French Onion White Bean Bake
By Camila ChaparroPublished on August 17, 2025
Time
1½ hours
Yield
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
8 ounces baguette, cut into 1‐inch pieces5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra as needed4 ounces pancetta, cut into ¼‐inch pieces1 large onion, halved through root end and sliced ¼ inch thick1 fennel bulb, 2 tablespoons minced fronds, stalks discarded, bulbs halved, cored, and sliced thin3 garlic cloves, minced2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme or ¾ teaspoon dried½ teaspoon pepper ½ cup dry sherry 2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, undrained1 cup beef broth 1 bay leaf 4 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded (1 cup)2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (⅔ cup)
Before You Begin
We like using a baguette for this recipe for its crust, but you will have some left over; you can use another crusty bread instead. We like cannellini’s creaminess, size, and thin skins, but any canned white bean will work. Use the large holes of a box grater to shred the Gruyère and Parmesan. You will need a 12‐inch ovensafe skillet with a tight-fitting lid for this recipe.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees. Toss 8 ounces 1-inch baguette pieces and ¼ cup water together in large bowl, squeezing bread gently until water is absorbed. Add 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil and bread mixture to 12‐inch stainless-steel skillet and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until browned and crisp, 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a large plate.
- Add 4 ounces chopped pancetta to now-empty skillet and cook over medium-low heat until rendered and crisp, about 10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to paper towel–lined plate; set aside.
- Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from skillet. (If necessary, supplement with oil.) Add 1 large quartered and sliced onion, 2 tablespoons halved, cored and thinly-sliced fennel bulbs, and ½ cup water to fat left in skillet and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Cover and cook until water has evaporated and onions start to sizzle, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Uncover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until onions are softened and well browned, stirring frequently and adjusting heat as needed to prevent scorching, about 20 minutes.
- Increase heat to medium; add 3 minced garlic cloves, 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme or 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme, and ½ teaspoon pepper; and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in ½ cup dry sherry, scraping up browned bits, and cook until evaporated, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in 2 (15‐ounce) undrained cans cannellini beans, 1 cup beef broth, and 1 bay leaf and bring to simmer. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook until thickened slightly, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Discard bay leaf, then arrange reserved bread evenly over bean mixture. Sprinkle with 4 ounces (1 cup) shredded Gruyère cheese, 2 ounces (⅔ cup) grated Parmesan cheese, and reserved pancetta. Transfer to oven and bake until cheese is melted and bubbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes, then sprinkle with minced fennel fronds and serve.
Time
1½ hoursYield
Serves 4 to 6Ingredients
8 ounces baguette, cut into 1‐inch pieces
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra as needed
4 ounces pancetta, cut into ¼‐inch pieces
1 large onion, halved through root end and sliced ¼ inch thick
1 fennel bulb, 2 tablespoons minced fronds, stalks discarded, bulbs halved, cored, and sliced thin
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme or ¾ teaspoon dried
½ teaspoon pepper
½ cup dry sherry
2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, undrained
1 cup beef broth
1 bay leaf
4 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded (1 cup)
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (⅔ cup)
Ingredients
8 ounces baguette, cut into 1‐inch pieces
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra as needed
4 ounces pancetta, cut into ¼‐inch pieces
1 large onion, halved through root end and sliced ¼ inch thick
1 fennel bulb, 2 tablespoons minced fronds, stalks discarded, bulbs halved, cored, and sliced thin
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme or ¾ teaspoon dried
½ teaspoon pepper
½ cup dry sherry
2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, undrained
1 cup beef broth
1 bay leaf
4 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded (1 cup)
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (⅔ cup)
Ingredients
8 ounces baguette, cut into 1‐inch pieces
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra as needed
4 ounces pancetta, cut into ¼‐inch pieces
1 large onion, halved through root end and sliced ¼ inch thick
1 fennel bulb, 2 tablespoons minced fronds, stalks discarded, bulbs halved, cored, and sliced thin
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme or ¾ teaspoon dried
½ teaspoon pepper
½ cup dry sherry
2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, undrained
1 cup beef broth
1 bay leaf
4 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded (1 cup)
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (⅔ cup)
Why This Recipe Works
We start by caramelizing onion and fennel—for faintly sweet, licorice background notes—in the rendered fat of crisped pancetta. Sherry, beef broth, and canned cannellini beans and their liquid give the mixture sauciness and body. After a short simmer to allow the flavors to meld, we top our skillet dinner with a layer of crisp croutons and handfuls of Gruyère and Parmesan cheese, plus crispy pancetta, before placing it in a hot oven. A final sprinkle of fennel fronds makes this dish as pretty as it is satisfying.
Before You Begin
We like using a baguette for this recipe for its crust, but you will have some left over; you can use another crusty bread instead. We like cannellini’s creaminess, size, and thin skins, but any canned white bean will work. Use the large holes of a box grater to shred the Gruyère and Parmesan. You will need a 12‐inch ovensafe skillet with a tight-fitting lid for this recipe.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees. Toss 8 ounces 1-inch baguette pieces and ¼ cup water together in large bowl, squeezing bread gently until water is absorbed. Add 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil and bread mixture to 12‐inch stainless-steel skillet and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until browned and crisp, 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a large plate.
- Add 4 ounces chopped pancetta to now-empty skillet and cook over medium-low heat until rendered and crisp, about 10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to paper towel–lined plate; set aside.
- Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from skillet. (If necessary, supplement with oil.) Add 1 large quartered and sliced onion, 2 tablespoons halved, cored and thinly-sliced fennel bulbs, and ½ cup water to fat left in skillet and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Cover and cook until water has evaporated and onions start to sizzle, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Uncover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until onions are softened and well browned, stirring frequently and adjusting heat as needed to prevent scorching, about 20 minutes.
- Increase heat to medium; add 3 minced garlic cloves, 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme or 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme, and ½ teaspoon pepper; and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in ½ cup dry sherry, scraping up browned bits, and cook until evaporated, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in 2 (15‐ounce) undrained cans cannellini beans, 1 cup beef broth, and 1 bay leaf and bring to simmer. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook until thickened slightly, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Discard bay leaf, then arrange reserved bread evenly over bean mixture. Sprinkle with 4 ounces (1 cup) shredded Gruyère cheese, 2 ounces (⅔ cup) grated Parmesan cheese, and reserved pancetta. Transfer to oven and bake until cheese is melted and bubbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes, then sprinkle with minced fennel fronds and serve.
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