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There’s an unwritten rule here in the South that says it’s not really Thanksgiving until you’ve had more than your fair share of multiple kinds of casserole during Thanksgiving dinner. You’ve got your sweet potato casserole, cornbread casserole, broccoli casserole, and the coveted green bean casserole. Casserole is certainly king in the Southern states, and it’s part of the reason why I’m SO cheerful during this holiday season. Seriously! I’m not even going to lie, y’all. When I count all of the things I’m thankful for, I count casserole twice. It’s so darn good. 😉

But while we’re being completely honest here, I’ve got a little confession to make. Sometimes I get tired to seeing the same ol’ casseroles sitting in a pan on the table. To be 100% clear, it’s not at all because I don’t like them. I mean, hand me a spoon and I’ll go to town on them! But rather, it’s because I want so badly to give them a new life. I want them to be served in a fun, unpredictable way that still bring the same, traditional casserole taste but in a whole new way. You know, just to keep things interesting!

So since Thanksgiving is almost here, I decided to let my imagination run wild and get a little inventive with one of my favorite casseroles of all time: Green Bean Casserole!

This year we’ll be hosting a special “Friendsgiving” at our house a few days before Thanksgiving. Have you heard of Friendsgiving before? It’s a time where friends gather together before the holidays really start getting busy just to catch up and spend time together. After dinner, we’ll be playing board games, cracking jokes and just enjoying each others company. It’s going to be great!

And seeing as how it’s not Thanksgiving (or Friendsgiving) until there’s a casserole on the table, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity for me to try out my secret casserole invention idea that’d I’d been holding up my sleeve: Green Bean Casserole Stuffed Loaded Baked Potatoes! I knew they’d be a perfect side dish for our meal that would surely impress my guests!

So I headed out to Target to pick up a few of the necessities that I’d need. I stocked up on Campbell’s® Cream of Mushroom Soup (the heart of almost every savory casserole dish) and a few cans of Del Monte® Blue Lake® Cut Green Beans. By the way, make sure you’re taking advantage of their sales and great deals using the cartwheel app!

I also picked up a few medium sized baking potatoes and a package of French’s Crispy Onions to go on top. They’re my favorite part of every green bean casserole! 😉

If you find yourself a little pressed for time while you’re cooking Friendsgiving dinner (or if you just don’t want to spend more than you need to on one thing…I can’t blame you) there are a few shortcuts you can take making this recipe. For starters, don’t waste an hour of your time cooking the potatoes in the oven. You can pop those bad boys in the microwave and cook them to perfection! Just wash each one thoroughly and poke a generous amount of holes all throughout the potato using a fork. Wrap each one in clear plastic wrap and cook individually in the microwave for 4:40-5:00 minutes, making sure you turn the potato over once halfway through cook time.

Once they’ve cooled down enough to handle, open them up, add a little slab of butter in there and mash up the insides really well. (I’d wait until you’ve finished making the green bean casserole before you open the potatoes.)

Another shortcut you can take with this dish is to not worry about dirtying up more bowls than you need. Everything can cook in the same large skillet!

I tossed 2 Tbs of butter and cut up half of a sweet onion and caramelized them in the skillet. Onions aren’t required in this dish, but I think it gives it a really nice extra touch! While the onions were cooking down, I opened up my cans of Del Monte® Blue Lake® Cut Green Beans and Campbell’s® Cream of Mushroom Soup.

Once the onions were caramelized to my liking, I drained all of the water off of the green beans and added them into the skillet.  Some people choose to make their green bean casserole with fresh or other brands/varieties of green beans, but I honestly can’t imagine using anything other than Del Monte® Blue Lake® Cut Green Beans. They’re high quality, delicious, and made with a dash of sea salt to give then a little something extra. They’re truly the star of this dish!

After the green beans were added, I stirred them around a little and added the Campbell’s® Cream of Mushroom Soup. I should seriously buy stock in this stuff, because my pantry is always overflowing with it during this time of year! I can’t think of many traditional savory casseroles that don’t have cream of mushroom in it! I can always count on Campbell’s® Cream of Mushroom Soup and their other varieties to make my casseroles perfectly creamy and truly mouthwatering. Plus, they’re so quick and easy to use in recipes!

After the Campbell’s® Cream of Mushroom Soup was added in, I sprinkled in a little milk, garlic powder and shredded cheddar cheese and let it simmer on the stove until bubbling. Once all of the potatoes were done cooking in the microwave, I opened up each one and filled it to the brim with the green bean casserole mixture! And, of course, I added some real bacon bits, extra cheese, and a layer of French’s Crispy Onions on top for good measure. Talk about delicious!

Here’s a free printable copy of my recipe for you to save and keep. If you’ll be hosting Thanksgiving dinner, Friendsgiving dinner (or both,) these easy baked potatoes are definitely a great side dish to serve!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Green Bean Casserole Stuffed Loaded Baked Potatoes

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

Course: Casserole

Servings: 5 -6 baked potatoes

Author: Southern Made Simple

Ingredients

• Medium Sized Baking Potatoes
• 1/2 sweet onion - chopped
• 1 10.5 oz can Campbell's® Cream of Mushroom Soup
• 2 14.5 oz cans Del Monte® Blue Lake® Cut Green Beans - French style
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 Tbs butter + 1 Tbs
• Salt and pepper to taste
• French's Crispy Onions for topping

Instructions

• In a large skillet, cook onion with 2 Tbs butter until caramelized (6-7 minutes)
• While the onions are simmering, thoroughly wash each potato and poke a generous amount of holes in each potato using a fork
• Wrap potatoes in a layer or two of clear plastic wrap and cook *individually* for 4:40-5:00 minutes, making sure to turn the potato over once halfway through cooking
• Once the onions are caramelized, add in green beans, cream of mushroom soup, milk, garlic powder and salt and pepper
• Top with shredded cheese and allow to simmer for a few minutes
• Cut open each potato and mash the insides using a fork
• Add 1 Tbs of butter to the potato before scooping the green bean casserole mixture into the potato
• Top with extra cheese, French's Crispy Onions or any of your other favorite baked potato toppings and enjoy!

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Tried this recipe?

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If you’re a casserole lover like myself but are always looking for ways to amp them up a little bit, give this Green Bean Casserole Stuffed Loaded Baked Potato recipe a try! I can’t wait to see the look on my guest’s faces when I put this dish on the table during our Friendsgiving meal!

How will you be celebrating Thanksgiving this year? Do you like to participate in “Friendsgiving” festivities? Do you have another inventive and creative idea for serving up your favorite casseroles in a whole new way? If so, I’d certainly love to hear all about it!

And don’t forget to head out to Target this week and stock up on all of your green bean casserole necessities while taking advantage of their cartwheel sale offers. I’m certainly adding that to my list of things to be thankful for this holiday season! 😉