Must Try ::: Green Bean Casserole

Recipe and all photos by {accordingtoame}. Please do not reproduce without written approval.

I figured since we're getting close to the holiday season, it's a good time to share a dish that is kind of mandatory at a Midwest gathering.

Ok, I know that many of you out there who are not from the Midwest are looking at the headline and thinking "what in the...," but where I come from, a family gathering without a green bean casserole is sacrilege!

Since my husband and I became a "real couple," living together and all, this has been the "official dish" I have been signed up for at all the family gatherings, for both sides of my family. It's actually expected that I will be bringing it now.  Over the last decade I have been working on the recipe, tweaks and refinements, and I would like to think that since I never have any leftovers after a gathering, that it goes over pretty well and I might have it down pretty good.  It's not exactly what one would call "healthy" either, but who cares, it's a holiday.

I originally started by doubling the official Campbell's Soup recipe version of this dish. And from there I've kind of mixed and matched a few various things. I tried using fresh green beans, fancier soups, organic soups, dry soup mixes, etc, but it just tastes better and "right" this way. Perhaps the "right" part is just nostalgia. I also only use French Cut Style green beans. They cook a little better, and are less "hard" overall when the dish is finished. There somehow is a taste difference as well.  The biggest change, and one that makes the biggest impact in my opinion, is the Almond Milk. 

Now--you have to know your audience, as in, don't make it with almond milk if you know there's a nut allergy. So, since I know there's one on my dad's side, I specifically avoid it when I make it for an event with my dad's side, and just use skim milk.  It doesn't make a huge flavor difference but using the Almond Milk makes it a little creamier and richer.  I have also swapped the Healthy Request and Original soups to go 2 Healthy and 1 Regular a few times in the past, the flavor again slightly changes, but it helps the calorie and fat counts a bit.  I am not sure anyone else has even noticed since I have never had leftovers.

Also--should you wish to reproduce this on your own blog, please contact me first so I know you're using it.

Ame's Green Bean Casserole:::

•7 cans of Green Giant (or whatever brand) French Style Green Beans, drained
•2 cans of Campbells Cream of Mushroom Soup
•1 can of Campbells Healthy Request Cream of Mushroom Soup
•1/2 soup can of Almond Breeze Vanilla Unsweetened Almond Milk**
•2 tbsp of Worchestershire sauce (if you don't have this, use 1 tbsp soy sauce)
•3/4 to 1 tbsp of black pepper (I adjust as I go, starting with 1/2 and then usually add more, sometimes even use 1 1/2 tbsp by the time I am done--I like the peppery taste but it's not really spicy and you're making a LOT of casserole, start slow, and build up, taste as you go.)
•15 twists of a mixed peppercorn grinder to get more than just black pepper (McCormick usually)
•2 big containers of the French's onions (not costco size, but grocery store size), set one can aside for use as a topping.

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a giant mixing bowl, mix all ingredients except one of the containers of onions together until well mixed. 

 I usually put one can of soup in first, a few cans of the green beans, another can of soup, then the rest of the green beans and then the last can of soup. Layering it in like that helps it all mix easier.  

Then I mix in the rest of the ingredients (again, leaving out one container of the onions because they're for topping!) after I've mostly mixed it.  Sometimes I'll put half of the pepper in the middle as well, just for ease of mixing.

After all ingredients are mixed well, pour into a 9x13 pyrex dish (it will be FULL) and bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes, keeping an eye on it to not burn on the edges. 

I stir a little over halfway through, in part to taste, to make sure it doesn't need more pepper, and spin the casserole dish around 180 degrees for even baking.  

Then at the 40 minute mark, I pull the rack out a little, stir well and add the other can of onions evenly to the top and bake for 5 more minutes.  

After 5 minutes, pull the casserole out of the oven and turn the oven off. Let the cooked dish sit on top of the stove (or on a trivet somewhere) for about 5 minutes to "set up" and cool a bit, and then serve as a side dish.

Enjoy this Midwestern favorite! If you have a favorite dish like this, I'd love to hear about it in the comments!

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**I buy the Vanilla Unsweetened and then add two packets of Splenda to the little carton and shake it violently to mix. That helps sweeten it a little, but not as much as the regular sweetened variety. That's not a necessary step by any means, but that's how I drink it and use it on cereal, so it's just how it already is when I make this recipe.  As for the amount--there's a reason I use so "little". The green beans don't ever fully drain, and are a watery veggie anyway, so when they bake off, the liquid will blend with the soup and milk, and if you use too much more liquid, it can boil over and or be super liquidy.