Breton Tuna and White Bean Gratin

Name: Breton Tuna and White Bean Gratin
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil; 1 onion, finely chopped; 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced; 2 (14-ounce) cans white beans; Kosher salt, to taste; Black pepper, to taste; 2 tablespoons heavy cream (or use more milk if you don’t have cream); 2 tablespoons whole milk; 1 can tuna in olive oil (preferably a 7-ounce can, but 5 3/4-ounce is fine); 1 small dried red chile, crumbled (optional); 1/4 cup grated Gruyère; 2 tablespoons panko bread crumbs; 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into pieces; 1/2 tablespoon chopped parsley

Recipe from Diana Henry

Adapted by Melissa Clark

Breton Tuna and White Bean Gratin — Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

Total Time: 45 minutes
Rating: 4(863)
Comments: Read comments

Like a tuna casserole given a makeover, this pantry dinner is modern, sleek and a whole lot more elegant than anything your grandmother used to serve. The key is using really good-quality tuna, preferably the kind packed in extra-virgin olive oil and imported from Italy or Spain. If you can find a large 7-ounce can, use that. But the more typical size (5¾ ounces) will work perfectly well if you can’t. Serve this over toasted slices of crusty bread that you’ve drizzled with oil. A crisp green salad or platter of sliced, salted cucumber is all you need to make a satisfying meal. —Melissa Clark

Featured in: Diana Henry Writes Hundreds of Great Recipes a Year. How Does She Do It?

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

½tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1onion, finely chopped
6garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2(14-ounce) cans white beans
Kosher salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
2tablespoons heavy cream (or use more milk if you don’t have cream)
2tablespoons whole milk
1can tuna in olive oil (preferably a 7-ounce can, but 5¾-ounce is fine)
1small dried red chile, crumbled (optional)
¼cup grated Gruyère
2tablespoons panko bread crumbs
1tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into pieces
½tablespoon chopped parsley

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Step 2
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook for until fragrant and soft, another 2 to 4 minutes. Drain one can of beans and add to the skillet, then add the other can with its liquid. Season generously with salt and pepper to taste, then reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
Step 3
Transfer bean mixture to a food processor and blend to a purée. Add cream and milk, and pulse to combine. Scrape mixture into a large bowl and stir in tuna, chile and half the cheese. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
Step 4
Scrape mixture into a 1½-quart shallow gratin dish (no need to grease it). Sprinkle with bread crumbs and remaining cheese, and dot with butter. Bake until top begins to turn golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes, then scatter parsley over top and bake for another 5 minutes, until top is golden and bubbling.

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Ratings

4 out of 5

863 user ratings

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Comments

SH in SF6 years ago

As described, this is a four pot recipe: skillet, bowl, food processor, gratin dish. Use a cast iron frypan & roughly mash the beans with a potato masher in the pan. Take off heat before adding the tuna, chile and cheese. Bake in the frypan. Save time, energy and water by cutting out most of the washing up.

Ben R8 years ago

Pureed half the beans and skimped a little on the milk a bit to make it a bit more stick-to-you-ribs. Double the tuna if you use the 5.75-oz cans (use oil from one, not both) for a heartier autumn dish on a cloudy, cold day (here in Sweden we have a few). I used regular breadcrumbs, so I assume panko would have been better. Also added canned mushrooms and peas for a little roughage. NO butter on top. I liked this one a lot.

Seattle Hipster8 years ago

Yummo! Can be dressed up (add a dash of worcestershire sauce or white wine) or down (skip the cream & chile). The only thing I disagree with in this recipe is all the scraping into this or that bowl or skillet. I just add everything to the same skillet, one by one, cook then plunk in the casserole dish. First thing in is the chile to season the oil. Later, the beans smush up pretty easily on their own; no need for the food processor. And the tuna goes into the same skillet too. Yumm.

Christa4 weeks ago

I tried swapping a 10 oz can of mackerel for the tuna only to discover that after draining the brine in the can, there was very little mackerel, which I tried to distribute throughout the dish. I didn't even completely puree the bean mixture and tried to leave it a little chunky as well as used 4 tbsp of cream rather than 2 tbsp of milk. While this dish is hot or warm, it is more of a brandade, and you definitely need some bread with which to scoop it up, although it does solidify and thicken a bit upon cooling. But overall a very simple, flavorful, and yet elegant dish.

Michelle O1 month ago

Update: this was even better on day 2 in my opinion. Essential to heat up in oven or air fryer to crisp up on top. Texture improved and firmed up. Next time I’m adding broccoli.

Michelle O1 month ago

God this was good. I made this smaller with 1 can of tuna and 1 can of beans and baked it in my air fryer. I said to myself “if I have a can of tuna and a can of beans, I have no excuse not to cook dinner now” This was fast, cheap, and easy. Oh, and added a squeeze of lemon. A thick layer of cheesy panko topping is essential.

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