Is It Green Bean Casserole Or Green Bean Hotdish In Minnesota?

I have to make a confession and apologize to Adam from the Workday Mix. He asked me a few weeks ago if Minnesotans referred to one of his favorite Thanksgiving dishes as 'green bean hotdish'. At first, my answer was YES! After all, we don't call things casserole in Minnesota.

BUT, I thought about it for quite some time--like, way longer than I should have thought about it. I realized that I call the dish, 'green bean casserole'. I've never called it 'green bean hotdish'...like, ever--and I've lived in Minnesota my entire life.

It got me to thinking about what a hotdish actually is and whether green bean casserole fits the definition. So, if you're wondering what a hotdish technically is...here you go!

1. It must contain some type of starch...corn, rice, noodles or potatoes. (Let's check...um, well, no. there's no starch)

2. It needs a meat. The most popular meat is hamburger or chicken. (There's actually no meat in a green bean casserole)

3. You need to include some type of 'cream of something' into your dish. (Yes, green bean casserole has cream of mushroom soup)

4. It must be served hot. (Yes, green bean casserole it's always served hot)

The verdict is in. Since green bean casserole only meets two of the four criteria needed to be considered a hotdish--it's actually just a casserole. Sorry, Adam. I gave you some bad advice. I could be wrong, but my logic seems to make sense here.

Is it a green bean casserole or is it a green bean hotdish?