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    Home » Italian Savory Pies

    Italian Green Bean Casserole (Polpettone alla Ligure)

    Published: Oct 9, 2022 · Modified: Nov 7, 2024 by Silvana Nava · This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe

    Italian green bean casserole is known in Italy as Polpettone alla Ligure. It's made with a few simple ingredients: green beans, eggs, potatoes, parmigiano cheese, fresh marjoram, and breadcrumbs on top to give it crunchiness.

    The use of potatoes and green beans in the same recipe is very common in Ligurian cuisine, as in Lasagna alla Genovese for example.

    Italian green bean casserole 600x900 5

    We call it polpettone but it's for all intents and purposes a casserole or pie.Prepared exclusively with vegetable ingredients and completely meat-free, it's nutritionally balanced and also suitable for those on a vegetarian diet.

    You make it in 40 minutes and bake for about 45. The result is a green bean and mashed potato pie with a delicate but also intense and aromatic taste.

    Italian green bean casserole 600x900 1

    In fact, the secret to the success of this Italian green bean casserole recipe  is the addition of fresh marjoram, used very often in Genoese cuisine. Marjoram gives this recipe its characteristic aroma.

    You can make this recipe in just a few steps and serve either hot or at room temperature, as a main course or appetizer.

    Italian green bean casserole is soft on the inside with a crisp, golden crust on the surface. Give it a try!

    Italian green bean casserole 600x900 6

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Storage
    • Variations
    • Tips
    • Curiosities
    • Recipe Card


    Ingredients

    • Prep Time: 20 Min
    • Cook Time: 45 Min
    • Resting Time: 10 Min
    • Servings: 8

    Doses for a 13x9 inch baking dish

    • 450 g (1 pound) of green beans
    • 1 kg ( 2.2 pounds) of potatoes
    • 3 eggs
    • 1 medium onion
    • 100 g (1 cup) of grated Parmigiano cheese
    • 2 sprigs of fresh marjoram
    • 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
    • 40 g (⅓ cup) of breadcrumbs
    • salt and black pepper to taste

    Instructions

    Italian green bean casserole recipe step 1

    Step 1) - To make Italian green bean casserole (Polpettone alla Ligure), boil whole potatoes with their skin in salted boiling water. This take 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes.

    Once cooked, drain and peel them. Then mash them with a potato masher and put them in a large bowl.

    Italian green bean casserole recipe step 2

    Step 2) - Wash the green beans and remove the tail ends.

    Then boil them in boiling salted water for about 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.

    Italian green bean casserole recipe step 3

    Step 3) - Next, cut the green beans into pieces of about 2 cm (⅔ inch). Cut the onion into small pieces as well.

    Then saute the green beans and onion in a pan with a tablespoon of oil and a little salt for about five minutes.

    Italian green bean casserole recipe step 4

    Step 4) - Now add the green beans to the mashed potatoes.

    Stir and add the eggs, grated parmigiano cheese, a pinch more salt, ground black pepper, and finally the marjoram leaves broken up with your hands.

    Italian green bean casserole recipe step 5

    Step 5) - Grease with a bit of oil an oven dish and dust it with 3 tablespoons of breadcrumbs. Lay the mixture on top, leveling it well over the entire surface. The thickness should not exceed 3 cm (about 1 inch).

    In Italy it's tradition to decorate the surface of Polpettone alla Ligure with the tines of a fork, forming the typical horizontal and vertical lines.

    Italian green bean casserole recipe step 6

    Step 6) - Now sprinkle the surface of the Italian green bean casserole with breadcrumbs. Also add a drizzle of oil.

    Bake at 350°F (180°C) in a preheated oven for about 45 minutes or until the meatloaf is golden brown on the surface.

    Italian green bean casserole recipe step 7

    Step 7) - Once ready, remove it from the oven and let it cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

    Italian green bean casserole 600x900 3

    YOU MUST ALSO TRY:

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    • Homemade Potato Gnocchi Recipe
    • Italian Artichoke Casserole | Sformato di Carciofi
    • Roasted Fennel with Parmesan, Breadcrumbs and Sage
    • Farinata Recipe
    • Broccoli Casserole Recipe

    Storage

    You can store Italian Green Bean Casserole already cooked for up to 2 days in the refrigerator.

    We don't recommend to make it too many hours in advance of baking. This is because obviously the mixture should be stored in the refrigerator, but then the potatoes will blacken.

    After baking you can freeze it. Keep in the freezer up to 1 month.

    Variations

    Like all traditional recipes that come from local customs and traditions, also this recipe has many variations.

