CrockPot Green Bean Casserole



Day 161.

It's day 2 of Retro Week!

That is not a picture of dog barf. It's green bean casserole. I've never actually had green bean casserole. It's on the table, lots, during the holidays, and I'm sure I've put some on my plate, but I don't actually eat it.

I don't like canned green beans. My grandma makes a 3-bean salad that uses canned green beans, and I like that. But that's it.

I kind of could go on and on about why I find canned green beans icky. But I'm not going to, because they are staple in a lot of homes, and I should be nice.

Canned green beans are not my cup of tea.

I really like fresh green beans, though, and in honor of Retro Week decided to make a new-and-improved green bean casserole. In the crockpot.


The Ingredients.

--1 lb fresh green beans
--1 cup General Mills Rice Chex cereal (make sure the label is marked Gluten Free if you are gluten free. There are still some old boxes on shelves)
--1/2 t onion powder
--1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese

if you would like the recipe using the canned cream of mushroom soup, it is here. This recipe calls for 4 cups of cooked green beans. Since you're going to be using your crock, the fresh will cook nicely, and you can put in raw beans.


The Directions.

Wash and trim the green beans. If you feel the need to cut the green beans so they are all the same length, go for it, but they will cook fine left uneven.

Add the frozen soup, or canned soup and the milk that the canned soup version asks for. Mix the green beans with the liquid.

Put the rice chex in a ziploc and smash to desired crumbiness. Add the onion powder and the parmesan to the bag, and shake to mix.

Pour evenly over the top of the beans.

Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours, or on high for 2-3.


The Verdict.

I liked this much better than the canned green bean casserole. The green beans still had a crunch, even after being slow-cooked. The topping wasn't as crisp as it would have been if I had used the french's fried onions, but the flavor was there, and the cheese added a nice salty flavor. The homemade cream of mushroom rocks, and was quite flavorful.

The brown chunks of mushroom were really unnerving, though. It felt like we were eating dog food. Or puked-up dog food.

But it tasted good. I don't know what to think of this. It worked, it tasted good, and if you like green bean casserole, you'd probably like it. I think I like lightly steamed green beans better with a squeeze of lemon. or stir-fried with some chili oil. or baked with salmon. or in a stew.

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Posted by: Stephanie O'Dea | A Year of Slow Cooking at June 09, 2008

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What they say about this article

  1. I have to agree. The only thing worse than canned green beans is canned asparagus...

    I like my string beans fresh and sauteed with a bit of real butter and lots of pepper....yummm

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  2. canned asparagus?! I didn't know that existed!
    -steph

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  3. This comment has NOTHING to do with this post, but I had to tell you that I make those Korean ribs on Friday night and LOVED them! Thank you!

    Okay, I'll make it a little about this post. I actually don't mind canned green beans, but would rather have fresh any day of the week over canned. Oh, and speaking of green beans, I bet that Korean sauce would be yummy on fresh green beans. I'll have to try it out!

    Thanks again!!!

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  4. I will tell you why not to eat canned green beans.

    True story.

    I lived in a very small town and right out of high school, I applied with a temp agency to find a decent summer job before I started college that fall. They called me and asked if I would be interested in working at Bush's factory, as in Bush's green beans. (Not George W.) I say ok, because I thought I was going to be working in the office. When I get there at 7 a.m., I am working IN the factory, along with a busload of inmates they sent over from the local prison.

    My job you ask? I stood at the side of a huge conveyor belt as the beans came off the truck. I wore earplugs and had to pull smashed frogs (complete with guts) and snakes (some not dead) from the beans before the beans went to get chopped and canned. I was so over that shit. I have never seen so many dead critters in my life. And I didn't even come close to getting them all. I went home at noon and told the temp agency to never call me ever again.

    Moral of the story...canned beans give me nightmares.

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  5. I appreciate your blog! I have wanted to "master" my crockpot for some time now, and your blog gives me courage to keep trying! I am always surprised at your subject. Thanks .

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  6. I was going to write that I don't like canned green beans, either. And then I read zakary's comment and now I'm NEVER going to eat them again!

    As always, I appreciate your honesty when it comes to your recipes -- it does look pretty gross.

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  7. I have always despised canned green beans. And now that I've read zakary's comment above, they will definitely give me nightmares. (ewwwwwww ......)

