Creamy White Bean and Fennel Casserole Recipe (2024)

Made this as a soup, no topping, no baking. Used juice from two large lemons, left out the cream, used only one bulb of fennel, because that is how many I had (two would have been an improvement), but used 6 cloves of garlic and heaping teaspoon of Aleppo chili flakes. Hand blended the entire pot smooth. Fantastic, delicious, satisfying, shareable.

While I don't mind positive critique (example -- to say a recipe needs more of a particular ingredient), I am really tired of people changing a lot of things and then commenting on how good (or disappointing) the recipe is. Wonderful if you made a soup out of a casserole, left out an ingredient (cream haters -- are you listening?), added other flavors, AND messed with the proportions, but please then don't even imply that you are commenting on the original recipe because you are not.

Abbbsolutely delicious. Since I made this in a 12-in cast iron pan and had extra large fennel bulbs, I only used 1.5 bulbs instead of 2. I cooked it for about 30 minutes in the oven on a lower rack, and it came out bubbly and perfect. Served with rustic sourdough bread for a perfect dinner as i study for midterm exams!

Be aware, fennel has properties that enhance digestion. You'll feel quite regular after eating it.

I made a tasty vegan version of this dish, substituting cashew cream for the heavy cream and sliced mushrooms (sautéed with garlic and thyme) for the sausage. I squeezed some extra lemon juice into the panko mixture and added nutritional yeast flakes instead of Parmesan.

absolutely delicious, used creme fraiche instead of creme, and added a sliced leek and fennel seeds. Next time will add some dijon

With so many positive reviews saying they followed the recipe exactly (a rarity on NYT recipes) I resisted the urge to add anything and I followed suit. The result was hearty and delicious without tasting like it was terrible for me. I thought it would be nice with some grilled toast and I was wrong -- it's best enjoyed totally on its own. My husband asked me to put it on the "keeper" recipe list. Looking forward to next time already.

I feel stupid asking but do you precook the sausage or does it cook in the oven in just that relatively short time?

I cooked this tonight. Exactly per the recipe. It was awesome. Changes for our family that I would make (not to take away from the original but to tailor a bit): Increase the garlic, increase the panko and all its ingredients by 1/3 to give that topping a bit of assertiveness. Otherwise it's about the best dish from NYT I've ever cooked. Tonight I served it with some decorative fresh fennel leaves. II don't think it needs a meat accompaniment. I would serve with a green salad or caesar.

Very tasty. Made as written, with no substitutions (I like to do this the first time making any recipe). I did add the optional sausage (cooking for meat lovers tonight), but no doubt it would still be delicious on its own. I used to steer clear of fennel, as I'm not a licorice or anise fan... but it does not taste at all like licorice when cooked-- just a unique. intriguing flavor. Thanks for suggesting this casserole, Tejal Rao.

Just wondering how this is not labor intensive, my people? I love it and I've made it 3 times but prepping the fennel, grating the cheese, mincing the garlic, juicing the lemons (I use 2), zesting the lemons, blending the beans and liquid is equal to a good number of steps, and not a neglible number of utensils. I wouldn't say it's difficult, but it's not a snap. I have to disagree with the "Easy" label. Delicious yes.

Substituting pureed soft tofu (thinned with soy milk if needed) for heavy cream works well for vegans.

Used a Staub broad based casserole. Followed the recipe to a tee, with the mistake of adding the zested lemon to the cream/ bean purée. ( no problem) .. added a bit less than a pound of German sausage from Whole Foods that I sliced raw and scattered on top- in the oven for 10minutes - then the panko/ Parm on top for another 20 minutes ..A perfect stick your ribs meal. Delicious. Unctuous..Filing it away for next winter!

Made this tonight as our main course. I followed the recipe except I used whole Greek yogurt vs the cream. Delicious! I really liked the the lemon/fennel combination. I plan to make this in the future. I think it would be great accompanying Halibut or Cod as a side dish plus it would work for any guests that were vegetarian.

Made things up a bit! Soaked the equivalent of 2 cans of beans in salted water overnight, then rinsed and cooked on slow boil with olive oil and a few sprigs of thyme for about 20 min until skin split and tender inside. W/ beans in cooking liquid, I stirred in greek yogurt, squeeze of lemon and added to caste iron skillet with browned but firm fennel and smooched oven-roasted garlic (whole head) made earlier. Doubled the panko, cheese, lemon zest mixture and baked at 425 for 12 min. Excellent!

Make sure bean sauce is liquid enough to bubble. Some lemon zest in the sauce is nice, too. Would also work well with broccoli, asparagus, beans etc

When I read the recipe I thought: fennel & white beans? I don't know. but followed the recipe exactly. It's very delicious. Lovely late winter meal with a crisp green salad and sourdough.

This is so good. It’s become a staple in my rotation, and I rarely have leftovers. Even my kids will eat it. The suggestion in the intro about adding sausage is an excellent one and elevates the whole dish from “satisfying” to “crave able” status. Highly recommend serving alongside some sort of simple acidic salad to cut the richness and some crusty bread for sopping up the leavings (including from the cast-iron pan before washing).

This was surprisingly delicious! It's so simple and yet is so tasty. I was too lazy to get the blender out, so I just smashed some of the beans with the back of a wooden spoon. The result may have been a bit less creamy but required far less cleanup and came together quickly.

I love this recipe! Great combo of fennel, lemon and white beans. Made this almost exactly like the recipe. To me, anything with fennel and white beans is Italian American food. I added a spicy Italian spice mix to it for a little more zip. I replaced the heavy cream with nonfat yogurt, just because that’s what I had. I also replaced the Panko with my own Italian bread crumb mixture because I don’t like panko bread crumbs.

I just made this for the first time due to the accolades this recipe received. I found it was a lot of work for something thattasted so bland. Yes it had a nice creamy texture. The beans dominated the flavor and it was hard to taste the fennel. I do not plan to make this dish again. This was a surprising result as so many people posted such positive comments.

This is a very nice dish--very easy. Quite a good midweek meal with rice or a green salad with crusty bread.

Amazing dish that is more than the sum of its parts. Complex, rich flavors that are perfect for a cold, blustery day. I followed the recipe (just subbed homemade breadcrumbs for panko) and plan to do so when I make it again—which will be soon!

I actually appreciate all the comments including individual variations. Thanks everyone.

Great recipe! I followed almost exactly. The only changes I made were 1) using leftover cabbage instead of spinach, 2) adding impossible Italian sausage (removed outer skin and tucked chunks into skillet before baking) and 3) another round of salt and pepper prior to baking.

I made this with about 1 1/3 cups of dried great northern beans, pressure cooked with about a quart of vegetable broth in the instant pot. If you start the beans first, they’ll be ready by the time you need to add them. I added smoked sausage. It was liked by all.

Doubling would be good for two people with solid leftovers. Also could use a pinch of red pepper flakes. The more lemon the better

Honestly, I don’t know why this recipe doesn’t have a full five stars. I made it as written. We ended up using four fennel bulbs to get to the two pounds. It was so delicious and my toddler even gobbled it up. Next time I would up the lemon zest and garlic, but that’s it. Broiling also made the top lovely and crunchy with played well with the creaminess of the beans and fennel. Five stars from our family!

This was close enough to the NYT beans and greens recipe (beloved by my family) that we’ve decided not to do this one again… but we are going to try adding panko and broiling the other recipe! Also, I had never puréed beans before — love this healthy way to make a creamy sauce (I used less heavy cream then called for).

Substitute cashew cream for heavy creamOnly had 1 small fennel bulb so added 1 zucchini at6 min into cooking fennel.