on the can's label. The recipe popularized the combination of the soup with green beans.

Allow the casserole to cool to room temperature, then cover tightly with storage wrap or transfer to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to four days.

Arguably best made with canned green beans, a green bean casserole and other cooked casseroles will last four days in the fridge. Like with mashed potatoes, cooked casseroles are safe to eat out of the freezer, although quality will suffer, according to a food safety specialist at the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline.

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.

"When things are frozen, they are at the peak of ripeness," Derocha says, which means they'll retain much of their nutrients. Canned peas may contain added salt and lose a bit of their nutrients in the canning process, Petitpain says, but they are typically the most convenient.

Fresh vs. Frozen Green Beans. You may be surprised to learn that frozen green beans have just as many nutrients as, if not more than, fresh green beans. That's because frozen produce is harvested at peak ripeness, blanched, and flash frozen to preserve most of the nutrients and prevent spoiling.

Vegetables including tomatoes, spinach, and green beans are some of the commonly canned vegetables that are rich in vitamin C. While the initial blanching process results in some vitamin C losses, the remaining vitamin C is preserved longer after canning.