slo’s MONDAY 11/24 poll - Fresh Green Beans vs Green Bean Casserole

[Micca]

This thread must be read by my DH. He loves the stuff; I don't. He plans on making it for the very first time this Thursday. So any pointers will surely be appreciated by him

Hello DH of KItty34 I'm planning on making a small GBC just for me because no one else is interested in eating it. I think the canned green beans are better than fresh for this dish, frozen is probably ok, but I'd thaw them out and drain them so the casserole doesn't get runny. Also this is a case of where the store brand cream of mushroom is inferior to Campbell's, so I just go ahead and splurge on that. The crispy onion are important, I try to get them to brown just a bit. I'll throw a splash of worcestershire sauce in the mix because
who doesn't want more sodium? You could do something creative with bacon or cheese, but at Thanksgiving there are plenty of flavors around, no need to complicate things.

I'm looking forward to my small batch and my homemade cranberry sauce(another item that is super easy to prepare)

 

[leebee]

My family does the casserole with frozen peas instead, and I really like it!

But I also like plain green beans (or even better with bacon bits).

@PollyannaMom Do you make the casserole with the frozen peas the same way as with green beans? Do you cook the peas first? Will you share the recipe? I made it once a year or two before and DD32 loves it, but I can't find the recipe and the ones online are far fancier than I know I'd make!

Regarding the poll... Love fresh green beans, love green bean casserole... but green bean casserole MUST be made with canned green beans, not fresh!! One year my sister said she'd make the green bean casserole. She's a pretty big food snob so I was surprised, but she said she'd show us a real green bean casserole. She used fresh green beans, fresh mushrooms, made a cream sauce from scratch, she even sauteed/air fried onions for the topping. Everyone tried it, but it was the first time EVER that there was leftover green bean casserole... lots of it leftover. My sister uses this as evidence that nobody really likes green bean casserole, but my take on it is that when people want traditional holiday foods, they want them MADE traditionally!

 

[leebee]

Hello DH of KItty34 I'm planning on making a small GBC just for me because no one else is interested in eating it. I think the canned green beans are better than fresh for this dish, frozen is probably ok, but I'd thaw them out and drain them so the casserole doesn't get runny. Also this is a case of where the store brand cream of mushroom is inferior to Campbell's, so I just go ahead and splurge on that. The crispy onion are important, I try to get them to brown just a bit. I'll throw a splash of worcestershire sauce in the mix because
who doesn't want more sodium? You could do something creative with bacon or cheese, but at Thanksgiving there are plenty of flavors around, no need to complicate things.

I'm looking forward to my small batch and my homemade cranberry sauce(another item that is super easy to prepare)

Hey, Ron... happy birthday, a little bit late!!

ETA, totally agree on the canned green beans and superiority of Campbell's mushroom soup!

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I am one of those weird people who doesn't like green bean casserole.

I like green beans though, if done correctly. It seems that so many people put tiny little onion pieces in them, and that is a dealbreaker for me. If you leave the onions out, I am happy. I have also tried something they called "crack green beans" OMG those are amazing.

 

[soccerdad72]

I haven't made green bean casserole in a long time, but if I'm at someone's house that's serving them, I'll have a scoop. I have no issues with them. We usually prefer roasted fresh green beans with a little olive oil and salt, but I'm really not that picky.

 

[lovesmurfs]

I'm all about the green bean casserole on holidays. But regular green beans throughout the year.

 

[CynBeth]

We have fresh green beans. My other family members have food allergies so I do not get to have green been casserole very often only when eating out sometimes.

 

[PollyannaMom]

@PollyannaMom Do you make the casserole with the frozen peas the same way as with green beans? Do you cook the peas first? Will you share the recipe?

Well, I hesitate to call it a "recipe" since I measure with my heart and guess on times but this is what I do:

Pour a bag of frozen peas, a can or a little less of healthy request cream of mushroom soup (how much you need kind of depends on the size of the bag of peas) and part of a container of these:

into a casserole dish that fits in your microwave.

Mix it all up and microwave to get it started (maybe 6 minutes?)
In the meantime, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Take it out of the microwave, give it another stir, spread a bunch more onions on top, and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes. (You want the top browned but not burned.)

 

[tvguy]

I voted other, because, as my waistline indicates. I like them all.
But green beans, and green bean casserole have never been a holiday tradition in our house. We eat green beans frequently, usually canned because THAT is the kind my wife likes. I prefer fresh or frozen. I have had green bean casserole with cream of mushroom soup, love it.

 

[clappyclaps]

Don't think that green bean casserole is a thing in the UK, although it sounds like something I'd be interested to try. And we obviously don't do thanksgiving, but i do like green beans in general and these are usually my go to veg when making a roast dinner.

 

[AppleDumpling]

Most of my family loves green bean casserole; I can take it or leave it. We had it only on holidays when I was growing up. My mom’s recipe included Velveeta cheese (in addition to the mushroom soup and crunchy onions). I make it with shredded cheddar cheese and frozen French-cut beans.

 

[amcnj]

I like both. But due to having fresh/frozen green beans much more often, the casserole seems more special on the rare occasion it does make an appearance.

 

[Kitty 34]

Hello DH of KItty34 I'm planning on making a small GBC just for me because no one else is interested in eating it. I think the canned green beans are better than fresh for this dish, frozen is probably ok, but I'd thaw them out and drain them so the casserole doesn't get runny. Also this is a case of where the store brand cream of mushroom is inferior to Campbell's, so I just go ahead and splurge on that. The crispy onion are important, I try to get them to brown just a bit. I'll throw a splash of worcestershire sauce in the mix because
who doesn't want more sodium? You could do something creative with bacon or cheese, but at Thanksgiving there are plenty of flavors around, no need to complicate things.

I'm looking forward to my small batch and my homemade cranberry sauce(another item that is super easy to prepare)

Thank you, thank you for the reply, Ron. DH really appreciates it. He does, luckily, have the cans of green beans and also Campbell's soup. He loves the idea of Worcestershire sauce in it. To be honest (my opinion) he's making the whole dang thing for the crispy onions!!!

I like the way you say a small batch, Ron. I've seen his supplies....I think he will have enough to feed the population of Michigan!!

We will need to get back with each other and see how you men fare!!

Happy Thanksgiving.

 

[DaisyDuck001]

I don't like mushrooms, so the casserole is ruled out, unless it can be made without the mushroom soup. Plain green beans are OK, probably healthiest if steamed.

 

[easyas123]

healthiest

That's not the topic, the topic is green bean casserole! why bring 'healthy' into the discussion?!?!?

(says the person who won't even eat a green bean)

 

[GAN]

Don’t bother passing that green bean casserole to my plate!