Go Back
Green Bean Casserole, the Original 1955 Green Bean Bake

Green Bean Casserole

This is the six-ingredient side that Dorcas Reilly built in Campbell's test kitchen in 1955, and it still beats every fussy update. Condensed cream of mushroom soup, milk and a quiet teaspoon of soy sauce make a savory sauce that clings to the beans. Half the fried onions go in, half go on at the very end, so the top stays loud and crisp.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 6 People
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 165
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 10.5 oz condensed cream of mushroom soup 1 can, Campbell's
  • 0.5 cup milk whole milk
  • 1 tsp soy sauce in the original recipe
  • 0.125 tsp ground black pepper a dash
  • 4 cups cut green beans cooked and very well drained; two 14.5 oz cans
  • 2.8 oz French fried onions 1 can French's, divided

Equipment

  • 1 1.5 quart casserole dish about 8x8 inches also works
  • 1 Colander for draining the beans
  • 1 Mixing spoon

Method
 

  1. Heat the oven to 350 F.
  2. Drain the green beans in a colander and press them down firmly to force out the liquid. Let them sit a minute and drain again. This step decides whether the casserole is creamy or watery.
  3. In a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish, stir the condensed cream of mushroom soup, milk, soy sauce and black pepper together until the mixture is smooth with no pale streaks of soup left.
  4. Fold in the drained green beans and about two thirds of the fried onions, roughly 1 1/3 cups. Spread the mixture level.
  5. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes, until the casserole is hot all the way through and bubbling around the edges.
  6. Pull it out and stir the casserole once to redistribute the sauce, then scatter the remaining fried onions evenly over the top.
  7. Return to the oven for 5 minutes more, just until the onions turn deep golden. Watch them closely at this stage, they darken fast.
  8. Let the casserole rest 5 minutes before serving so the sauce tightens around the beans.

Notes

  • Drain the beans aggressively — press them in a colander with a plate. Watery beans are the single reason this dish ever goes soupy.
  • Soy sauce is in the 1955 original, not a modern twist. It reads as savory depth, not as soy.
  • Hold the topping onions until the last 5 minutes. Added early, they go limp and taste steamed.
  • Serve it beside roast turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing and cranberry sauce.
  • Assemble up to a day ahead without the topping, refrigerate, then add 10 minutes to the first bake.
  • Leftovers keep 3 days covered in the refrigerator. Reheat uncovered at 350 F and refresh with a handful of new fried onions.