Creamy French Onion Potato Bake (One Pot)
Creamy French Onion Potato Bake
All recipes developed by Becca Heyes.
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It’s time for another one pot wonder! And ohhh myyy… I think you’re going to love this one. This French onion potato bake has everything you could ever dream of – sweet caramelised onions, creamy white beans and slices of potato that are so tender they melt in your mouth, a luxurious cream sauce with fresh garlic and thyme… it’s utter heaven. I truly couldn’t wait to eat the leftovers of this one!
This creamy potato bake does take a fair while to bake in the oven, but it’s all hands-off time, and the end result is well worth it – plus, being a one pot meal, there are minimal dishes to wash afterwards.
This recipe is also special enough to work for a meatless Thanksgiving or a vegetarian Christmas dinner (or perhaps just a random Sunday afternoon)!
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🥗 Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this creamy potato bake recipe.
Detailed ingredient quantities (in both US and UK recipe formats) can be found in the printable recipe card.
- potatoes – I just used a standard all-rounder. In general, waxy potatoes will hold their shape better than floury potatoes, which will end up softer. Choose whatever kind you prefer.
- onions (regular white onions)
- double cream (most similar to heavy cream in the US)
- white beans (cannellini beans, butter beans etc.) – you can use two cans of beans if you’d like a heartier main course.
- vegetarian parmesan-style cheese. ‘Real’ parmesan is not vegetarian, as it is made with animal rennet, but you can get vegetarian versions which are very similar. I find that cheaper store-brand varieties of ‘Italian hard cheese’ are often vegetarian.
- garlic – I actually used fresh garlic for a change rather than the lazy stuff (stop the press!).
- thyme – I used fresh thyme because it looks just beautiful as a garnish, but dried thyme will work well too, and you won’t need to worry about removing the stalks.
📝 Note: If you’re a little pushed for time, you can speed things up by sautéing the onions in a frying pan first, rather than roasting them in the oven.
🔪 Equipment You’ll Need
I’ve used my Le Creuset casserole for so many one pot recipes lately that I thought I’d treat myself to a new large pot, and I went with this two handled stainless steel number. I’m absolutely loving using it – it can be used on the stovetop to sauté foods, as well as in the oven, and for some reason, having two handles just makes it feel extra satisfying to use. Love it!
Here’s one on Amazon:
You could also try…
Cheesy Vegetable Potato Bake
Mexican Bean and Potato Bake
Slow Cooker French Onion Soup
📝 How to Make French Onion Potato Bake
Creamy French Onion Potato Bake
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Ingredients
- 3 medium white onions
- 2 Tablespoons oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 900 g (~ 2 lb) potatoes, cut into 1/2 cm slices (I left mine unpeeled)
- 400 g tin cannellini beans, drained (240g, or ~ 1 1/4 cups, when drained)
- 300 ml (~ 1 1/4 cups) double / heavy cream
- 300 ml (~ 1 1/4 cups) water or vegetable stock
- 4 large cloves garlic, whole
- Few sprigs fresh thyme
- 55 g (~ 2 oz) vegetarian parmesan-style cheese, finely grated
Instructions
- Peel the onions, and slice fairly thinly. Add them to a large oven-proof pot, and toss them in some oil, salt and pepper.
- Roast the onions at 180°C (Gas Mark 4 / 350°F) for around 45 minutes, stirring once halfway, until softened and slightly browned.
- Add the sliced potatoes to the pan with the onions, along with the white beans, cream, and veggie stock. Mix well, ensuring the liquid gets right in between the slices of potato.
- Remove any loose bits of skin from the garlic cloves, but leave them otherwise unpeeled. Cut the end off each clove, then nestle the garlic down into the cream mixture. Add a few sprigs of fresh thyme to the top of the pan, again pressing them down into the liquid where possible.
- Cover the pan (use foil if you don’t have a lid), and return it to the oven for a further hour or so, until the potatoes are fully cooked.
- Using some tongs or a fork, remove the four garlic cloves from the pan, and squeeze out the soft garlic from the skin. Return this roasted garlic to the pan. Also remove any thick stalks of thyme (it’s okay if the leaves remain!).
- Scatter the grated cheese over the top of the pan, and bake, uncovered, for a further 10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted to your liking.
- Serve warm. I garnished mine with a little more fresh thyme, just to look pretty.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on your exact ingredients. Please calculate your own nutritional values if you require accuracy for health reasons.
