Holiday nearly-eternal green bean casserole was the ‘mother of all comfort food’
A mention to my boss regarding publishing a short article about special holiday side dish green bean casserole produced this response.
“I just assumed that green bean casserole was really old, like before dinosaurs there was green bean casserole,” he joked.
Not exactly. Readers should know that this popular dish that features green beans drenched in mushroom sauce and topped off with crusty onions or onion rings made an original appearance in 1955.
Dorcas Reilly, a Camden, N.J. resident and employee of the Home Economics department at Campbell’s, combined green beans and a can of her company’s Cream of Mushroom Soup.
With few necessary ingredients and 10-minutes preparation time
Reilly called her creation “Green Bean Bake” and despite lackluster reviews in Campbell’s internal product testing, her green bean casserole became a U.S. Thanksgiving staple.
Before her passing in October, Reilly enjoyed more than 60 years of celebrity connected to her desirable dish that Campbell’s referred to as “the mother of all comfort foods”.
A Campbell’s statement praised Reilly for “her persistence and creativity that led to an enduring recipe that will live on for decades to come.”
In 2002, Campbell donated the original recipe card written by Dorcas to the National Inventors Hall of Fame—securing the iconic dish and Dorcas’ place in food history.
The soup giant notes Dorcas lived locally in Haddonfield, N.J. and is survived by her husband Tom, her daughter Dorcas and her husband Carl; her son Tom and his wife Judi.
Dorcas has four grandchildren, one great-grandchild and several nieces, nephews and cousins.
Per Campbell’s Kitchen
1 can (10 1/2 ounces) Campbell’s® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup or Campbell’s® Condensed 98% Fat Free Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2cup milk
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 dash black pepper
4 cups cooked cut green beans
1 1/3cups French’s® French Fried Onions
Stir the soup, milk, soy sauce, black pepper, beans and 2/3 cup onions in a 1 1/2-quart casserole. Bake at 350°F. for 25 minutes or until the bean mixture is hot and bubbling. Stir the bean mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining onions. Bake for 5 minutes or until the onions are golden brown.
Thanks to Dorcas Reilly — the mother of one delightful gastronomic invention.