    But here's your recipe to the rescue! Puked up dog food, yum yum my favorite ... :-) :-) (honestly, that made me laugh out loud ...)

    But really, I'm with you - I prefer lightly steamed with a bit of lemon juice. Or maybe sauteed in olive oil & garlic, with some halved cherry tomatoes added at the end. (the latter is what I bring for the Thanksgiving buffet, tradition be darned.)

    Anyway I *love* this blog and my Crock Pot has been getting a workout lately.

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  8. O M G.

    thank you, zakary. thank you for the frog guts image.

    lol. you guys all rock.

    -steph

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  9. If you wanted to make the topping crisp, you could add it later, like for only 10-15 minutes at the very end. I love the idea of using fresh beans and a crock pot to make this casserole!

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  10. Anonymous6/09/2008

    Since we're talking about alternative ways to eat green beans :)

    My favorite way is to very lightly steam them. Sautee onion and bacon until crisp. Toss the crisp green beans into the bacon mix and toss well until the beans are cooked.

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  11. I came across your site the other day and was so impressed by your crockpot recipes that I bought a crockpot today. I'm single, so I bought the Hamilton Beach 3-in-1 crockpot. It comes with 2-4-& 6 qt crocks. Brought it home and made my first delicious, healthy meal of Chicken with Potatoes, Onions, and Carrots. Can't wait to try some of your recipes!

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  12. So if I have a question about this recipe..

    if I am using can cream of mushroom soup i should not use the recipe located on your blog but the one on the campbells website? or can i use your recipe but canned instead of homemade?

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  13. Hi RhodeIslandRed,

    the cambell's site uses canned beans. If you are going to use fresh, use this recipe, but add 1/2 cup of milk (2% or lower) to the empty can and swirl it around to get the good stuff from the can.

    then cook as I've directed, and it should be all good.
    xoxo
    steph

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  14. I can my own, I know they are free of snakes, bugs, and other nastiness that you can't see!!

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  15. Anonymous6/09/2009

    I might have tried this dish but couldn't bring myself to after reading your comments about dog barf. I still feel sick thinking about it.

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  16. Anonymous7/05/2009

    Well, if all that nastyness is in the fresh beans that come off the truck for making canned green beans, won't they also be in the fresh beans that you buy at the grocery store too?? Since they are all harvested the same way. I haven't have any frog gut chunks in my canned green beans yet.

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  17. Lol, green beans aren't the only.. tainted.. things they sell.. my mom worked for Heinz one year, she told me about how they had to put extra protein content on one batch of ketchup because of all the worms that got ground up in the tomatoes. Yum! Fact is, we eat gross stuff all the time and it doesn't kill us.. just be thankful you don't usually know about it :) Either that, or grow your own food..

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  18. okay - might be a silly question but if I made this and waited to add the french fried onions on top at the end....... can my ceramic crockpot go in the oven on broil at the very end to crisp the top and onions?
    My crockpot is the one you have on your header, the second from the left.

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  19. It's not a silly question! I've done it. I think the manufacturer doesn't recommend it, so the best thing to do is to put an ovensafe dish into your crock (pyrex, corningware) then pull it out and broil.
    or, scoop the cooked food from the crock into the oven safe dish after cooking and then broil.

    does that help a bit? you can email me at crockpotlady@gmail if you'd like.

    xoox

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  20. Anonymous11/24/2010

    There is a reason I home can everything. I love home canned, or fresh...even frozen is better that store bought canned. It just tastes better, and to be honest I don't really want to know what all happens in those factories that process our food.

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  21. I didn't want to use the canned cream soup, but didn't have time to make it from scratch either, plus my older son has declared himself to be dairy-free. I found the tastiest organic dairy-free (and gluten free) Creamy Portabello soup! I used half the box in a different slow cooker recipe, froze the rest and used it today. The green beans were yummy! Thanks again for all these wonderful recipes.
    P.S. I had three slow cookers in action today: green beans, roasted veggies, and cornbread-sausage dressing.

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  22. Anonymous11/27/2010

    There's no need to COOK green bean casserole, ya just heat it up if using caned beans and that's why I goona use a crock pot next time, just to keep it warm.

    ReplyDelete