Cheesy French Onion White Beans.
These french onion white beans are a cheesy, delicious spin on the classic french onion soup. Creamy cannellini beans are baked with caramelized onions, fresh thyme and gruyere until bubbly and golden. Delicious as a side or main dish!
This is for my bean lovers!
And my french onion lovers. I just happen to be both. These french onion white beans start with tons of caramelized onions and end with a bunch of bubbly, golden, melty guyere cheese. A few soft, buttery beans are in there too!
I have french onion-ed many things, including meatballs and mac and cheese. I’ve made a puff pastry quiche and sweet potatoes. I’ve also done traditional mashed potatoes AND crispy smashed potatoes!! Grilled cheese too, naturally.
To say I love anything with caramelized onions would be understatement. So much so, that french onion is a verb in our house. I will french onion all the things.
Luckily for us (mostly me), I also love beans. They are one of my favorite foods. There is something about their silky, butter centers that just get me! They are so filling and you can use them in a million ways, which is my favorite kind of ingredient.
So why not french onion them? Frankly, I can’t believe that I haven’t done it before.
This is how I make them!
First, I caramelize my onions. In this recipe, I don’t need them to go for two or three hours, but I do like to caramelize them for at least one hour. And I prefer to start my onions at a high temp, let them really go for 10 or 15 minutes and then cook them over low heat for the rest of the time. I find that starting them higher helps them to get caramelly a little quicker!
Once those are done, I add in some garlic, stock and a bunch of cannellini beans. Any buttery, soft white beans are ideal here.
Next, lots of freshly grated guyere on top. This is key because it has the best flavor, will make this taste just like french onion soup and also gets really bubbly and golden. It’s dreamy!! I also sprinkle on a few seasoned breadcrumbs here too.
Then, I bake it for a bit until that cheese is melty. And it’s ready!!
Finally, a sprinkle of fresh parmesan. If you wish. If you’re a cheese freak like I am!! Can’t get enough…
This meal is my ultimate comfort food. Sure, it may be a side dish to some. Or, it could be your main dish with a nice big greens salad on the side. For me? Just give me a giant bowl and I’ll call it a day. This is all I need!
Thanks to the beans, it’s super filling. Leftovers are delicious too, you just need to slowly reheat them so that cheese will get melty again. I eat these with a spoon, but piling them on toast or even a potato isn’t a bad idea either. They are very versatile while tasting amazing at the same time.
Cheesy beans! What else do you need?!
French Onion White Beans
Baked French Onion White Beans
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 sweet onions, thinly sliced
- kosher salt and pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 (14 ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- ⅔ cups beef or chicken stock
- 1 cup freshly grated gruyere cheese
- 3 tablespoons seasoned panko breadcrumbs
- fresh thyme, for topping
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Heat the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions to the skillet with a big pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes, until the onions soften. After 10 minutes, reduce the heat to low. Cook the onions until they turn golden, stirring often, for 45 to 60 more minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Stir the dried thyme and the garlic into the onions. Cook for another minute.
- Add in the white beans and toss well with the onions. Add in the stock. Top with the gruyere cheese. Top with the breadcrumbs.
- Place the pan in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cheese is golden and bubbly. Remove and top with parmesan and fresh thyme.
- Serve immediately!
Did you make this recipe?
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I appreciate you so much!
Everything I want, right there in that pan.
