A deliciously Creamy Flageolet Beans Recipe that makes the most of this delicate French bean. I often use flageolet beans in France when I am private cheffing, and cooking with them at home always brings back wonderful memories of Provence. It's the perfect comforting side dish.
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Best Flageolet Beans Recipe
French flageolet beans are small, green beans that are actually haricot beans harvested and dried before they are fully ripe. They are used extensively in French cuisine and have a delicious texture and delicate flavor. Cannellini beans are probably the closest substitute for flageolet beans if you cannot get ahold of any for this French-style recipe.
Flageolet beans cooked in crème fraîche are perfectly creamy, and the garlic, sage, and pancetta add a hit of flavor. I like to use this flageolet beans recipe as a backdrop for meat, or enjoy it on its own. I often serve it with duck, roast lamb, or roast chicken, as it can almost double as a sauce. It's rich and flavorful, with a bit of bite, but also smooth and creamy.
Ingredients
- Flageolet beans (canned, and including their water)
- Diced pancetta, lardons, or streaky bacon cut into strips
- Garlic
- Sage
- Creme Fraiche (make sure it's full fat)
- Unsalted butter
- Salt and pepper
See the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for full quantities and step-by-step directions on how to make this flageolet beans recipe
How to cook flageolet beans
If you buy dried flageolet beans, you will need to cook them before making this recipe.
Soak dried flageolet beans in a saucepan of cold water at room temperature for 12 hours or overnight.
Drain the beans and then cook them in a saucepan of salted simmering water for 1 hour or until tender. Add a bay leaf for extra flavor if you have one.
For this recipe, I like to include the canned beans water to keep it moist. Generally, there is around 300 ml or 1.5 cups of water in every can of tinned beans. So, if you cook the beans from scratch, reserve some of that cooking water.
How to make this flageolet beans recipe
Preheat the oven to 150C/300F.
Heat some butter in a cast iron skillet or other ovenproof dish that is also suitable for the stovetop.
Fry the pancetta or diced bacon until crispy, then remove to a paper towel-lined plate.
Finely dice the garlic and almost crush it to a paste, then fry it in the pan for a minute or so with a pinch of salt, but don't let it burn. Stir in the finely chopped sage leaves for the final 20 seconds to crisp them up and let them become fragrant.
Add the cooked flageolet beans and their water, and stir through the creme fraiche and the crispy pancetta. Season with salt and cracked black pepper.
Bake the creamy flageolet beans casserole for 45 minutes to one hour until it is bubbling, browned at the edges, and the sauce has thickened.
Remove the baked flageolet beans from the oven and allow to stand for 5 minutes before serving.
Top tip
I use a lot of garlic in this flageolet beans recipe. Feel free to add less, but it does work really well if it is strong. The creaminess of the creme fraiche will also absorb a lot of flavor.
How to serve
This is one of the best flageolet beans recipes because it's so versatile and low maintenance. I often spread a large spoonful onto a warmed plate and top it with slices of lamb rump roast or other meats. It's a great way to plate, and the meat juices seep into the creamy, garlicky flageolet beans with sage and pancetta and give it all the most divine taste.
Ingredient swaps and variations
You can easily leave out the pancetta in this baked flageolet beans recipe if you prefer. Use bacon if that's all you can find, but this will be a bit oilier.
Flageolet beans can be hard to come by if you aren't in France. So swap them out for cannellini beans, butter beans, white kidney beans, or any other white bean. Avoid pinto beans, black beans, or red kidney beans.
If you cannot find crème fraîche, avoid the temptation to swap it for sour cream. The lower fat content can muck things up and curdle due to being less stable when heated.
Instead, use regular double cream (heavy cream), but don't add the bean water, or it will be too runny. I highly recommend you use crème fraîche as it has the most delicious taste and texture and just the right amount of acidity to stop this dish from being too rich.
Storage and Freezing
Store the flageolet beans in the casserole dish or an airtight container in the fridge. Ensure they are covered well, as fat absorbs flavor, and they can end up tasting like other things you might have in the fridge. Reheat them in the oven or the microwave.
What equipment to use
I prefer to make this creamy flageolet beans recipe in my cast iron skillet as it can go in the oven and has excellent heat distribution. It also makes this recipe even easier as it is just one pan for the whole thing!
Other comforting side dishes
Looking for other recipes like this easy flageolet beans side dish? Try these:
📖 Recipe
Creamy Flageolet Beans With Garlic, Sage & Pancetta
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 150 grams (5 oz) cubed pancetta or bacon cut into strips
- 4 cloves garlic
- 20 grams (2 tablespoon) sage approx 16 leaves
- 800 grams (31 oz) flageolet beans 2 cans - and their water
- 300 ml (10 oz) creme fraiche full fat
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 150℃/300℉
- Heat the butter in a cast iron skillet or other ovenproof dish suitable for the stovetop.
- Fry the pancetta or bacon until crispy, then remove to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Fry the finely diced garlic and finely chopped sage with a pinch of salt until fragrant, then stir in the beans and their water.
- Stir through the creme fraiche and crispy pancetta, and bake the flageolet beans in the oven for 45 minutes to one hour. The sauce will thicken, and the edges will go crispy and brown.
- Remove from the oven and allow the baked flageolet beans with garlic, sage, and pancetta to stand for 5 minutes before serving.
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