Green Bean Casserole 🥘

December 3rd is National Green Bean Casserole 🥘 Day

In 1954, Dorcas Reilly worked as a recipe developer and manager at Campbell Soup Company’s Test Kitchen. She was tasked with creating a recipe that used two ingredients most Americans had on hand at the time: canned green beans and Campbell’s condensed cream of mushroom soup. After testing different recipes, Reilly’s final product was the result of a true experiment. She repeatedly adjusted ingredient quantities and bake times to determine which components created optimal flavor. Her recipe reflects the many trials she conducted, as well as her determination to get things just right.

Reilly’s dish was originally called the “Green Bean Bake,” and it gained its popularity when Campbell began printing the recipe on its mushroom soup cans. Though the dish is now Campbell’s most requested recipe, Reilly said she didn’t realize how popular it was until 40 years later.

Today, Campbell estimates that 20 million households enjoy green bean casserole each Thanksgiving. Reilly passed away in 2018, but her culinary contributions ensure that her legacy will persist for years to come.

This holiday season and beyond, we should remember her philosophy: ”Food should be fun. Food should be happy.”

Every December 3rd :

On the first Saturday in December :

What will you be celebrating? How will you do it?