Green bean casserole is an all American classic for the holidays. It’s a great way to sneak a little veg into your feast without sacrificing flavor or richness. For years I made the traditional casserole, until I realized that Thanksgiving (and indeed most holidays) is overloaded with casserole dishes. Now hear me out, because if you haven’t hosted your own Thanksgiving, you may not immediately see why this is a problem.
When it comes time to reheat everything and put dinner on the table, the kitchen can become a logistical nightmare. Most of us don’t have multiple ovens to work with, and 9×13 casserole dishes take up the lion’s share on the baking rack. Getting the turkey cooked and all the other dishes hot at the same time is often a little stressful, so why not make life a little easier and turn one of the best side dishes into a soup that can be heated on the stove?
Ingredients
- Butter
- Shallot
- Mushrooms
- Green beans
- Cream of mushroom soup
- Milk
- Salt
- Pepper
- Onion salt
- Lipton onion soup mix
- Crispy fried onions
. Shallots have a softer, more subtle flavor and aroma than yellow onions, but replacing this item with a yellow onion will do in a pinch if that’s what you’ve got.
. If you have limited access to fresh produce, you can always use canned or frozen mushrooms and green beans instead. Just be aware that you won’t get the firm texture of fresh green beans if you go this route.
. Using an onion soup mix packet is a great way to pack a flavorful punch! You may feel tempted to skip this step and rely on the seasonings you’ve already got, but trust me, this mix practically makes the soup.
. Another thing not to miss out on: crispy onions. These are salty, crunchy, and greasy. They may not be the epitome of health, but mixed into this soup or used as a crunchy topping seriously elevates the dish.
How to Make This Soup
This soup is actually pretty simple and not unlike its casserole origins. To start things off, melt a tablespoon of butter in a large pot and chop your shallot. Add it to the pot and sauté it for about 5 minutes, stirring every minute or so to make sure it doesn’t burn. Wash and chop your mushrooms however you like, then toss them into the pot and stir them into the shallot. Cover and let the mushrooms cook down a bit until they’ve softened, also about 5 minutes. Again, stir them every minute or so to evenly cook them and make sure nothing is burning. While the shrooms cook, wash the green beans and cut them into reasonable pieces. Although the ends are edible, the thin little tail creeps me out so I suggest cutting or snapping the ends of your green beans. Add them to the soup, along with all the remaining ingredients. Stir it all up and let it heat on low, tasting as you go. Top this soup with crispy onions and you’re in for a treat.
Modifying this Recipe
This soup is fairly customizable, so if something doesn’t work for you, change it. An easy modification is to swap one of the cream of mushroom soups with a cream of chicken or cream of celery. This adds a little more dimension to the soup.
Another modification, as already stated above, is canned or frozen produce instead of fresh. I don’t prefer to do this because of the difference in textures, but preserved produce is just as healthy and can be faster and cheaper than its fresh counterpart.
Another option is to bulk up the soup with more veggies or even shreds or turkey. When I shot this soup for the blog, I had some extra vegetables lying around and tossed them in. My main suggestions would be peas, carrots, celery, and/or kale leaves. Any hard veggie, like carrots and celery, should be added in the beginning stages of making the soup, while softer ones like peas or kale can be tossed in towards the end of the process. If you want to boost the protein an satiety factor, add in cooked turkey towards the end as well.
Lastly, the broth can be as thick as you like it. Condensed soup is thicker than gravy, so if you want a thick soup, or you’re not sure, add a little milk at a time and stir it in. It’s easy to thin out a broth, but not all that easy to thicken it again.
What to Pair this With
I must say, I firmly believe that soups have the right to be a main course. If that’s what you’re looking for, I suggest adding in a protein like turkey or chicken, which will balance out the nutrients in the bowl. If you’re looking to add this soup as a side, the obvious pairing is Thanksgiving dinner. I just served this at my yearly Friendsgiving as a side soup, and it was a hit beside all the tradition main holiday foods.
Creamy Green Bean Casserole Soup
Equipment
- Large Pot
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp butter or oil
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 4 cups mushrooms, washed and cut into quarters
- 4 cups green beans, washed and cut into thirds
- 2 26 oz can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp onion salt
- 1 package Lipton onion soup mix
Optional Toppings
- crispy fried onion strips
Instructions
- Heat 1 tbsp butter or oil in a large pot. Add shallot and sauté on medium heat until aromatic, about 5 minutes.
- Mix in chopped mushrooms and turn heat down slightly. Cover and cook until the mushrooms have softened a bit, about another 5 minutes.
- Add your cut green beans, condensed soup, and seasonings. Stir and heat through.
Notes
- Feel free to swap a can of the cream of mushroom for a cream of chicken or celery. It will comes out creamy and delicious no matter what.
- If you want more bulk to this soup, I suggest adding a few cups of chopped carrot and celery to the soup, as well as some kale. To do this, you'd cook the celery and carrots with the shallot, and add that kale when you add the green beans.
- You can make this soup's broth as thin or thick as you'd like. If you're unsure how you want it, start by adding half the amount of milk and stirring more in as needed.