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.

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.

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

Ingredients. The recipe, which has not changed, calls for green beans, mushroom soup, milk, soy sauce, ground black pepper, and french fried onions.

When you choose to use fresh green beans, onion, and mushrooms instead of canned, cook the veggies well before tossing them into the oven. When the veggies aren't cooked through, they will release water into the casserole during baking. This extra water results in a soggy, sad casserole.

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. While these calculations seem straightforward, the full breadth of your menu could reduce the IRL size of each serving—after all, there's only so much room on one plate.

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.

Serving information

A portion of uncooked beans typically doubles after cooking (e.g. 2 cups uncooked equals between 4-5 cups of cooked beans). Average serving size is estimated to be 1/4 cup of uncooked beans (56.70 grams) per person (approx. 1/2 cup or 113.40 grams of cooked beans).

Roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, cornbread dressing—you get the picture. But guess what? You don't have to wait until Thanksgiving to eat green bean casserole. It's also delicious alongside a simple roasted chicken for an easy family meal!

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.

Why is green bean casserole so good? ›

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.

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.

Frozen green beans are not as good as fresh, but they're miles better than canned ones and thus a decent compromise.

"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.