Missouri Really Loves Green Bean Casserole

Nov 25, 2014 at 6:00 am
Green bean casserole at Cielo. | Nancy Stiles
Green bean casserole at Cielo. | Nancy Stiles

Based on what you're having on Thursday, this shouldn't be a surprise: Missouri really loves green bean casserole. In a new survey from Del Monte, Missouri rated No. 3 in the nation for green bean casserole love; 76 percent said they "really like or love the dish." Well, who wouldn't?

See also: Gut Check Shares Thanksgiving Family Recipes

Despite some of the more haute iterations, the Thanksgiving classic was actually invented in 1955 by the Campbell Soup Company to -- yep -- find more uses for its cream of mushroom soup. More specifically, Dorcas Reilly and the Campbell's home economics department sought to create "a quick and easy recipe around two things most Americans always had on hand in the 1950s: green beans and Campbell's cream of mushroom soup."

Missouri came in No. 3, just two percentage points behind Kentucky and one point behind Wisconsin. The survey only ranks twenty states (at its lowest, 60 percent of New Yorkers like or love green bean casserole), so we can only imagine that the remaining 30 are insane Thanksgiving-haters who have nothing but contempt for the humble dish.

Bacon is also apparently the most popular secret ingredient, though we're pretty sure that's not much of a secret. In case you need it, here's the classic Campbell's casserole recipe:

2 cans Campbell's cream of mushroom soup 1 cup milk 2 teaspoons soy sauce 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 8 cups cooked cut green beans 2 2/3 cups french fried onions

Stir the soup, milk, soy sauce, black pepper, beans and 1 1/3 cups onions in a three-quart casserole. Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes or until the bean mixture is hot and bubbling. Stir the bean mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining onions. Bake for five minutes or until the onions are golden brown.

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