French Onion White Bean Bake | Guest Recipes | Nigella's Recipes (2024)

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Introduction

Whip out this hearty, veggie, one-pot dish as the autumnal season is approaching. It's one of those meals that is super simple and has minimal ingredients, but offers guaranteed satisfaction and heartiness.

Whip out this hearty, veggie, one-pot dish as the autumnal season is approaching. It's one of those meals that is super simple and has minimal ingredients, but offers guaranteed satisfaction and heartiness.

As featured in

  • French Onion White Bean Bake | Guest Recipes | Nigella's Recipes (1)
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French Onion White Bean Bake | Guest Recipes | Nigella's Recipes (2)

Ingredients

Serves: 3

MetricCups

  • 30 grams salted butter
  • 1 large white onion (white onions are sweeter, but brown onions will also work), thinly sliced
  • small handful of thyme sprigs, leaves picked
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
  • 700 grams jar white beans with their bean stock OR 2 × 400g (14oz) cans white beans, drained, with 200ml/7fl oz veg or chicken stock
  • 70 grams Gruyere cheese coarsely grated (or Comté, or a mix of 50g (1¾oz) mature Cheddar and 30g (1oz) Parmesan or Pecorino)
  • 50 grams crispy breadcrumbs mixed with 1 tablespoon olive oil, to top (optional)
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 ounce salted butter
  • 1 large white onion (white onions are sweeter, but brown onions will also work), thinly sliced
  • small handful of thyme sprigs, leaves picked
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
  • 1lb 9 ounces jar white beans with their bean stock OR 2 × 400g (14oz) cans white beans, drained, with 200ml/7fl oz veg or chicken stock
  • 2½ ounces Gruyere cheese coarsely grated (or Comté, or a mix of 50g (1¾oz) mature Cheddar and 30g (1oz) Parmesan or Pecorino)
  • 1¾ ounces crispy breadcrumbs mixed with 1 tablespoon olive oil, to top (optional)
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

French Onion White Bean Bake is a guest recipe by Amelia Christie-Miller so we are not able to answer questions regarding this recipe

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/gas mark 6.
  2. Melt the butter in a medium-sized ovenproof saucepan or casserole dish over a medium–high heat. Add the onion and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the onions are softened.
  3. Remove the lid and add the thyme. Continue to cook for another 10–15 minutes. As they cook and browned bits appear, add a tablespoon or so of water and stir to combine. Once evaporated, add another tablespoon and repeat; this prevents the onions from burning and speeds the process up. You want them to be jammy and a deep golden brown. (If you can caramelise the onions for even longer, go for it: the darker their colour, the sweeter their flavour.)
  4. Next, add the vinegar and stir until evaporated, then add the beans with their bean or veg or chicken stock. Season to taste and bring to the boil for a minute. If using canned beans, you may need to add more salt; bring to a simmer and cook for a further 6–8 minutes to allow the beans to soften.
  5. Reduce the heat slightly, then sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top, followed by the breadcrumbs (if using), especially around the edges (this will give you delicious crispy bits).
  6. Transfer to the oven and bake for roughly 8–10 minutes until the cheese has melted and browned in places. If the top is not as toasted as you’d like, bake for another minute or two. Serve and tuck in.
  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/gas mark 6.
  2. Melt the butter in a medium-sized ovenproof saucepan or casserole dish over a medium–high heat. Add the onion and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the onions are softened.
  3. Remove the lid and add the thyme. Continue to cook for another 10–15 minutes. As they cook and browned bits appear, add a tablespoon or so of water and stir to combine. Once evaporated, add another tablespoon and repeat; this prevents the onions from burning and speeds the process up. You want them to be jammy and a deep golden brown. (If you can caramelise the onions for even longer, go for it: the darker their colour, the sweeter their flavour.)
  4. Next, add the vinegar and stir until evaporated, then add the beans with their bean or veg or chicken stock. Season to taste and bring to the boil for a minute. If using canned beans, you may need to add more salt; bring to a simmer and cook for a further 6–8 minutes to allow the beans to soften.
  5. Reduce the heat slightly, then sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top, followed by the breadcrumbs (if using), especially around the edges (this will give you delicious crispy bits).
  6. Transfer to the oven and bake for roughly 8–10 minutes until the cheese has melted and browned in places. If the top is not as toasted as you’d like, bake for another minute or two. Serve and tuck in.

