French Onion Baked Beans
Here’s a welcome sight when the weather is cold: it’s a simple marriage of French onion soup and oven-braised beans, where the richness, flavor, and trademark cheesy toast of the soup makes a pot of beans some dinner party fare. A few things to note:
The Onions. I’m employing a trick I learned from Ozoz Sokoh, who speeds up the process of caramelizing onions by steaming them with the lid on for the first 15 minutes. Still, caramelizing onions is an investment of time that pays off, and give them as long as they need to become browned and sweet — without coaxing out all that flavor, the finished dish won’t be very special.
The Stock. Homemade stock is fully worth it here, but since vegetable stocks can be sweet, and caramelized onions are also sweet, it’s easy to over-do it in a vegetarian French onion soup. For your stock, use less of the sweet stuff like carrots and winter squash, and give it plenty of simmering time to become rich and flavorful. Additionally, in this recipe I offset the sweetness with a bit of Better than Bouillon’s no-chicken base, which gives it some savory depth. (If you choose to use beef or chicken stock, you won’t need the bouillon.)
The Beans. I’ve made this dish with two different types of white beans, and also with Rancho Gordo’s Flagolet beans. All were excellent. One batch took 1 hour to cook, another 45 minutes, and the last one 3 hours. In terms of cooking time, you’re unfortunately at the beans’ mercy, and will need to taste for doneness as you go.
The Cheesy Toast. Traditionally, you’d ladle the soup into little crocks, place a slice of bread or pile of croutons on top, blanket it with cheese, and then put it under the broiler until the cheese is molten and blistered. I find it quite a bit easier to prepare the cheese toasts separately, and treat them as a topping. Whatever you choose to do, just don’t skimp on the cheese.
Alternate Cooking Methods. I find baking beans in the oven to feel very hands-off, but you could just as easily simmer the beans, covered and over low heat, on the stovetop. Additionally, beans cook beautifully in a slow cooker. You could caramelize the onions on the stovetop, then add them to beans, stock, and remaining ingredients in your slow cooker, and cook that way. I’ll bet you could try the same thing with a pressure cooker, too — please report back if you do.
French Onion Baked Beans
Perfect for a dinner party, perfect for a Tuesday night, perfect for dinner after a long cold hike in the snow. Leftovers are excellent for breakfast, with a poached egg tucked in.
Serves 6 to 8
2 1/2 pounds yellow or white onions (about 4 or 5 medium)
3 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1 teaspoon salt, plus additional as needed
3 bay leaves
5 clove garlic, sliced
1/3 cup whiskey
1 pound white beans, soaked in plenty of water overnight
6 cups rich vegetable stock (see note above)
1 tablespoon vegetable bouillon (such as Better than Bouillon No-Chicken Base)
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
6 or 8 slices rustic French bread (1 slice per person)
About 2 cups shredded or thinly sliced gruyere, Swiss, or other nicely melting cheese
First, slice the onions: Trim off the top and bottom ends, then slice through the core. Peel off the skin, and with each piece laying flat on your cutting board, slice it into strips about 1/4-inch thick.
Preheat the oven to 325 F.
Place a Dutch oven or other oven-safe pot that’s got a lid over medium-low heat, and when hot, add the butter or olive oil. Add the onions, salt, and bay leaves. Stir, then cover and allow the onions to steam for 15 minutes. Uncover, add the garlic, and continue cooking, stirring periodically, until the onions are nicely caramelized and taste sweet, another 20 to 40 minutes. Reduce the heat if needed to prevent any scorching on the bottom of the pot. Deglaze with the whiskey, stirring with a wooden spoon to scrape up all the browned bits, then stir in the beans, stock, and bouillon. Bring to a simmer, then cover and transfer to the oven.
Cook until the beans are tender! This could take 45 minutes, or 3 hours. Every 30 to 45 minutes, stir and taste to check the progress. Remove from the oven, stir in the vinegar and taste for salt, and leave lidded to keep warm.
Just before serving, rewarm the soup if necessary and prepare the toasts: Preheat the broiler to its high heat setting, and place a rack directly beneath it. Arrange the slices of bread on a baking sheet and then pile the shredded cheese over each one, being generous. Put under the broiler for 2 to 5 minutes, until the cheese is melted and beginning to brown lightly.
Ladle the soup into bowls and top each one with a cheese toast. Serve immediately.