Campbell's® soup has been linked to casseroles for many decades, including the ever-popular Green Bean Casserole – an American favorite for over 50 years!
The casserole, as we know it today, is a uniquely American dish that first became popular during World War II when men were fighting abroad and women were left to take over their jobs while still preparing meals at home. The one-dish casserole was a quick and easy way to get a wholesome, balanced meal on the table. In addition, many casserole recipes featured condensed soups, like Campbell's Cream of Mushroom, as the sauce that bound all the ingredients together. Campbell's created a new wave of cooking with soup as an ingredient with the wide circulation of popular Campbell's cookbooks in the 1940s and 1950s. Housewives were given recipes to make many popular casseroles that were as easy as opening a can of Campbell's soup. All of these factors conspired to establish the casserole as an integral element of the American table.
The most popular classic casserole, the Green Bean Casserole, celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2005. As a "must have" on America's holiday menus since its introduction in 1955, this classic side dish is a combination of three popular items: green beans, Campbell's Condensed Cream of Mushroom soup and French's™ French Fried Onions. Today households enjoy Green Bean Casserole as part of their holiday feasts. Dorcas Reilly, former manager of Campbell's Kitchen, created the Green Bean Casserole as a "quick and easy recipe around things most Americans always had on hand in the 1950s."
French's is a trademark of Reckitt Benckiser Inc.