Green Bean Casserole

Through the years I have tried to update this iconic dish.  I have used fresh green beans and frozen green beans. I have tried using fresh onion rings and I have even made my own mushroom sauce to replace canned mushroom soup.

The 'upscaled' recipe is really good but takes a little more effort to make and, if you are nostalgic, it won't taste quite like the original recipe that was developed by Dorcas Reilly who was the head of the Campbell's Test Kitchens in 1955; and the one I grew up eating.

This is so much easier. 

Not to mention the taste takes me back to my childhood.

 

Mix the soup, milk, and the Beau Monde in a mixing bowl then stir in the drained beans.

 

Add part of the onions and combine 

Turn it into a baking dish that has been prepared with vegetable spray and pop it in the oven.

Sprinkle the remaining onions over the top during the last minutes of cooking and there you have it.


Classic Green Bean Casserole
Serves 6

Ingredients:
1 - 10-1/2 ounce can of Campbell's Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
3/4 cup milk
1 Tbsp. Beau Monde seasoning
1 - 28 ounce can canned, French cut green beans (I like Del Monte)
1-1/3 cups French's Crispy Fried Onions, divided

Method:
Preheat oven to 350° F.  Spray a 1-1/2 quart casserole dish (an 8" x 8" square Pyrex) with vegetable spray, such as Pam.  Drain the green beans.

In a mixing bowl whisk together the soup, milk and Beau Monde.  Fold in the drained green beans and 2/3 cup of the onions. 

Turn in to the prepared casserole and bake for 30 minutes or until bubbling.  Top with the remaining onions and cook for 5 more minutes until onions are golden.   

 NOTE:  the original recipe has ground pepper for the seasoning; I have always used Beau Monde )

Classic Southern Squash Casserole

 

There are many, many squash casseroles out there; and I've probably tried most of them.  There is something about squash casserole that I love.  I don't know if it is the soft, creamy texture or simply the taste of the squash.  Most squash casserole recipes I've made over the years have been very good.  This particular one has found its way to the top of the ladder and is the only squash casserole recipe I use any more.

Paula Deen says that no southern cook is worth her salt without a good squash casserole recipe.  Well, all you southern cooks, this is it!  Put it in your repertoire.  It's creamy and souffle-like.  The ingredients are few and simple and it's truly southern. 

What sets this recipe apart from the others Ive made is that the squash is peeled.  I truly think that makes a difference; especially if you are stuck with thick-skinned squash.

The onion and squash slices will simmer in water until tender.  After you drain the squash you will mash it up with a fork.




In the same pan combine the mashed squash and onions, 1/2 cup of the cheese, the mayonnaise and the crackers.  You can make this recipe gluten free by using gluten free crackers.




Stir in the egg and the butter.  Salt and pepper to taste.

 

Turn into a prepared baking dish, sprinkle with the remaining cheese and bake until the cheese is melted and squash is bubbling.  Mmmmm....it's so creamy and good.

  Classic Southern Squash Casserole
Adapted from Paula Deen's Paula Deen & Friends, Living It Up, Southern Style
Yields 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients:
6 medium yellow summer squash (approximately)
1 small yellow onion
1-1/2 cups grated sharp Cheddar Cheese (about 6 ounces) - divided
1/2 cup Hellmanns Mayonnaise
10 soda crackers (saltines) - To make this a gluten free recipe use gluten free crackers
1 egg
2 Tbsp. salted butter
Salt and pepper, to taste

Mise en place:

• preheat oven to 350°F..
• spray an 8-inch square baking dish with vegetable oil cooking spray
• peel the squash and cut into 1/4-inch slices
• chop onion
• grate cheese
• measure out mayonnaise
• place crackers in a plastic baggie and crush
• crack egg and lightly beat
• melt butter

Method:
Place the squash and onion in about 2 inches of salted water in a medium saucepan.  Bring to a rolling boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the squash is very tender, about 10 to 12 minutes.  Drain the squash.

In the same pot, mash the squash and onion with a fork; you should have about 2 cups of cooked squash.  Add 1/2 cup of the cheese, the mayonnaise, and the crumbled soda crackers.  Stir in the egg and butter.  Taste; add salt and pepper as needed.  Pour into the prepared baking dish.  Top with the remaining 1 cup cheese.  Bake for 25 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the casserole is bubbly.

Egg Brunch Casserole

Another breakfast casserole.  This is an oldie that Tyra and I made when we had our Tea Room.  We served it with a hot curried fruit and a spinach salad on the side.

It's easy, simple and one of those dishes you can pretty much prepare the night before serving.

