How To Avoid Mushy Green Beans For Your Green Bean Casserole

Mashed linked up with chef Mike Anderson from Restoration Hotel‘s The Watch: Rooftop Kitchen & Spirits in Charleston, SC to uncover the best tips for securing perfectly cooked green beans in the staple side dish. If you’ve been following French’s Green Bean Casserole throughout your life, you may be disappointed to find that Anderson recommends fresh beans over canned. “Fresh green beans will have a more firm texture, which is what you want in a casserole. Canned green beans are already soft and will fall completely apart,” Anderson says.

When it comes to fresh beans, Anderson recommends steaming the beans for “5-6” minutes before adding them to the casserole for baking. “Par-cooking is a green bean casserole’s best friend,” Anderson says. 

Still, if you insist on using the canned version, Anderson recommends “heating the mushroom sauce” before adding it to the dish to reduce the overall cook time. Lastly, he adds a secret ingredient to green bean casserole: cayenne pepper.