What You Can Do To Fix A Watery Green Bean Casserole - Tasting Table (2024)

What You Can Do To Fix A Watery Green Bean Casserole - Tasting Table (2)

What You Can Do To Fix A Watery Green Bean Casserole - Tasting Table (3)

What You Can Do To Fix A Watery Green Bean Casserole

What You Can Do To Fix A Watery Green Bean Casserole - Tasting Table (4)

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ByShaye Glisson/

Green bean casserole is quite possibly one of the most popular side dishes during the holiday season. Its vegetable base, creamy consistency, and crunchy topping contain all of the elements for delicious texture and flavor. According to the Campbell's Company, the famous dish was created by Dorcas Reilly, a Campbell's Soup employee, in 1955, and she named it the Green Bean Bake. This casserole is most favored during Thanksgiving when its recipe is visited over four million times each year.

If you've ever cooked green bean casserole, you know its consistency should be thick and saucy, not thin and watery, as EatingWell points out. One common cause of a wet, soupy casserole is undercooking the vegetable ingredients on the stovetop. When you choose to use fresh green beans, onion, and mushrooms instead of canned, cook the veggies well before tossing them into the oven. When the veggies aren't cooked through, they will release water into the casserole during baking. This extra water results in a soggy, sad casserole.

Add a thickener

What You Can Do To Fix A Watery Green Bean Casserole - Tasting Table (5)

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While your green bean casserole is on the stove, incorporate a thickener into the vegetables, such as cornstarch or flour. According to The Kitchn, you can combine cornstarch and a small amount of water or broth in a cup and stir until the lumps are gone, and it becomes a thick yet drizzly consistency. The Kitchn recommends you slowly pour and mix the slurry into the vegetable blend on the stovetop. The extra thickening should thicken the sauce, and if the mixture is still runny, repeat the process. The site also reports that you should use 1 tbsp of corn starch if thickening a small portion and up to 4 tbsp of corn starch for large batches.

So, what happens when you remove the casserole from the oven, and it isn't cooked to crunchy perfection? If this occurs, EatingWell recommends you remove the onion topping, return the casserole to the stovetop, add more thickening slurry to the mix, and cook a few minutes longer until thicker. Then, add the onion topping and return the casserole to the oven until the topping becomes crisp and slightly toasted.

Green bean casserole is an affordable, delicious side dish enjoyed by millions every holiday season. There aren't any exotic ingredients or special techniques involved in cooking the casserole, which makes it a popular side dish option most any time of the year.

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What You Can Do To Fix A Watery Green Bean Casserole - Tasting Table (2024)

FAQs

What You Can Do To Fix A Watery Green Bean Casserole - Tasting Table? ›

Add a starch

What to do if your green bean casserole is too watery? ›

The Casserole Is Too Soupy

Don't worry, there's a relatively easy and quick fix that will help soak up the excess liquid: Make a slurry of flour or cornstarch in liquid (broth or water) to help thicken it up and then cook it for a bit longer.

What to do when your casserole is too runny? ›

Thicken a meat casserole the most popular way with flour.

Add some flour to your pan after you've browned the meat and before adding any liquid. This way, the flour will soak up the juices and fat in the pan. Add about one teaspoon of flour at a time until you get the right thickness.

Why isn't my green bean casserole thickening? ›

Add a thickener

While your green bean casserole is on the stove, incorporate a thickener into the vegetables, such as cornstarch or flour. According to The Kitchn, you can combine cornstarch and a small amount of water or broth in a cup and stir until the lumps are gone, and it becomes a thick yet drizzly consistency.

Why are my green beans so watery? ›

The overall method for cooking frozen green beans without them getting watery and rubbery is to thaw and drain off water first, then cook fast and hot (and don't overcook!). Thawing then draining before cooking lets you get rid of most of the water that would come out during the cooking process.

How do you thicken liquid in a casserole? ›

The three main thickening agents for gravies are flour, cornflour and arrowroot. The first two are normally used in savoury dishes while arrowroot tends to be used in sweet dishes – that said, arrowroot will work in a savoury dish as it has no flavour.

How do you make bean liquid thicker? ›

How do you thicken beans with flour? Get a measuring cup (or regular cup) and place about 1 tablespoon of flour inside and add 1 tablespoon of bean juice; stir. Slowly keep adding more juice - then add to the the beans; stir.

How to thicken green beans? ›

To ensure this flavor-packed sauce clings to the green beans, we add corn starch as our thickener. It helps forms a thicker glaze. If you find the sauce too thick for your liking, you can always add a touch of water to reach your desired consistency!

How do you thicken a casserole without cornstarch? ›

All-purpose flour: You can thicken sauces with all-purpose wheat flour. For every tablespoon of cornstarch, use three tablespoons of flour. Combine raw flour with cold water in a small bowl to form a paste, then add it into the sauce as it's simmering. Cooking the flour in the sauce will remove the flour taste.

What is a thickening agent for baked beans? ›

Use starches to thicken beans

A cornstarch slurry is used to thicken almost any kind of sauce and it only takes a few seconds to make, per Baking Kneads. Simply add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to 1 cup of water or to the liquid from the baked beans (scoop it out into a separate bowl and let it cool first) and mix.

What if I forgot to cook green beans for green bean casserole? ›

Yep, just pop it in the oven for a little longer. Stick a fork in it to make sure they're done, then follow the recipe as written. And your casserole will taste fresher.

How do you keep green beans from getting soggy? ›

Store beans in a veggie crisper or an air-tight plastic container. You can keep them in the plastic bag they came in from the store, but condensation may develop and speed up spoilage. To prevent this, place a paper towel in the bag or container to absorb extra moisture, and replace it as it gets damp.

How do you fix too much water in beans? ›

To thicken the juice of the beans take 2 tablespoons of flour in cold water and stir until its smooth. Then pour it in the pot while the water is hot.

How do you fix runny baked beans? ›

Use starches to thicken beans

Simply add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to 1 cup of water or to the liquid from the baked beans (scoop it out into a separate bowl and let it cool first) and mix. Once the starch is thoroughly incorporated, pour the slurry into the baked beans dish and stir.

Can you over water green beans? ›

Too little water, and they won't sprout; too much, and they might rot. Aim for soil that's moist, but not waterlogged.

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