My mom always used fresh green beans. They are always available and are usually comparable in price to the canned cousin. The difference, for me, texture. The canned ones are way to soft and mushy. Fresh green beans in the casserole give you something to chew on instead of mush. Sorry to all you canned green bean lovers. They are not for me especially in a casserole where they can get lost with the sauce.
I take the couple of minutes to blanch the green beans. That means dropping them briefly in boiling salted water and the cooling them down quickly. It cooks them almost through so they can just finish in the casserole and also sets their color so they are a nice inviting bright green.
Give me a big bowl of green bean casserole with crunchy onions on top and I am one happy girl!
I could eat the whole thing.
The other thing My mom did different was to add. Soy sauce and sesame oil to the sauce. It sound odd but trust me she knew what she was doing. Soy sauce gives both salt to season and the savory taste we now call umami. The toasted sesame oil is a seasoning oil that is toasty and distinct. It will make people sit up and go "wow, this is good, what is in it?"
Green Bean Casserole
2 Cups green beans, blanched
1 Can cream of chicken
1/2 onion, diced
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp soy sauce
1/8 tsp ground pepper
Frenches fried onions
1. Combine the blanched beans, canned soup, onion, and seasoning. Place in a baking dish.
2.Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
3. Top with fried onions and continue to bake uncovered until golden.
