As the holidays approach , should I , a former newspaper food editor and author of seven cookbooks , admit that a side dish made from four cans dumped in a casserole dish always has a prominent place on my menu ? That I offer guests the ultimate example of 1950s recipes which ignored health ( and , some contend , flavor ) for convenience ? You bet I will . Once a year , I crave it : Green Bean
Casserole .
For anyone who has lived in a vegan commune in the Arctic Circle for the last 70-some years , the Green Bean Casserole is made from a can of cream of mushroom soup , two cans of green beans ( french cut or regular ; I go fancy and use french cut ) and a can of fried onions . Mix the soup and beans in a casserole dish , top with the onions . Bake . Done .
There have been haters ever since the recipe was born in 1955 in the Campbell ’ s Soup test kitchens , people who believe it ’ s as bad as constructing the holiday turkey entirely from Spam . Too salty and too fake , they say . As my reply , I point at the nearly empty dish at the end of Thanksgiving dinner . Every single year , there ’ s usually just enough for me to finish off with my turkey sandwich later . And I personally lay claim to it .
According to the late , great cookbook author and food historian Jean Anderson , the Green Bean Casserole may have triggered the 1950s craze for casseroles using canned soups . Grabbing a can of cream of mushroom or cream or celery soup was a lot simpler than making cream sauces ; still is . Home cooks could keep the ingredients in the pantry , ready to mix with corn , beans , broccoli , cooked chicken , asparagus , noodles , just about anything , for a quick meal . I keep an extra can of cream of mushroom soup to make post-Thanksgiving turkey
By Debbie Moose tetrazzini .
I also buy a larger can of fried onions than I need because – snacking . Even the most finicky holiday gourmets , including one who makes his own cranberry sauce from scratch and shuns all others , dips his fingers into the can as he explains that year ’ s version , which might be ginger-wasabi flavored . There ’ s even a recipe for a type of Chex Mix which incorporates the onions , so their munchable quality has been noticed .
But while other casseroles are year round , Green Bean Casserole has grown deep holiday roots . Campbell ’ s says that 50 percent of its cream of mushroom soup sales occur from November through January .
Besides soup , green beans and onions , the original recipe included milk , pepper and soy sauce . I ’ ve even seen a recipe that adds drained chopped pimentos , to make it a Christmassy red and green , I suppose .
All that is unnecessary . Maybe the additions were meant to help people feel like they were cooking instead of demonstrating their can-opening skills ; however , I am an unashamed purist .
I ’ m sorry if I ’ ve burst your culinary bubble . You probably expected me to say that I produce a holiday spread that ’ s ripped from the pages of Food & Wine Magazine , including growing my own sweet potatoes or some such . That ’ s more like my neighbor Cathy ’ s sister . Cathy tells me that , every year , her sister hosts the family for holiday dinners with no potluck allowed . She establishes a theme , assigns courses to family members and emails the specific recipes they are expected to prepare . These include fancy appetizers , salads and side dishes which have caused Cathy to call me asking where to find things like Asian pears ( in November and December , challenging ) and pomegranate seeds .
If the difficulty rating is too high , Cathy can ask for an alternative recipe , but none of them involve canned mushroom soup . And woe betide anyone who suggests it .
In recent years , high-brow food stars like Emeril Lagasse , Vivian Howard and Martha Stewart have tried to “ cheffy up ” the old Green Bean Casserole , offering recipes for sauces from scratch using fresh mushrooms , and frying your own onions . This is meant to appeal to those who watch too much Food Network and , probably , Cathy ’ s sister .
Why ? The no-brainer simplicity of the casserole is part of its beauty and enduring appeal . And as much as I enjoy cooking at the holidays , I need a break for a minute – and I imagine you do , too .
Y ’ all know how it is to host the family Thanksgiving or Christmas meal . You have three or four things going at once , the oven is full with dishes of stuffing and sweet potatoes , and the turkey ( unless you ’ re smart , like me , and fry your turkey in the backyard ). You ’ re rummaging through the china cabinet for Grandma ’ s relish tray to hold the pickles and cranberry sauce , when your cousin calls to say she ’ s bringing her current boyfriend . Stop , find another plate and squeeze in an additional chair at the table . Then your brother shows up with rolls that need “ just a few minutes ” in the oven , which , as previously noted , looks like an airport TSA line on the day before Thanksgiving . And the person bringing wine hasn ’ t gotten there yet .
A side dish that doesn ’ t require grating , measuring , or fussing with is a relief . And people love it , whether they admit it or not . No need for casseroleshaming . So , take a breath , tell that brother to stash his rolls someplace ( where is up to you ) and dig into that can of onions . ❖
Debbie Moose is the author of cookbooks , including “ Deviled Eggs : 50 Recipes from Simple to Sassy ,” “ Buttermilk : A Savor the South Cookbook ,” “ Southern Holidays : A Savor the South Cookbook ,” and “ Carolina Catch : Cooking North Carolina Fish and Shellfish from Mountains to Coast .” She can be reached at debbiemoose . com .
SOUTH � NOVEMBER-DECEMBER ’ 24 � 23