White Bean Gratin Casserole

This White Bean Gratin Casserole makes a great main course for vegetarians, or a wonderful side dish for non-veggies. It’s perfect if you’re having company for dinner, and one person is vegetarian; they’ll be very happy with this as their main course. I could also see this as being a great addition to the Thanksgiving table!

This casserole is reminiscent of Thanksgiving stuffing, which is one of my favorites! But, it’s a little more versatile, and it’s filled with yummy veggies and white beans, so it’s a great filling casserole.

Any white beans will work in this casserole, Great Northern White Beans, Cannellini, regular white beans. Or, if you can’t find any while beans, red kidney beans would be lovely as well.

I “make” my own bread crumbs.

It’s really easy, saves money, and keeps food from going to waste. Anytime I have bread that I think we aren’t going to use I throw it in the freezer. Anything, stale heels of sourdough, a torn bit of a homemade loaf of bread, pitas, a stale bagel, it’s all good! When the number of mostly empty bags in the freezer start to annoy me, I take them out, chop them up in the food processor so they are in 1-inch or smaller pieces, toss them all into a large ziptop bag, and back into the freezer they go. Then, whenever I need some bread crumbs, I have them at the ready in the freezer. I think the variety of the bread helps to make the dishes more flavorful, and it adds some nice texture differences.

Herb mixture

As for the herb mixture in the casserole, I like to mix it up. I always have thyme and oregano growing in the garden, so I throw those in the mix. Chives, parsley, always good. In the summertime, basil is great! Fall, I’d throw in sage and rosemary.

White Bean Gratin Casserole Recipe

White Bean Gratin Casserole

Debi

This White Bean Gratin Casserole makes a great main course for vegetarians, or a wonderful side dish for non-veggies. It’s perfect if you’re having company for dinner, and one person is vegetarian; they’ll be very happy with this as their main course. I could also see this as being a great addition to the Thanksgiving table!

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate this Recipe

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going to sleep.

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 4 servings

Calories 501 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 cups bread crumbs
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh herbs plus additional for garnish (see note below)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 yellow onion chopped
• 4 carrots sliced
• 1 stalk celery sliced
• ½ red pepper chopped into large pieces
• 1 can white beans drained and rinsed
• 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil or butter
• 3 green onions chopped
• 1 shallot finely chopped
• ¾ cup milk
• 1 tablespoon potato starch
• ¼ cup shredded Parmesan plus 3 tablespoons for garnish
• ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup sour cream

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a medium bowl, mix bread crumbs and fresh herbs. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons oil, and toss to coat. Spread coated bread crumbs out on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake, stirring frequently, until golden and crisp, about 5-8 minutes. Remove from oven, and set aside to cool.
• Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, swirling to coat pan. Add chopped yellow onion to pan and sauté, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 20 minutes. If onions start to cook too quickly, add about ¼ cup water to slow the cooking and allow caramelization. Add carrots, celery, and red pepper to onions, and cook for 5 minutes. Add white beans to the pan, stir to combine, and heat through, about 3-5 more minutes. Remove veggies from pan, and place in a large bowl. Set aside.
• Wipe out the saucepan, and add 1 ½ tablespoon oil or butter. Once oil is hot, add shallot and green onion, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add milk to shallot mixture, and heat through, without allowing to come to a boil, about 3-5 minutes. Sprinkle in potato starch, and stir to combine. Allow sauce to thicken, and stir in ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Once cheese has melted, remove pan from heat, and stir in sour cream. Pour sauce over bean and veggie mixture, and stir gently to combine.
• Transfer the bean veggie mixture to a baking dish, and place, uncovered, in the 375 degree oven for 10-15 minutes to heat through. Carefully remove from the oven, and sprinkle bread crumb mixture over the top. Sprinkle with additional 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese as well. Return to the oven and bake an additional 5 minutes.
• Remove from oven, and sprinkle casserole with additional fresh herbs to garnish. Serve hot.

Notes

Serves 4 as a main dish, or 6-8 as a side dish
As for the herb mixture in the casserole, I like to mix it up. I always have thyme and oregano growing in the garden, so I throw those in the mix. Chives, parsley, always good. In the summertime, basil is great! Fall, I’d throw in sage and rosemary.

Nutrition

Calories: 501kcalCarbohydrates: 55gProtein: 13gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 720mgPotassium: 545mgFiber: 6gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 11079IUVitamin C: 27mgCalcium: 283mgIron: 3mg

Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations, and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.

Keyword casserole, gratin, white bean

Tried this recipe?Mention @LifeCurrents or tag #LifeCurrents!