Thanksgiving for the creator of green bean casserole, dead at 92
EDITOR’S NOTE: In 2000, former Sun-Times artist Bill Linden wrote an ode to the green bean casserole, the Thanksgiving masterpiece of Dorcas Reilly. Reilly was a Campbell Soup kitchen supervisor when she came up with the now legendary holiday concoction in 1955. She died in New Jersey on Oct. 15 of Alzheimer’s disease at the age of 92. Linden’s piece originally was published Nov. 20, 2000. In Reilly’s honor, the Sun-Times serves it up again.
Not all Thanksgiving food traditions started with Pilgrims.
The year 1955 marked the birth of one of the biggest current traditions. That’s the year the green bean casserole was born. I know this because Jeff Bedard, the Campbell’s Soup Guy in Charge of Queries Like This, told me it was. I, along with other naïve Americans, readily assumed that Al Gore, as a child, invented it in his Easy-Bake Oven before he went on to invent other (but not nearly as important or tasty) things.
Bedard assured me this was not the case. It was invented by Dorcas “Grandmother of the Green Bean Casserole” Reilly, the manager of Campbell’s test kitchens from 1949 until 1961. It originally was called mushroom green beans with crisp onion top. She described the mixture as a “natural combination.”
“Nearly every family served green beans. Cream of Mushroom soup also was very popular, and cooks felt very comfortable using it in recipes,” Reilly is quoted as saying. “The green bean casserole created a way to ‘dress up’ meals by bringing together two of America’s favorite foods.”
The recipe was sent to the Associated Press, which put it out on the wire to rave reviews from sidedish aficionados nationwide. Unlike the Macarena, it would go on to become a Thanksgiving family tradition. Never mind America’s legend about the first Thanksgiving dinner. Today, when holiday cooks are preparing their Thanksgiving menus, right up there with the turkey and the stuffing, the green bean casserole is a must-have.
Bedard offers some staggering green bean casserole statistics. More than half of all Americans are familiar with or have tasted the green bean casserole. Some 28 million happy households make it at least once each year with 20 million (give or take a few green beans) of those creamy, crunchy babies baked on Turkey Day. It’s one of Campbell’s top three mostrequested recipes.
Wait, there are more impressive numbers. More than 25 percent of all cans of Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom (introduced in 1934) are sold during the November and December holiday good eatin’ season.
Being a comfort food kind of guy, I love the green bean casserole. To me, it’s right up there with macaroni and cheese, Chunky Monkey ice cream and properly chilled double martinis. Through the years I’ve enjoyed it served piping hot on fine china in my relatives’ elegant dining rooms.
I’ve also enjoyed it ice cold in a dreary apartment on Addison Street the morning after one Thanksgiving, scooping it out with a plastic spoon from never to be washed or returned Tupperware, drinking Bloody Marys with my buddy, Mel. (Note: This sorry incident occurred before the “guiding star of my existence,” my current and — sorry, ladies — final wife, Karen, came into my life.)
The word casserole, of course, comes from the French, meaning “Once we shove this in a preheated oven, we’ll have 30 extra minutes to drink.” I believe the green bean casserole is popular for several reasons:
First, like my ex-sister-in-law, it’s cheap and easy. (I guess I won’t be invited there this year.) The ingredients are few and inexpensive, and even men who are kitchen morons like myself can prepare one and have it turn out perfect every time. Women who do not worship the diagonally planked teakwood floor that Martha Stewart walks on can assemble it easily. Even the dreaded “surly” teenagers in your family can be assigned this task and feel a great sense of accomplishment when they are being praised by their exasperated loved ones for their culinary skills.
Second, it’s consistent. If the recipe’s directions and ingredients aren’t tinkered with, the casseroles could be lovingly made and presented Thanksgiving Day by Donald Trump in New York, Maggie Daley in Chicago, George W. Bush in Texas and Dennis Rodman in his love shack in Venice Beach, California, with exactly the same taste results.
Third, that topping! The superstar turkey would be a washed-up has-been without its supporting cast members, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberries and yams (with golden — not blackened — mini-marshmallow topping).
But the green bean casserole’s topping of french fried onions provides a satisfying crunch to the creamy wonderfulness beneath it and alongside the other cast members. It is the perfect topping for this dish.
Last, it adapts easily to variations. Although I’m a firm believer in “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, just add more onion topping,” here are some other ideas:
Elvis it up. Let’s face it, adding crisp crumbled bacon to anything doesn’t hurt.
Bada bing, bada boom, bada bean it! For an Italian version similar to what I would imagine the “Sopranos” will be serving, substitute 4 cups of the long, Italian green beans for the regular green beans, and sprinkle 1 chopped small tomato with a tiny amount of dried oregano and crushed basil leaves with the remaining onions.
Dracula-proof it. Substitute a can of Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom with Roasted Garlic instead of the Cream of Mushroom soup, and you’ll soon know if you have any vampires at the table.
Thar’s gold in them thar beans! Substitute a can of Campbell’s Golden Mushroom instead of the Cream of Mushroom soup. Leave out the soy sauce and add half of a chopped red pepper to the beans.
Make it cheesy! Add ½ cup of shredded cheddar cheese with the beans. Omit the soy sauce and sprinkle ¼ cup shredded cheese with the remaining onions.
Whatever green bean casserole you decide to bring to your family gathering, we wish you a Happy “M’m! M’m Good!” Thanksgiving!