Aside from the typical turkey, families across the country supplement their Thanksgiving dinner with all sorts of different sides—some of them wacky salads and casseroles that would definitely make people in other regions raise an eyebrow. Green bean casserole, however, has managed to become mainstream since it's introduction to Americans back in the 50s. Find out how one of the stranger Thanksgiving sides made its way to the holiday table.
1. It was invented over 60 years ago.
A woman named Dorcas Reilly developed the famous casserole while working as a recipe supervisor in Camden, NJ back in 1955.
2. It all started with soup.
Reilly was working in the home economics kitchen at the Campbell Soup Company, testing recipes for a feature in the Associated Press when she came up with the idea, which features Campbell's Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup as the binding agent.
3. The casserole requires just six ingredients.
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.
4. Millions of American families serve it over the holidays.
According to Today, green bean casserole can be found on dinner tables in 30 million households across the country during the holiday season.
5. The original recipe is in a museum.
Dorcas Reilly's original recipe for "Green Bean Bake," written on a recipe card, now belongs to National Inventor's Hall of Fame in Akron, OH—the same building where Thomas Edison's light bulb is on display.
6. The topping is the best part.
Though the original recipes used to include celery salt and ham and there have been countless variations over the years, there's one ingredient that's never changed: French fried onions. Campbell's official recipe calls for the French's brand, but no matter which type is used, you can never really add too many.
7. It seriously boosts soup sales.
Of the approximately $20 million worth of cream of mushroom soup sold in the U.S. annually, green bean casserole is said to account for 40% of sales. Guess there just isn't much that can replace the thick, creamy base that Campbell's achieves!
8. There are tons of ways to class it up.
Plenty of people think that the 50s recipe is perfect just the way it is, but there are plenty of variations to try if the original gets old. We're partial to one of our green bean recipes that uses the mushroom soup as a dipping sauce for the crispy beans.
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