Ultimate Green Bean Casserole (2024)

FAQs

How do you make green bean casserole not soggy? ›

Green bean casserole should have a nice thick sauce that coats the green beans—it should not resemble soup. One common cause of a watery casserole is not adding enough thickener, such as flour or cornstarch, to your sauce.

When I make green bean casserole, I skip canned beans all together. Frozen green beans are the best green beans to use for green bean casserole.

✿ 4 cups of green beans is about 1½ pounds fresh or 16 ounces frozen or 2 cans (15 ounces each) drained.

Fans love the dish in part because of how simple it is to throw together. It calls for ingredients that could be found in a typical home kitchen pantry: canned or fresh green beans, mushroom soup, milk, soy sauce and black pepper.

One common cause of a wet, soupy casserole is undercooking the vegetable ingredients on the stovetop. When you choose to use fresh green beans, onion, and mushrooms instead of canned, cook the veggies well before tossing them into the oven.

Mistake #5: A Runny Casserole

Who wants that? Be sure that frozen green beans are completely defrosted and drained before adding them to the casserole, Chef Patel says. If you don't, the excess water from the beans can leak out into the casserole and make it thin and runny.

The Green Beans Are Mushy

Oftentimes, mushy green beans come down to one of two issues. The first is simply that you overcooked them, and they lost their shape and texture.

Start making a slurry, a tool for thickening sauces, by whisking a small amount of cornstarch or flour with water or broth. Whisk until there aren't visible lumps. It should be thick but drizzly in consistency. As you constantly stir, add small amounts of the slurry to the filling.

“When alternative sides are plentiful, assume guests will eat a little less of each and one pound will serve four people,” Hartigan says. “And if vegetarians outnumber carnivores at your table, assume your green beans will go fast and assume that one pound will serve two people.”

Information in the table below indicates 17 1/2 pounds of frozen green beans can be used for 100 1/2-cup servings in this recipe.

How many green beans is 1 cup? ›

A serving of green beans is one cup. This is about 20 medium green beans.

Green Bean Casseroles are served at 20 million Thanksgiving dinners every year.

Yes green beans do cause gas but so does many other foods, such as eggs, cabbage,asparagus, broccoli,and other foods.

Instacart conducted a survey with The Harris Poll and found that a majority of Americans, 69%, secretly dislike some classic Thanksgiving food but eat it anyway because of tradition. The top offenders were: Canned cranberry sauce (29%) Green bean casserole (24%)

Mistake #5: A Runny Casserole

Be sure that frozen green beans are completely defrosted and drained before adding them to the casserole, Chef Patel says. If you don't, the excess water from the beans can leak out into the casserole and make it thin and runny.

While the beans are cooking, fill a large bowl with cold water and ice. As soon as the beans are done cooking, transfer them immediately to the ice bath to stop the cooking process and preserve their bright green color. Leave the beans in the bowl of ice water for a few minutes before removing them with tongs.

To keep home-canned green beans firm, it's important to follow proper canning procedures to ensure that they are processed at the correct temperature and for the correct amount of time. Overcooking or undercooking can cause the beans to become mushy or tough.

If you toss frozen green beans straight into a pan, all the ice around them will thaw and create a pool of water in the bottom of the pan, which then has to cook off before the green beans start to saute. This results in overcooked, soft, soggy, and rubbery green beans.