    • ZUCCHINI: Some, for example, use zucchini or chard instead of or in addition to green beans.
    • RICOTTA: They often use ricotta cheese in the mixture of green bean and mashed potato casserole, which makes the taste more delicate and the texture softer.
    • MUSHROOMS: The addition of mushrooms, fresh or dried, is also very common.
    • GARLIC: In some areas of Liguria, they don't use onion but they flavor this pie with garlic. The garlic is minced together with marjoram.
    • OREGANO: You can substitute marjoram for oregano.

    Italian green bean casserole 600x900 4

    Tips

    • Best Potatoes: Keep in mind that old potatoes are less watery, so they result in a more compact and dry preparation. Instead, "new" ones, which are richer in water, make the mixture a little softer. In this case, add a tablespoon of breadcrumbs to the mixture.
    • Best Green Beans: Of course, green beans are a key and important ingredient for green bean casserole. Perfect are the very tender ones that do not yet have the very annoying central "string". If, on the other hand, you have adult and leathery ones, remember to remove, in addition to the tips, the central thread. Green beans, as we have shown you, should not only be boiled, but also sautéed in a pan with oil, salt and onion to give them more flavor.

    Italian green bean casserole 600x900 2

    Curiosities

    One of the most famous legends about Polpettone alla Ligure is that this dish was once called Sčiattamàiu or "schiatta marito," which means "kill husband." In fact, it was said to be so good that men ate so much of it that they became sick!

    Another ancient and dialectal way of calling this dish was "Lo Scarbassa."

    This term has even medieval origins and takes its name from the basket that, placed on the backs of donkeys, was used to carry herbs and vegetables harvested in the fields.

    Recipe Card

    STEP BY STEP PHOTOS ABOVE!Have a look at my step-by-step photo instructions, variations and tips. That way, you can get it perfect the first time you try it!
    Italian green bean casserole

    Italian Green Bean Casserole

    Silvana Nava
    Italian green bean casserole is known in Italy as Polpettone alla Ligure. It's made with a few simple ingredients: green beans, eggs, potatoes, parmigiano cheese, fresh marjoram, and breadcrumbs on top to give it crunchiness.
    The use of potatoes and green beans in the same recipe is very common in Ligurian cuisine, as in Lasagna alla Genovese for example.
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    Prep Time 20 minutes mins
    Cook Time 45 minutes mins
    Resting Time 10 minutes mins
    Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins
    Course Appetizer, Savory Pie
    Cuisine Italian
    Servings 8
    Calories 259 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 450 g green beans 1 pound
    • 1 kg potatoes 2.2 pounds
    • 3 eggs
    • 1 onion
    • 100 g Parmigiano cheese 1 cup, grated
    • 2 marjoram sprigs, fresh
    • 3 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
    • 40 g breadcrumbs ⅓ cup
    • fine to taste
    • pepper to taste

    Instructions
     

    • To make Italian green bean casserole (Polpettone alla Ligure), boil the potatoes with their skin in salted boiling water. This take 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes.
    • Once cooked, drain and peel them. Then mash them with a potato masher and put them in a large bowl.
    • Wash the green beans and remove the tail ends. Then boil them in boiling salted water for about 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.
    • Cut the green beans into pieces of about 2 cm (⅔ inch). Cut the onion into small pieces as well.
    • Then saute the green beans and onion in a pan with a tablespoon of oil and a little salt for about five minutes.
    • Add the green beans to the mashed potatoes.
    • Stir and add the eggs, grated parmigiano cheese, a pinch more salt, ground black pepper, and finally the marjoram leaves broken up with your hands.
    • Grease with a bit of oil an oven dish and dust it with 3 tablespoons of breadcrumbs. Lay the mixture on top, leveling it well over the entire surface. The thickness should not exceed 3 cm (about 1 inch).
    • In Italy it's tradition to decorate the surface of Polpettone alla Ligure with the tines of a fork, forming the typical horizontal and vertical lines.
    • Sprinkle the surface of the Italian green bean casserole with breadcrumbs. Also add a drizzle of oil.
    • Bake at 350°F (180°C) in a preheated oven for about 45 minutes or until the meatloaf is golden brown on the surface.
    • Once ready, remove it from the oven and let it cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 100gCalories: 259kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 11gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 70mgSodium: 272mgPotassium: 713mgFiber: 5gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 598IUVitamin C: 33mgCalcium: 210mgIron: 2mg
    Keyword Italian green bean casserole
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    Barbara & Silvana

    CIAO! Barbara & Silvana here! We are the authors of these amazing Italian recipes. Living in Italy, they are part of our culture, tradition and everyday life. And we want to share them with you all, straight from Italy! Learn more about us! Read our story!

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