White Bean Gratin
What happens when you swap out potatoes for canned white beans in a classic gratin? You get a weeknight side that’s deeply satisfying and quick to make. Potato gratins give you creamy, tender, cheesy potatoes in exchange for quite a bit of prep and a long cook time. By using prepared white beans, you get that same starchy, silky goodness in a fraction of that time. The ingredients are rather simple, making this customizable to what you have in your pantry or to your personal taste. No cannellini beans? Use great Northern, navy or pinto beans. Not a fan of Gruyère? Try smoked Gouda or Parmesan.
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Ingredients
Method
Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Arrange one rack in the middle of the oven and another 6 inches from the broiler heat source.
Melt the butter (either in the microwave or in the skillet you plan to use for the beans) and add it to a medium mixing bowl with the heavy cream, thyme, salt and pepper; stir well to combine.
Spread half of the beans in a medium (10-inch) cast iron or stainless steel skillet, then sprinkle ½ cup of grated cheese over the top. Add the remaining beans. Pour the heavy cream mixture over the top. Give the skillet a little shake to help the cream seep to the bottom. Top with the remaining cheese.
Cover with foil and bake on the middle rack for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and set the broiler to high. Set the pan 6 inches from the broiler until the top layer of cheese is slightly browned and bubbling, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove the beans from the oven and rest 5 minutes before serving. The beans will be saucy; the mixture will continue to thicken as it cools.