Buzz
While many traditional Thanksgiving dishes have intricate and lengthy histories, green bean casserole’s story is refreshingly straightforward. Its creator and debut are well-documented, and the original six-ingredient formula remains printed on Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup cans to this day.
Dorcas Reilly, the former Campbell’s test kitchen supervisor who passed away in October 2018 at 92, left an indelible mark on Thanksgiving traditions. In 1955, she crafted the iconic green bean casserole, initially named The Green Bean Bake, as part of her role to create recipes showcasing the company’s soup products. Though she developed hundreds of dishes, none achieved the widespread acclaim of her green bean and condensed mushroom soup masterpiece.
Reilly’s green bean casserole recipe is remarkably simple, requiring no advanced skills or rare ingredients. It includes one can of Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup, half a cup of milk, four cups of green beans, a teaspoon of soy sauce, a pinch of black pepper, and one and one-third cups of French fried onions. Half the onions are reserved for topping, while the rest are mixed with the other ingredients in a casserole dish and baked at 350°F for 25 minutes. The dish is then topped with the remaining onions and baked for an additional five minutes until golden and bubbling.
Initially created to promote Campbell’s products, the dish gained popularity due to its reliance on convenient, shelf-stable ingredients. Featured in a 1955 Associated Press Thanksgiving article, it quickly became a favorite among home cooks looking for simplicity during the hectic holiday season.
Even today, Reilly’s iconic casserole remains a Thanksgiving staple. Campbell’s reports that roughly one-third of all Cream of Mushroom Soup cans purchased are used to prepare her famous “Green Bean Bake.” For those without a can at home, the recipe is readily available on Campbell’s website.
