Shockingly, Texans is No. 16 – 16!- as lovers of green bean casserole. Yes, Texas is losing its soul.
What? You Baptists have been falling down on the job. Worse, No. 1 and No. 2 are our sibling states – Louisiana where 60 percent of those in the gambling, drinking, overeating state expect to eat green-bean casserole this Thanksgiving. Just north of us, teetotaling Oklahoma Baptists have 58 percent expecting to eat this dish that I thought was required by the Texas Constitution (I think it’s in there, though I haven’t read its 4,678 pages lately).
In Texas, only 40 percent of us, that’s less than 50 if you’re counting and we are, expect to taste that mixture of Del Monte canned green beans, Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup and French’s Crispy Fried Onions. OK, there are a few other ingredients in there, but basically that’s it.
Del Monte, who, let’s face it, has a vested interested in this subject, conducted this study, asking 3,000 Americans about their green-bean casserole plans for Thanksgiving.
At least Texas isn’t Hawaii, where only 17 percent of people expect to taste green-bean casserole on Thursday. When I was growing up, though, there were two or three different versions of the dish at each gathering.
According to Del Monte, there are 30 million green-bean casseroles set to appear on Thanksgiving tables this week, but still …
All right America, I say whichever presidential candidate vows to restore green-bean casserole to its rightful place at Thanksgiving gets my vote.
Meanwhile, here’s the shocking list. Shown below are states ranked according to the highest concentration of Thanksgiving green-bean casserole eaters.
2015 DEL MONTE GREEN BEAN INDEX:
1. Louisiana: 60% (expect to eat green-bean casserole this Thanksgiving)
2. Oklahoma: 58%
3. Kentucky: 57%
4. Florida: 54%
5. Wisconsin: 52%
6. Missouri: 51%
7. Colorado: 50%
8. Kansas: 49%
9. New Hampshire: 48%
10. Maine: 46%
11. Vermont: 45%
12. California: 44%
13. Mississippi: 43%
14. Idaho: 41%
15. Utah: 41%
16. Texas: 40%
17. Illinois: 39%
18. Ohio: 38%
19. New York: 37%
20. Michigan: 37%
21. Alabama: 36%
22. North Carolina: 36%
23. New Mexico: 35%
24. Maryland: 34%
25. Tennessee: 32%
26. Massachusetts: 32%
27. New Jersey: 31%
28. South Carolina: 30%
29. Pennsylvania: 29%
30. Virginia: 29%
31. Arizona: 29%
32. Minnesota: 28%
33. Indiana: 27%
34. Georgia: 26%
35. Delaware: 25%
36. Oregon: 23%
37. Rhode Island: 23%
38. Connecticut: 22%
39. Nevada: 22%
40. Montana: 21%
41. Iowa: 21%
42. Washington: 21%
43. West Virginia: 20%
44. Alaska: 20%
45. Arkansas: 20%
46. Nebraska: 19%
47. Wyoming: 19%
48. South Dakota: 19%
49. North Dakota: 18%
50. Hawaii: 17%
DEL MONTE’S 2015 TOP 10 ‘SECRET INGREDIENTS’ FOR GREEN-BEAN CASSEROLE:
Del Monte also asked U.S. and Texas residents to rate their favorite “secret ingredient” – a single, creative item that can be added to the casserole’s iconic green bean, cream of mushroom, and French fried onion flavors to make it unique and different. According to the survey, America’s Top 10 most-wanted secret ingredients for green bean casserole are:
1. Bacon (34%)
2. Mushrooms (17%)
3. Cheese (11%)
4. Grilled Onions (8%)
5. Almonds (7%)
6. Sausage (6%)
7. Bread crumbs or crushed crackers (5.6%)
8. Garlic (5.2%)
9. Jalapeños or hot sauce (4%)
10. Sour cream (3%)
How ‘bout some recipes?
Del Monte also ranked its Top 5 most popular green bean casserole recipes (based on frequency on 2015 Thanksgiving dinner tables):
1. Classic Green Bean Casserole:
http://www.delmonte.com/recipes/side-dish/green-bean-casserole
2. Bacon and Cheddar Green Bean Casserole:
http://www.delmonte.com/recipes/detail/bacon-and-cheddar-green-bean-casserole
3. Sautéed Mushroom and Green Bean Casserole:
http://www.delmonte.com/recipes/detail/sauteed-mushroom-and-green-bean-casserole
4. Creole Sausage and Green Bean Casserole:
http://www.delmonte.com/recipes/detail/creole-sausage-and-green-bean-casserole
5. Main Dish Green Bean Casserole
http://www.delmonte.com/recipes/detail/main-dish-green-bean-casserole