Thanksgiving Favorites: Iconic Green Bean Casserole and Fam Fave Apple Pie
Updated: 11 hours ago
Preferably Homemade—Always Elevated!
Turkey and gravy, green bean casserole, and apple pie (the mashed potatoes go without saying, lol)—that’s my Thanksgiving trifecta! Regardless of what dishes anyone else brings or is assigned, I ALWAYS make these key staples. MY way for MY holiday.
Last year I shared my mom’s famous recipe, Elsie’s Roast Turkey, and this year I’m rounding out the table with two additional family favorites, both made with the best, cleanest, quality ingredients I can find: my Iconic Green Bean Casserole (always made the real-food way) and my Fam Fave Apple Pie (all homemade except the crust!) that disappears fast around here. My kids are already asking about it to ensure it’ll be on the table this year!
Thanksgiving at our home? Preferably homemade, always delicious, healthfully elevated, and No Deprivation Zone™ approved!
THE TURKEY: ELSIE'S ROAST TURKEY (AND GRAVY!)
My mom’s famous recipe, named in honor of my mom, Elsbeth, whom I playfully called Elsie. Find it here.
ICONIC GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE—ELEVATED!
The way I’ve always approached this iconic favorite in our home is to simply trade up on the ingredients list: fresh organic green beans, good quality organic cream of mushroom soup, and good quality organic French fried onions. The outcome is simply superb!
You’ll Need:
Fresh organic green beans
Organic cream of mushroom soup (I am using Pacifica’s condensed this year—it's what I could find!)
Organic French fried onions
Organic heavy cream, half & half, or whole milk (any of the three work!)
Good salt and organic pepper
Quantities depend on how much you’d like to make. The guiding light is a balance where the green beans are well coated in the mushroom soup mix and the crispy onions are infused to your desired amount (some love them more than others!). Want it gluten free? Choose gluten-free soup and onions. Good brands have them readily available.
Here’s My Approach:
Blanch the green beans until tender, then drain and add iced water to cool them and preserve that vibrant green color. Drain.
In a separate bowl, mix together the beans, mushroom soup, salt, pepper, and French fried onions. If your soup is condensed, I add cream, half & half, or whole milk for a creamier consistency.
Transfer the mixture to your favorite baking dish and bake at 350°F for about 30 minutes.
Top the casserole with a layer of French fried onions and bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until the crispy onions are browned. Enjoy!
Make-Ahead Tip: For Thanksgiving, I sometimes assemble this on Wednesday evening (everything except baking and adding the crispy onions on top). Then all I need to do is pop it in the oven while the turkey is resting, adding the top layer of onions in the last 5 minutes!
FAM FAVE APPLE PIE!
I’ve been making apple pie every Thanksgiving for many years now, inspired by Ina Garten’s Deep-Dish Apple Pie, to which I’ve added some “Chris touches.” We are not really pumpkin pie people, and while our holiday desserts have gone through lots of test and learn (and we always enjoy trying new entries!), this pie has become a fam fave and has fully earned tradition status!
Gratitude for Leftovers: As with many Thanksgiving leftovers, the apple pie is even better the next day(s), cold from the fridge. The flavors and textures continue to come together so beautifully—yum!
Remember: Always use good-quality, organic (if possible) ingredients, and make sure even the processed components are as “clean” as possible (no poor-quality or toxic fillers).
Sequencing Tip: I ALWAYS start my plate with fiber-rich veggies or fruit, then protein and maybe some healthy fats, and save the starchy or refined carbs and dessert(s) for last. It helps me feel my best, and I still savor every bite of this pie in true No Deprivation Zone™ style!
What You’ll Need (always organic as possible):
7 to 10 apples (enough to fill up the pie crust in a heaping sort of way!); I usually use only organic Granny Smith apples but this year will try a mix of organic Granny Smith and Cosmic Crisp (my new fave!). Prefer a more tart pie? Use more Granny Smith. Prefer it sweeter? Use more Cosmic Crisp.