 
White bread is called for and over the years I have used different breads for this recipe and I keep going back to the grocery store white sandwich bread.  It's cheap and soft, and there are certain things that cheap, white sandwich bread is best for; peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, grilled cheese and this casserole, oh, and fried Bologna sandwiches.

Shredded Cheddar cheese is layered on next.  Of course you can use any cheese you like but I prefer a sharp Wisconsin Cheddar

Sliced Kielbasa-style smoked sausage that you cook then slice.  I used Eckrich.  The original recipe called  for a pound of smoked sausage but just like a can of coffee is no longer a pound of coffee, this sausage is now packaged at 14 ounces; so just get the 14 ounce package and don't sweat over the other 2.  Can you even buy coffee in the can anymore?  Hmmm...

Mix the eggs, 1/2 cup of the milk, mustard, marjoram and basil together.

Pour this mixture over your bread, cheese and sausage.

Cover the casserole with foil or a lid if you pan has one.  I would normally use a glass casserole dish but I was taking this to work and this metal pan was easier to transport it.  Slip it in the refrigerator overnight.

The next day prior to serving, pre-heat the oven to 350°F.  Dilute the soup with 1/2 cup milk and pour over the casserole.  Bake for 1 hour.

Egg Brunch Casserole
Serves 10 to 12


Ingredients:

Night before:
8 slices white bread
2 cups grated cheese
1 pound Kielbasa 
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk

2-1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. dry marjoram
1/2 tsp. dry basil
 Day of Serving:
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp. salt


Mise en Place:

• cube bread
• grate cheese
• brown  sausage whole, then cut in 1/2" pieces
• crack eggs in medium mixing bowl
• measure out 1/2 cup of the milk
• measure out herbs

Method:
The night prior to serving:
Prepare an 8" x 12" baking dish by spraying with vegetable spray.  Place bread cubes in the bottom of the baking dish.  Sprinkle cheese evenly over bread.  Layer sausage pieces on top of cheese.

Whisk the eggs, 1/2 cup of milk and herbs in the mixing bowl.  Pour mixture over the ingredients in the baking dish.  Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

Day of serving:
Preheat oven to 350°F.  Remove baking dish from the refrigerator.  In a mixing bowl dilute the soup with the other 1/2 cup milk and add the salt.  Pour over top of baking dish.  Bake for 1 hour or until the top is golden brown. 

Breakfast Casserole

I know, I know, breakfast casseroles come at a dime a dozen.  When I read this recipe it was a little different from most.  What intrigued me and made me want to give it a try was that the eggs are softly scrambled prior to being mixed with the milk and all the other things that the bread soaks in over night.  Also, cheese wasn't simply sprinkled over the casserole; a cheese sauce was made.

The recipe comes from a book I've had for almost 30 years called "Savoring the Southwest - A Cookbook and More From the Land of Enchantment".  It was compiled by the Roswell Symphony Guild and I have to say I'm disappointed that the cover didn't depict a space ship flying out of the clouds.

 Start by getting all of your ingredients measured, chopped, and grated. 

Chop the ham or buy it already cubed like I did.



 That's a lot of eggs!  Go ahead and get them all cracked in a large bowl

 I love fresh mushrooms, but I love mushrooms in a bottle too.  I specifically prefer them in a bottle over a can.  Many canned foods take on a metallic taste and mushrooms are one of them.  The jar I bought was 6 ounces instead of the suggested 4; so sue me.  I almost ate the whole jar by themselves.



Tear of up bread crumbs.  You'll need 4 cups.  I used a store bought loaf of Italian bread and trimmed the crust off & give to the birds; mine love me today as they got a real treat in the back yard.  You can use any white bread as long as it's soft; you don't want to use a dense white bread.

Ingredients for the base of the cheese sauce.  Milk, flour, butter and salt & pepper

 

Once the flour is thoroughly mixed with the butter allow the roux to cook for a minute to get rid of the flour-y taste

Heat the milk in the micro wave before slowly adding it to the roux.

Add the rated cheese, salt and pepper.  Stir until fully incorporated and smooth. 

Set your cheese sauce off the heat.

 In a large skillet melt 3 Tbsp of the butter and saute the ham until it has some nice color to it.

 Beat the eggs and add to the pan.  Cook until they form large, wet curds.  Don't over cook so that the eggs are dry, you want them nice and moist.

 Add the mushrooms and cheese sauce.  I also added one fresh jalapeno that I seeded, de-veined and minced.  Depending on how much heat you want you can leave the veins but I would definitely get rid of the seed; just a texture thing with me.

 Softly fold the mixture until incorporated.

 Pour into a greased 13 x 9 x 2 inch casserole

 Melt the other 3 Tbsp butter then pour over the bread crumbs.

