Green bean casserole best supporting dish
A green bean casserole
Celeste Van Kirk
Donna Nardine, left, and Kelley Keane hold a green bean casserole.
Sure, turkey and stuffing are the stars of Thanksgiving dinner.
But the green bean casserole, that classic Thanksgiving creation anchored by Campbell’s condensed cream of mushroom soup, has earned its place as best supporting dish.
Every Thanksgiving, the casserole is served in 20 million homes, and 40 percent of Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup is sold to make the ultimate comfort food.
“We get quite a few calls around Thanksgiving from people who want the recipe or who have questions about it,” said a Campbell customer service representative. “It’s a busy time for us.”
For Donna Nardine of Peters Township, Thanksgiving dinner is not complete without the iconic side dish.
“We always have it for Thanksgiving,” said Donna Nardine of Peters Township. “My mom’s 92, and she made it for as long as I can remember. We have someone bring it every year.”
The green bean casserole was invented 63 years ago by Dorcas “Dottie” Reilly, who died Oct. 14 at the age of 92.
Reilly was a kitchen supervisor for Campbell Soup Co. in 1955 when she came up with the recipe for an Associated Press feature on easy-to-make holiday dishes.
Her goal: to create a side dish made with ingredients most people already had in their kitchens.
It’s a simple recipe — canned green beans smothered with cream of mushroom soup, milk and pepper, and topped with fried onions — that takes about 10 minutes to make and 30 minutes to bake.
While Nardine makes the recipe exactly as it appears on the label, others vary ingredients.
Virginia Rothaar Puglia of Houston replaces the cream of mushroom soup with cheddar cheese soup and bacon bits to appease the “picky eaters” in her family.
“It’s a yearly request during our extended family holiday gatherings,” said Puglia.
Other twists on the classic dish offered by local green bean casserole makers include substituting Funyuns for the onions, adding sausage or bacon, and whipping up a vegan version with red peppers and bread crumbs.
Not everyone, however, finds the green bean casserole appealing.
Patty Scott of Houston loathes the hot, bubbly dish.
“I don’t like anything creamy. And it’s got that creamy soup in it, and I don’t like green beans, so it’s just no,” said Scott. “I’ve actually never eaten it because I know what’s in it.”
Which just leaves more green bean casserole for others at the Scott Thanksgiving table.
This year, Nardine is hosting 28 green bean casserole-loving family members.
“We’ll probably need to double or triple the recipe,” said Nardine. “There’s not usually any left over.”