1/2 cup sugar (I keep it modest and let the apples and vanilla—and vanilla sugar on top!—make the taste buds sing!)
1/8 cup arrowroot powder
Zest of 1 lemon
Zest of 1 orange
2 TBSP butter
2 TBSP lemon juice
1 TBSP orange juice
1 1/2 TBSP pure vanilla extract (I use a mix of good vanilla extracts I have!)
1 tsp pink salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground allspice
2 pie crusts, plus extra for decoration
1 egg (beaten with water for an egg wash)
Vanilla sugar for sprinkling generously on top (I make my own with organic sugar and good organic vanilla powder!)
Here’s My Approach:
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
In a large bowl, mix the sugar, arrowroot powder, lemon zest, orange zest, lemon juice, orange juice, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.
Peel, core, and slice the apples right into the bowl with the sugar, zests, juices, arrowroot, salt, and spices, and combine (get ready to be mesmerized by the happy, fresh vanilla-sugar-apple smell... as you mix and then when you bake!). Slice them to a thickness that works for you! I usually make 3 to 5 big slices per apple, then cut them in thirds or fourths, crosswise.
Pie crust prep: I use good frozen pie crusts (though you can certainly make your own!), transferring one to a beautiful ceramic pie plate and setting the second aside for the top.
Fill the bottom crust with the apple mixture. Slice the butter and lay pats on top of the apples. Top with the second crust and crimp the edges together. Brush the top with the egg wash and sprinkle with vanilla sugar. (Fun Tip: I usually remove a bit of crust from the crimping process, or use extra, to make stenciled leaves or other decoration on top. Totally optional! You can also play with a lattice top. Have fun and let your creativity shine!)
Place the pie on a sheet pan (the juices can get very bubbly and overflow a bit, all good!). Ina recommends this, too! Cut 3 to 5 slits in the top crust and bake the full 60 to 75 minutes at 400°F. Keep a sheet of non-stick foil handy, and if the top starts getting too brown (it often does!), tent the pie loosely with the foil for the rest of the bake. It’s done when the crust is a beautiful golden brown and the filling is bubbling.
Make it ahead and serve warm, at room temp, or cold from the fridge. We like ours with good vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!
I like to stay flexible and keep playing with my recipes. For example, this year I'm mixing up the type of apples I'm using, and I will also go a little heavier on the vanilla sugar on top to ensure it's sweet enough (the citrus and lower sugar content keep it less sweet). I'm always open to improvement while keeping the integrity of the dish intact!
Anticipatory Excitement for Thanksgiving 2026!
We have a very special first this year with my grandson's first Thanksgiving, and I am so excited to host this momentous milestone on MY holiday! All the "kids" (they are all now thirty-something lol) will be here, plus we will have extended family and some friends from out of the country who we haven't seen in years and we are meeting their kids for the first time. Grateful for many special blessings.
I always love it when we get to see my husband’s niece, Katie, and happily she will be joining us this Thanksgiving! She will be bringing her amazing red cabbage and her cranberry bars. Red cabbage was always a holiday staple in my German family. My mom absolutely adored it and made a delicious, aromatic batch every Thanksgiving and Christmas. I unfortunately never got her recipe, but my version starts with a base recipe from Katie—it’s soooo good, the closest I’ve ever found to my mom’s!—with a few tweaks of my own. Katie remembers my mom’s red cabbage, too, and can’t imagine Thanksgiving without it, so I’m full of gratitude that she’s keeping the tradition alive at our table. And Katie’s Cranberry Bars? Let’s just say I ALWAYS go for seconds or thirds... or even fourths! Maybe one day, with her permission, I’ll share the recipes.
Here’s to full gratitude for a table full of real food, real flavor, and the people (and dogs!) we love! Happy Healthy Thanksgiving!
Here's to Your Healthiest Happiest YOU! ☀️
Chris
NBC-HWC | FMCHC | Founder, BrandCraftYOU
Ready to Embrace YOUR Healthiest Happiest YOU? Work with Me!
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