I was going to wait until Thanksgiving to bust this bad boy out because I absolutely LOVE ham and I can't believe I never thought to put it in green bean casserole. However, since Thanksgiving this year is not going to be anything traditional (in the sense that my entire family is going to be spread out - one of the "joys" of close siblings growing up) I decided this recipe was the perfect way to use up the ham sitting in the back of my lunchmeat drawer.
In the past (i.e. my whole life) this dish was made with canned green beans. She has you use fresh green beans and believe me, it makes a huge difference. The green beans retain their crunch, even after being boiled before being baked. It's a nice change from delicious green bean mush. Prep time is minimal. Dishes to be used are minimal. Clean up time is super quick. It has ham. Basically this recipe spells "winner".
I was not lying when I said I was not throwing this pan away. <3
This was fucking amazing. This was hammy and cheesy and green beany and all things delightful, melted and baked to perfection in a broken oval pan. My only complaint was it is a bit on the salty side. She has you had 1/2 tsp salt and I would most definitely omit that next time as well as boiling the green beans in chicken broth - I would just use water. And there will be a next time. This was so cheesy, you could see the strings of cheese when you served it. I took 3 pictures of it just because I love it so much.
Just look at those chunks of ham.
Slight cheese strings.
The mother load of cheesy.
I do believe I have been ruined for classic green bean casserole. That is now a thing of the past. This is my future now. <3 <3 <3