Toss the crumbs until all have been coated with the melted butter

Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top of the egg / cheese mixture.  Cover the pan with foil and refrigerate overnight.  At this point you can also freeze this dish.  If you do freeze, let it thaw in the refrigerator before you place in oven

The next morning when you are ready to bake, uncover the casserole and bake in a 350° oven for 30 minutes or until heated through.

One of the things I really liked about this casserole was how the bread-crumb topping was buttery and really crispy, not soggy.


Breakfast Casserole
Adapted from Savoring the Southwest
Serves 12

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter plus 6 Tbsp. butter, divided
3 Tbsp. flour
2 cups milk
1 cup grated medium Cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 cup cubed cooked ham
12 eggs, beaten
1 jar (6 ounce) mushrooms, drained
1 to 2 fresh jalapeños

4 cups soft bread crumbs

Mise en Place:

1. measure butter, divided into two 3-Tbsp portions and one whole stick
2. measure flour
3. measure milk
4. measure salt & pepper
5. grate cheese
6. cube ham, if necessary
7. crack eggs into large mixing bowl and beat
8. drain mushrooms
9. seed, de-vein and mince the jalapeño(s)
10. trim bread and tear into crumbs
11. spray casserole dish with vegetable spray

Method:
In a medium sauce pan melt 3 Tbsp of the butter.  Whisk in flour and incorporate well into a roux.  Allow to cook for one minute.  Heat the milk in the microwave for a minute or two until hot.  Slowly add to roux and whisk until smooth.  Allow to cook until it begins to thicken.  Add graded cheese and stir until smooth.  Add salt and pepper.  Set aside, off the heat.

In a large skillet melt the other 3 Tbsp of butter.  Add ham cubes and saute until lightly browned.  Add the beaten eggs and cook until the eggs are moist and large soft curds have formed.

Fold in the mushrooms, cheese sauce and jalapeño(s).  Pour this mixture into the greased casserole.

Melt the 1 stick of butter in a small saucepan.  Pour the butter over the bread crumbs and toss until all bread has been coated with the butter.  Sprinkle the bread over the top of the egg / cheese mixture.

Cover the casserole with foil and place in refrigerator overnight.

The next morning when ready to bake, pre-heat the oven to 350° and bake for 30 minutes or until heated through.

Allow to rest for 15 minutes before cutting.

Upgraded Green Bean Casserole

Green beans prepared at our house are usually steamed, buttered and sprinkled with lemon juice.

I have never cared for left over green beans.  They are hard to revive to their original fresh and snappy selves.  Kind of like take out french fries with your hamburger.  By the time you get it all home the fries are a pile of limp starch sticks; they're never the same as if you'd stayed and enjoyed your burger and fries at the burger joint.




This year I opted to steam enough green beans for Thanksgiving dinner but instead of left overs the next day I tried a green bean casserole recipe from the November / December 2006 issue of Cook's Illustrated.

 

In the taste department it's a far cry from the recipe we're all familiar with that we can throw together in our sleep.  This one is definitely worth the extra effort.  I want to clarify here that I certainly don't turn my nose up at the original green bean casserole; I'll eat the whole pan of it if it's plopped down in front of me.

This recipe makes a dish we so love even better.  I will be coming back to this again and again for several reasons.

One, the green beans maintain their bright, verdant color and have the perfect bite to their texture.

Two, the from-scratch mushroom sauce is bursting with fresh mushroom flavor.  It can't even be compared to the salty, gelatinous mushroom soup concentrate we are accustomed to.

Three, is the twist to the french fried onion ring topping.  With the addition of a little bit of white bread crumbs (I used a couple of leftover Parker House Rolls) and butter to the onion rings made for a more sophisticated topping.

Four, and very important to me, is that Lovey really, really liked these.

It halves nicely which is what I did here.  I'm giving you the full recipe below.  If you do half it bake it in a 2-quart (or 8-inch x 8-inch square) baking dish.  The components of the casserole can be prepared ahead of time.

My recommendation?  Go ahead, break from tradition and try this the next time you want to make green bean casserole.  You may just start a new tradition in your household.


Green Bean Casserole
Adapted from Cooks Illustrated November-December 2006 issue
Serves 10-12

For the Topping:
Ingredients:
4 slices white sandwich bread
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1/4 tsp. table salt
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
3 cups canned fried onions (about 6 ounces)

Method:
Tear each slice of bread into quarters and place in the bowl of a food processor.  Add the butter, salt and pepper.  Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about ten 1-second pulses.  (NOTE:  You can prepare the topping ahead of time to this point and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator over night.  The onions will be added right before baking.)  Transfer to a large bowl and toss with onions; set aside.

