Green bean casserole is a Thanksgiving staple, but you might be surprised to learn that the crunchy recipe is less than 70 years old. Drexel alumna Dorcas Reilly ’47, who died at age 92 in October, created the famous side dish while working at the Campbell’s Soup Co. test kitchen in 1955. Reilly received a bachelor’s degree in home economics from Drexel’s College of Home Economics.
In tribute to Reilly’s pioneering nature, Drexel culinary experts Chef Jonathan Deutsch, PhD, and Chef Jim Burke are offering two twists to the traditional green bean casserole. Try the below recipes tomorrow, at the next Friendsgiving gathering or an upcoming holiday potluck.
Of course, if you are green bean casserole purist, you can find Reilly’s classic recipe here.
–
Chef Jim Burke: As a twist to the original, you could do a green bean parmigiana.
Green Bean Parmigiana
Ingredients:
2-3 cups of tomato sauce
1 pound of cooked green beans
2 cup of ricotta
3 cup of parmigiano reggiano
In the casserole dish, place a thin layer of basic tomato sauce. Then, add a layer of cooked green beans followed by a mix of ricotta and parmigiano reggiano cheese. Continue this layering until the dish is full, making sure the top layer is the cheeses. Bake at 375 degrees until golden brown.
Chef Jonathan Deutsch: This green bean casserole combines elements of three classic preparations: amandine, Dorcas Reilly’s casserole and the Szechuan blistered green beans I love. This dish makes a great (and vegan) quick week night dinner with rice or works well as a side dish with roasted or grilled meat.
Szechuan Blistered Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 pound green beans, trimmed
1 teaspoon spicy chili crisp (available at Asian markets) or chili oil
1 teaspoon sriracha
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
8 ounces firm marinated tofu, diced
1 cup prepared fried onions
½ cup slivered almonds
Begin by preheating your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Preheat a wok or large sauté pan on high heat, add oil and green beans cooking on high heat, stirring occasionally, until blistered.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together chili crisp, Sriracha, Hoisin and soy sauce. Add tofu to green beans and continue to cook about one minute to warm the tofu. Add your sauce mixture and remove from heat. Transfer the mixture to a 9”x9” baking dish or two-inch deep oval casserole. Top with onions and almonds. Bake ten minutes, until almonds are lightly browned and aromatic.