Additional Information

NOTE FROM NIGELLA.COM:
For gluten-free, omit the optional breadcrumbs.
For vegetarian, seek out vegetarian-friendly versions of the cheeses.

NOTE FROM NIGELLA.COM:
For gluten-free, omit the optional breadcrumbs.
For vegetarian, seek out vegetarian-friendly versions of the cheeses.

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What 1 Other has said

  • I'm certainly going to try this, but one thing I won't be doing is putting the oven on right at the start as the recipe suggests. The onions will certainly take more than 15-20 minutes to cook down properly while the oven is wasting electricity...and yet it is only needed for 10-15 minutes cooking at the end - doesn't make sense. I'll be turning the oven on half way through my prep.

    Posted by Finsgranny on 25th August 2023

Show more comments

French Onion White Bean Bake | Guest Recipes | Nigella's Recipes (3)

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French Onion White Bean Bake | Guest Recipes | Nigella's Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Why do you put vinegar in baked beans? ›

Cider vinegar added at the end balances the flavor profile. It's important not to add vinegar until the end so as to maintain the mixture's pH balance throughout the cooking process.

When a recipe calls for white beans? ›

If a recipe calls for white beans, you can use Great Northern beans, navy beans, or white kidney beans (also called cannellini beans). Black Beans are medium-size, oval-shaped beans with matte black skin.

How much baking soda do I add to my beans to prevent gas? ›

To degas with baking soda, add a teaspoon of baking soda to 4 quarts of water. Stir in the dried beans and bring to a boil. Then turn off the heat and let the beans soak at least four hours (I usually do this the night before I want to use them; the longer soak won't hurt them). Drain, rinse and rinse again.

What does apple cider vinegar do to beans? ›

Wait until the beans are tender but not quite done to add a splash of apple cider vinegar and a couple teaspoons of salt to the pot. The apple cider vinegar breaks down indigestible sugars to help digestion and also brightens the flavor of the beans without the need for excess salt.

Is there a difference between white beans and great northern beans? ›

Cannellini Beans are larger and heartier than Great Northerns and are sometimes referred to as “white kidney beans” because of their traditional kidney shape. You'll often find them mixed with pinto beans.

Are cannellini beans and white beans the same thing? ›

What is a White Bean? Some recipes simply call for “white beans.” This is a general term for great northern beans, navy beans, cannellini beans, and other similar beans.

What are the 4 types of white beans? ›

What Are White Beans? White beans as a category includes navy beans, great northern beans, cannellini beans, baby lima beans, butter beans, garbanzo beans, pinto beans, etc. These are the most popular types of white beans (cooked white beans), however each type has its own unique peculiarities and features.

What does adding vinegar to baked goods do? ›

When vinegar reacts with baking soda, it creates carbon dioxide bubbles, which act as leavening agents. So as the batter bakes, these tiny bubbles expand, causing the cake to rise and giving it that light, airy texture we all love.

Does putting vinegar in beans help with gas? ›

Adding a vinegar, like apple cider vinegar, also ‌might‌ help curtail gas production by breaking down the indigestible carbs, says Taub-Dix.

Do baked beans contain vinegar? ›

Baked beans have a tomato-based sauce that in the UK includes ingredients such as tomatoes, water, sugar, spirit vinegar, modified cornflour, salt, spice extracts and herb extracts.

How much vinegar do you add to beans? ›

Another suggested that when cooking dried beans to add a quarter cupful of apple cider vinegar to the water that they soak in overnight, then rinse them thoroughly before cooking. For those who have had issues, it may be worth a try, particularly if cooking for those who aren't heavy bean consumers.

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