Before you cook
Background Recipe story & origin
Green Bean Casserole has one of the most precisely documented origin stories in American food history. On November 1, 1955, home economist Dorcas Reilly created the dish in Campbell Soup Company's test kitchen in Camden, New Jersey. The assignment was simple: develop an easy, affordable recipe using ingredients most American households already stocked. Reilly combined canned green beans, Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup, milk, soy sauce, and French-fried onions—and produced a dish that could be prepped in under ten minutes. Campbell's began printing the recipe on soup cans almost immediately, and it spread across the country with remarkable speed.nnThe timing was perfect. Post-war America was embracing convenience foods, and the casserole fit seamlessly into the era's love of one-dish meals that could feed a family without fuss. By the 1960s, it had become a fixture at Thanksgiving tables from coast to coast, helped along by Campbell's aggressive recipe marketing and the growing availability of canned and frozen ingredients in supermarkets. The dish embodied a distinctly mid-century American approach to cooking—practical, unpretentious, and built around the pantry shelf rather than the farmer's market.nnToday, Campbell's estimates that roughly 20 million Green Bean Casseroles are made each year in the United States, with about 40 percent of all Cream of Mushroom soup sold during the Thanksgiving season going directly into the dish. The original recipe card Dorcas Reilly wrote in 1955 is preserved in the National Inventors Hall of Fame in Alexandria, Virginia—a fitting tribute to a humble casserole that quietly became one of the most-cooked recipes in American culinary history.
Safety Safety & allergen notes
- Oven racks and interior surfaces reach 350°F - use oven mitts when placing or removing the baking dish to prevent burns
- Boiling water for blanching green beans can cause severe burns - keep hands and face away from steam and use a colander to drain safely
- The baking dish will be extremely hot when removed from oven - always use thick oven mitts and place on a heat-safe surface, not directly on countertops
- Steam rising from the hot casserole can cause facial burns - allow 2-3 minutes rest time before serving and keep face away when uncovering
Non-negotiables Rules for success
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Blanch fresh green beans for exactly 5 minutes in boiling salted water
Blanching partially cooks the beans to the right tenderness and removes raw flavor, while the salt seasons them; under-blanching leaves them too firm, over-blanching makes them mushy in the final dish
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Drain canned or blanched beans thoroughly before adding to soup mixture
Excess water dilutes the cream sauce and makes the casserole watery instead of creamy and cohesive
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Fold in fried onions gently and reserve 1 cup for topping
Gentle folding preserves the crispy texture of onions; adding all onions at once causes them to soften and lose crispness during the first bake, so reserving them ensures crispy topping
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Add reserved onions only after first 20-minute bake
Adding onions before baking causes them to absorb moisture and become soggy; adding them in the final 5 minutes keeps them golden and crispy
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Let casserole rest 2-3 minutes after removing from oven before serving
Resting allows the mixture to set slightly and makes it easier to serve without falling apart; serving immediately causes it to be too loose and runny
Prep Get set first
About 8 min of prep
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C)
- Gather all ingredients: cream of mushroom soup, milk, soy sauce, seasonings, green beans, fried onions
- Prepare 9x13-inch baking dish
- Have large mixing bowl and whisk ready
- If using fresh green beans: knife, cutting board, and large pot for blanching
- Measure out all seasonings into small bowls
This is a straightforward 30-minute casserole with mostly passive baking time; prep takes about 8 minutes if using canned beans, or 12-15 minutes if preparing fresh beans.
Ingredients
Instructions
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Preheat oven
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
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Prepare soup mixture
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cream of mushroom soup, milk, soy sauce, pepper, garlic powder, and salt until well combined.
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Prepare green beans
If using fresh green beans, trim the ends and cut into 2-inch pieces, then blanch in boiling salted water for 5 minutes before draining. If using canned beans, simply drain them thoroughly.
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Combine beans with soup mixture
Add the green beans to the soup mixture and stir gently until all beans are coated.
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Fold in fried onions
Fold in 1.5 cups of the fried onions, reserving the remaining 1 cup for topping.
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Transfer to baking dish
Pour the mixture into a 9x13-inch baking dish and spread evenly.
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First bake
Bake for 20 minutes, or until the casserole is heated through and begins to bubble at the edges.
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Top with reserved onions
Remove from the oven and top with the reserved fried onions.
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Final bake
Return to the oven and bake for an additional 5 minutes, until the onions are golden and crispy.
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Rest before serving
Let rest for 2-3 minutes before serving.
Chef's notes
This casserole can be assembled up to 4 hours ahead and refrigerated before baking; add 5-10 minutes to the baking time if cooking from cold.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
For a lighter version, substitute half the cream of mushroom soup with low-fat milk or use reduced-fat soup.
Tomorrow's Meal
Crispy Green Bean Casserole Cakes
Cold casserole pressed into patties, pan-fried until the edges crisp up and the creamy center warms through
You'll need to pick up:
Quick overview:
- Scoop cold casserole into 3-inch patties, press gently to compact
- Heat 1/4 inch oil in skillet to 350°F
- Fry patties 3-4 minutes per side until golden brown and crispy
- Drain on paper towels, season with fleur de sel
- Serve hot with lemon wedges