The History Of Green Bean Casserole Didn't Start With The Holidays

Whenever people gather for holiday meals in the U.S., you can almost guarantee you'll find a baking dish filled with a holiday staple: green bean casserole. Love it or hate it, this classic, oftentimes creamy holiday side dish has been served for many decades. However, it didn't start as a holiday dish.

The recipe for green bean casserole was created in 1955 by an employee of Campbell's Soup Company, now known as The Campbell's Company. That employee was Dorcas Reilly, who originally deemed the dish "green bean bake." However, its popularity didn't take off until Campbell's put the recipe on the back of the cans of cream of mushroom soup, beginning in the 1960s.

At the time Reilly developed the recipe, food companies were working hard to win the hearts and pocketbooks of homemakers. They often turned to easy-to-prepare convenience foods. The post-WWII generation was hooked on quick meals for their modern kitchens with bonus points for seemingly healthy recipes that included vegetables (unfortunately, the truth is that green bean casserole made our list of unhealthy Thanksgiving sides). To 20th-century shoppers, Reilly's green bean bake checked all of those boxes.

Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup – which also makes a delicious pasta sauce – took center stage in another of Dorcas Reilly's recipes (Reilly is also responsible for creating the recipe for Campbell's tuna noodle casserole). However, as of 2018, some 40% of cream of mushroom soup sales are used to make green bean casserole.

There are many reasons why this dish has stayed popular for so long. It uses only six relatively easy-to-find ingredients, comes together quickly, and tastes great. Moreover, the nostalgia surrounding the dish keeps many of us coming back for it year after year, with many families automatically asking, "Who's bringing the green bean casserole?" when planning a holiday potluck. Clearly, Reilly's iconic dish has found a place in history. Her original recipe card is now in the archives of the National Inventors Hall of Fame in Akron, Ohio.