For the Beans and Sauce
Ingredients:
Table salt
2 pounds green beans
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 pound white button mushrooms
3 medium garlic cloves (about 1 Tbsp.)
Ground black pepper
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1-1.2 cups heavy cream

Mise en place:

• rinse beans, trim ends and cut in half; set aside
• pop stems off mushrooms, wipe mushrooms clean and break into half-inch pieces (you can  also dice them to half-inch pieces)
• finely mince the cloves of garlic
• measure out flour
• measure out chicken broth
• measure out heavy cream
• adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 °.
• fill a large bowl with ice water
• line a baking sheet with paper towels

Method:
Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large Dutch oven.  Add 2 Tbsp. salt and beans.  Cook beans until bright green and crisp-tender, about 6 minutes.  Drain beans in colander and plunge immediately into ice water to stop cooking.  Spread beans on paper-towel-lined baking sheet to drain.

Add butter to now-empty Dutch oven and melt over medium-high heat until foaming subsides.  Add mushrooms, garlic, 3/4 tsp. salt, and 1/8 tsp. pepper; cook until mushrooms release moisture and liquid evaporates, about 6 minutes.  Add the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Stir in broth and bring to simmer, stirring constantly.  Add cream, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until sauce is thickened and reduced to 3-1/2 cups, about 12 minutes.(if you are halving this recipe this cooking time will be reduced to about 6 minutes to 1-3/4 cups).  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add green beans to sauce and stir until evenly coated.  Arrange in even layer in a 3-quart (or 13 by 9-inch) baking dish. (If preparing ahead, cover dish with plastic wrap and put in refrigerator for up to 24 hours - then remove plastic wrap, heat casserole in a 425° oven for 10 minutes then add the topping and bake as directed).  If not, sprinkle with topping and bake until top is golden brown and sauce is bubbling around edges, about 15 minutes.  Serve immediately. 

Brie and Sausage Breakfast Casserole

I can't tell you how many breakfast casseroles I have made in my lifetime.  I really don't remember any of them being bad but for the past 8 years or so this is the best I've come across and this is what I make when there is a pot luck breakfast at the office.

I clipped the recipe from the February 2003 issue of Southern Living.  Then, sometime later I also ran across the exact same recipe on the Bed & Breakfast Inns website in their recipes section.

It's a great place to find recipes by the way.  All of the different B&B's contribute recipes and this one had been submitted by Rock Cottage Gardens, a B&B in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.

As with most breakfast casseroles, they're easy and some, as this one is, can be assembled the night before and finished off with the baking the next morning.

 I use an Italian loaf but you can use white sandwich bread if you like.



The word 'Brie' in the name of the recipe is what caught my eye

I like to buy a hot Italian sausage.  A breakfast sausage works well too.  Either way you go, drain the fat, drain the fat, drain the fat.

 Topped off with freshly grated Parmesan

Let her soak overnight in a cream, milk, egg mixture.  The original recipe suggests using 2 cups of fat-free milk but in a recipe where you are already using 3 cups of heavy cream I don't see the point in going fat-free do you?  Use what you have in the 'fridge.  I used 2%.

The next morning christen it with the rest of the cream and eggs and bake for almost an hour.

You will be rewarded with the creamiest, soufflé-like concoction so velvety smooth it will melt in your mouth. 
Brie and Sausage Breakfast Casserole
Adapted from Southern Living
Serves 8 to 10

Ingredients:
1 - 8 ounce round of Brie
1 pound ground hot Italian sausage (remove from casing if it is in links)
6 to 8 slices Italian bread (enough to make one layer in your pan)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
7 large eggs, divided
3 cups whipping cream, divided
2 cups milk
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh sage or 1 tsp. dried rubbed sage
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dry mustard
Garnishes optional:  chopped green onions, or shaved Parmesan cheese

Mise en place:

• cook sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring until it crumbles and is no longer pink; drain well and set aside
• trim rind from Brie and discard; cut cheese into cubes and set aside
• grate Parmesan
• crack 5 of the eggs into a large mixing bowl
• measure 2 cups of the whipping cream and add to eggs
• measure the cups of milk, sage, salt & mustard into the eggs and cream bowl
• slice bread (if not already) and trim crusts, saving crusts

Method:
Lightly butter the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.

Place crusts evenly in the bottom of the baking dish.  Layer evenly with the bread slices, then Brie, then sausage and finally the Parmesan cheese.

Whisk the egg/cream mixture well and pour evenly and gently over the layers in the baking dish.

Cover and chill mixture for 8 hours.

The following morning pre-heat the oven to 350°F.  Whisk together the remaining 1 cup of whipping cream and the remaining 2 eggs; pour evenly over the chilled mixture.

Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until casserole is set (making sure not to let the top get too brown).  Garnish, if desired.