Andrew Zimmern’s surefire way to make Thanksgiving green bean casserole without the 'gloppiness'

The holiday season looks a bit different this year, as the coronavirus pandemic rages on throughout the world, but with a little creativity things can still be special. Chef Andrew Zimmern is sharing how he plans to make this Thanksgiving one to remember. His time-saving tips and unique recipes are sure to please everyone at the table and become a new favorite tradition for years to come. From his family’s time-honored chowder to the quick and easy dessert he says is so good you’ll be, “making it every week,” Zimmern’s Countdown to Thanksgiving is one you don’t want to miss.

Video Transcript

ANDREW ZIMMERN: Hey everybody, Andrew Zimmern here. And like you, I am counting down to Thanksgiving. And I'm here to show you a couple of tips and tricks, some things that I do with a couple of different dishes that will help you make this holiday really, really special.

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I'm gonna show you three things today. I'm gonna show you an oyster chowder, green bean and mushroom casserole, and a pecan dessert that I love. So let's get going.

First, I've steamed these beautiful fresh green beans, and I've made a mixture here of mushrooms and some shallots and some ground almonds, and I've seasoned it with a little bit of soy and lemon. So we're just going to put some of that wonderful mushroom mixture in there. The steam from that mushroom mixture is going to warm up my green beans.

Use all five senses when you're cooking, right? You can touch food, you can taste it, you can smell it, you can see it. But what most people don't realize, you can also hear it. I can hear things go from a simmer to a boil. Give it a little shake. Look at the crust. Look at the brown crusting.

And then we take this and put it into our serving bowl for the table. That is Thanksgiving side dish perfection.

I'm also simmering here some of the elements of my chowder. I love a lot of potatoes in my chowder. I'm going to add my cream. And when my cream starts to simmer, I'm going to add my oysters and scallops. And I just want to gently move that around because the oysters all cling together.

I want to put a portion of chowder into a bowl, so you can see what it would be like if I was serving this more as a course in my home. Most of the time, I put an oyster or two and a scallop in a mug. As people come into the house they're taking off their coats, and then I put this into my guests' hand. So that's what I do.

So last but not least, these are my Aunt Suzanne's pecan bars. If I have three or four other pies and a fruit compote and a whole bunch of other stuff, and other guests are bringing dessert, maybe I cut these much smaller. This is that crispy, roasty, toasty butterscotch caramely nut bar of your dreams.

I hope some of these recipes, tips, tricks have inspired you to make your Thanksgiving even more special this year than any other. Let's all be grateful for whatever time we can spend together.