4 ways to spice up your green bean casserole this Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is about coming together with family, being thankful for all that we have, celebrating our country’s history, and food — lots and lots of food. Turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, cornbread, cranberry sauce, and more appear on tables across America every year. But nothing is more classic than the green bean casserole.

While the standard casserole is delicious, there are ways you can spice it up this Thanksgiving — and you don’t have to be an expert chef to do so. Here are four recipes that are sure to impress your holiday dinner guests.

1. Classic green bean casserole with a twist

Perhaps the most iconic green bean casserole is from Del Monte, Campbell’s, and French’s — which they shared with INSIDER Studios. We decided to add a twist to it by including toasted pumpkin seeds. Not only do the seeds add in fall flavors, they also give each forkful a nice crunch.

Ingredients

4 cans (14.5 oz. each) any style Del Monte® green beans, drained

2 cans (10 1/2 oz. each) Campbell's® condensed cream of mushroom soup

1 cup milk

2 tsp. olive oil

2 tsp. soy sauce

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/4 tsp. salt

2 2/3 cups French's® crispy fried onions, divided

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Toasted pumpkin seeds

In a small bowl, mix pumpkin seeds, olive oil, and salt. Spread evenly on a baking sheet and toast in oven until fragrant, 10 to 12 minutes.

Casserole

Stir soup, milk, soy sauce, black pepper, beans, and 1 1/3 cups onions in a 3-qt casserole.

Bake uncovered for 25 minutes or until bean mixture is hot and bubbling. Stir bean mixture. Sprinkle with remaining onions and add toasted pumpkin seeds. Bake 5 minutes longer or until onions are golden brown.

2. Button mushroom and green bean casserole

Nathaniel Adam, a private chef in southwest Florida, says this is a great replacement for the traditional Thanksgiving side dish because it is full of flavor. “Between the caramelized shallots, the crispy bacon, and the savory mushrooms, there is nothing you won’t love about it,” he says. “It will leave you wanting more.”

Ingredients

1 can (14.5 oz.) Del Monte® Blue Lake Cut® green beans, drained

1 shallot, minced

1 large garlic clove, minced

3 strips smoked bacon, minced

6 oz. small white button mushroom, diced

6 oz. white beans

1 tbsp. butter, melted

1/4 cup chicken stock

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

1/2 cup Italian-flavored breadcrumbs

1/2 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large sauté pan on low to medium heat, begin by cooking the bacon, shallot, garlic, and mushroom in the pan until tender and bacon is crispy.

Stir in the white beans and green beans. Season, and add chicken stock. Stir in heavy cream and cook until liquid has thickened. Stir in 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan.

Add to a greased 8-by-4 loaf pan. Mix melted butter with breadcrumbs.

Top the green bean mix with the breadcrumbs and remaining Parmesan.

Bake in oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

3. Vegan green bean casserole

Laura Scheck of Teaching Table created a completely vegan casserole. “This recipe omits the dairy but maintains all of the same creaminess with the use of a slowly developed roux and almond milk,” she says.

Ingredients

Almond topping

1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup chopped almonds

Casserole

2 cans (14.5 oz. each) Del Monte® Blue Lake Cut® green beans, drained and rinsed

6 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided

1/2 lb. cremini mushrooms, sliced

1/4 lb. shiitake mushrooms, sliced

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1 tsp. kosher salt, divided

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, finely diced

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups almond milk

1 bay leaf

2 pinches of freshly ground nutmeg

freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 3-quart baking dish with olive oil.

Almond topping

In a small bowl, combine breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper. Stir olive oil into mixture to moisten the crumbs. Toss with chopped almonds. Set aside for the topping.

Casserole

In a large high-sided sauté pan, heat half of the olive oil. Add mushrooms, dried thyme, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and sauté over medium-high heat until mushrooms are tender and lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Add garlic in the last minute and sauté until fragrant. Remove mushroom mixture from pan. Set aside.

In the same pan, heat the remaining half of olive oil. Add the onion and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Sauté on medium heat until soft, 3 to 5 minutes.

Whisk in the flour, lower heat, and stir constantly over low heat for 5 minutes. Slowly whisk in the almond milk, about 1/4 cup at a time, to avoid lumps. Allow mixture to thicken slowly. Add the bay leaf, the remaining salt, and nutmeg. Bring to a low boil, stirring frequently. Simmer until mixture thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon, 6 to 8 minutes.

Remove bay leaf. Season with more salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Fold in the green beans and sautéed mushrooms.

Pour green bean and mushroom mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Spread evenly with the back of the wooden spoon. Sprinkle the prepared topping evenly across the top.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the casserole is bubbly and the topping is lightly browned.

4. Green bean and sweet potato casserole with toasted quinoa

Liz Barcia, the chef behind Food Behaving Badly, puts a twist on the classic green bean casserole by adding sweet potatoes and toasted quinoa. The sweet potatoes add color and sweetness to the dish while the quinoa gives the casserole a crunchy texture.

Ingredients

Parmesan Sauce

1 tbsp. unsalted butter

1 tbsp. flour

1 3/4 cup 2% milk

1 dried bay leaf

1 pinch dried thyme

2 tbsp. fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Toasted Quinoa

1/2 cup quinoa

1/4  cup water

Casserole

1 can (14.5 oz.) Del Monte® Blue Lake Cut® green beans, drained

2 1/2 lbs. sweet potatoes, small dice, 1-inch cubes

3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Directions

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9-by-13 casserole dish.

Parmesan sauce

Whisk the flour and butter in a small saucepan until fully combined. When it just starts to turn a light tan, slowly whisk in the milk and add the dried bay leaf and thyme. Whisk until the milk is free of lumps. Keep an eye on this, as milk tends to bubble over.

After a few minutes, when you notice the milk thickening, whisk in the Parmesan and remove from the heat.

Add sea salt and cracked pepper to taste.

Toasted quinoa

Rinse the quinoa before toasting (unless it’s pre-rinsed).

Combine water and quinoa in a sauté pan and toast until the quinoa pops (it will turn slightly brown and begin to smell nutty). This takes a few minutes, so be sure to stir and keep an eye on the quinoa so that it doesn’t burn.

Casserole

Toss the sweet potato medley in extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake for 25 minutes, stirring once after 15 minutes.

Add the drained green beans and sauce. Stir until combined thoroughly and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, until the sauce begins to bubble.

Remove from oven and sprinkle the top with toasted quinoa.

For more delicious recipes, click here.

This post is sponsored by Del Monte.

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