The Asian Way to Make Green Bean Casserole 10x Better

If I make green beans for a typical weeknight dinner, I simply blanch them, toss them in a wok with hot oil and minced garlic, season them with salt and MSG, and call it a day. But because the holidays are approaching, I’m ready to take the mild vegetable up a notch and serve my family and friends some delicious green bean casserole.

A classic green bean casserole is a holiday staple, but what if there were an easy way to take it up a notch? That’s just what I saw when I was scrolling through social media recently and saw an acquaintance of mine, Sara Haas, elevate her green bean casserole recipe with miso, and boy, that’s precisely what I’ll be doing this Thanksgiving. 

Related: The 16 Best Thanksgiving Side Dish Casserole Recipes

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Why You Should Make Green Bean Casserole with Miso

My friend, Betty Liu, cures smashed cucumbers with miso in her cookbook, The Chinese Way. In my second cookbook, Modern Asian Kitchen, I have a recipe where I season spinach with miso. Suffice it to say, miso and vegetables go together like peanut butter and jelly. 

Both miso and soy sauce are umami bombs, so it doesn’t shatter the earth when we make the simple swap in a bean casserole. I have always been a fan of miso; I put it in everything except for my coffee, which maybe I should too, eventually. It enhances all the nuanced flavors in the green bean casserole and brings depth and savoriness to the dish. Miso is the perfect foil for mild, slightly sweet green beans. Miso really will make your next green bean casserole ten times better, and I bet your guests will ask for seconds. 

Related: This Green Bean Casserole Recipe Hits Different Thanks to One Extra Crispy, Crunchy Ingredient (No, It’s Not Fried Onions)

The Best Miso to Use for Green Bean Casserole

For beginners to the condiment, you might want to start with a white or yellow miso, which are mild and subtly sweet. If you want a fuller flavor, you can use red miso. Thanks to a longer fermentation time, red miso is full-bodied, bold, and can carry quite a brackish and umami punch. As for me, I am admittedly lazy and will use red miso in everything, from savory cooking to baking sweets. I want all the flavors and richness miso brings, so you’ll always find a tub of Hikari Organic Red Miso in my refrigerator.

If you haven’t bought miso before, look for tubs of it in the refrigerated section of the supermarket. You’re looking for miso paste, not powdered miso, which is what you’d use to make something like miso soup. 

Related: Alton Brown’s Green Bean Casserole Recipe

How to Make Green Bean Casserole with Miso

Once you’ve chosen a miso, pair it with your favorite green bean casserole recipe. If you don’t have a go-to, try the classic Campbell’s green bean casserole recipe. Add a heaping teaspoon of miso, mixing it into the milk and the cream of mushroom soup until smooth. Taste and adjust the miso as needed. Fold the beans and crispy onions into the mixture, then bake according to the recipe for a savory twist on this traditional dish.

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