Ever wonder how green beans, a summertime vegetable, became such a popular holiday favorite? The original green bean casserole was created by the Campbell’s Kitchen in 1955. Although not intended specifically for Thanksgiving, the recipe appeared in a Thanksgiving feature put out by the Associated Press in the same year, and it’s been a holiday tradition ever since. Here are some of our favorite holiday green bean recipes.
Our traditional-style Green Bean Casserole uses fresh beans and crunchy-baked (not fried) onion rings, and our New and Improved Green Bean Casserole features fresh green beans baked in a sauce of onions, mushrooms, reduced-fat sour cream and bread crumbs. Panko-Crusted Green Bean Casserole is another great option, made with frozen green beans, shiitake mushrooms and condensed cream of mushroom soup, topped with buttery, crunchy panko breadcrumbs.
Green Beans with Crème Fraiche and Walnuts makes a simple, elegant side dish. Cooked green beans are tossed with crème fraiche, salt and pepper, and then garnished with toasted walnuts and chives.
Citrus fruits and green beans are delicious together. I’ll often steam the beans, then toss them with olive oil and tangerine, Satsuma or mandarin orange sections, or simply add a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime juice. Citrusy Green Beans are tossed with lemon and orange juice, olive and walnut oil for a tasty side dish. Green Beans with Pecans and Clementine Dressing is one of our Health Starts Here™ recipes. It’s dairy-free with no added oils, and it’s a vegan side dish that’s perfect for a vegetarian, vegan or traditional holiday meal. Dijon mustard, shallots and clementine juice are blended together, then drizzled over steamed green beans. Toasted pecans are added to garnish.
For more holiday vegan options, we love Walnut Haricot Verts, made with thin French green beans, walnut oil and roasted walnuts, and Green Beans with Shallots and Almonds, made with fresh herbs, shallots, extra virgin olive oil and slivered toasted almonds.
Green Beans with Goat Cheese, Cranberries and Bacon
Green Beans with Goat Cheese, Cranberries and Bacon is an easy yet flavorful recipe that mixes green beans with oil, vinegar and seasonings, and then all topped with crumbled goat cheese, dried cranberries and crispy-cooked bacon. This recipe would be equally delicious with feta cheese and crispy-cooked pancetta.
