Fondue for Dinner? Just Add Beans

It’s That Simple is our series about recipes so easy, you can make them with your eyes closed. Think tiny ingredient lists, laid-back techniques, and results so delicious you’ll text home about them.

Many birthdays ago, a friend gifted me a retro fondue pot. It came with a handful of fabulous features—a sturdy base, trident-like forks, and green gel burner fuel. This setup quickly became the impetus for many gatherings: kitschy Christmas parties, Galentine’s Day functions, New Year’s Eve bashes. At each event, a pot of bubbling Gruyère crowned the table, drawing people in to dip torn bread, boiled potatoes, and little cornichons. After a quick halftime, we’d wash dishes and do it all again with bittersweet chocolate (strawberries and pretzels for dunking).

But not every day is Christmas or Galentine’s. Sometimes it’s just Thursday. And I still crave gooey cheese—ideally expeditiously. That’s when I throw together Creamy Fondue Beans.

They’re a cinch. Start by tossing grated Gruyère with some cornstarch—a classic move that stabilizes the sauce without having to make a roux. Next, grab a sturdy pot. No special equipment needed. In goes a knob of butter, plus chopped garlic, which sizzles until you can smell it. A couple glugs of dry white wine for a boozy edge. And, of course, a whole lot of cheese, mixed in a handful at a time, until the sauce resembles Alfredo.

A few pantry staples brighten it all up, like a jolt of sunshine on a snowy day. I like a spoonful of Dijon mustard for tang, a pinch of warming nutmeg, a dash of Worcestershire, which adds a savory je ne sais quoi, and lots of black pepper.

And then beans! Protein-packed and beaming with fiber, they’re the ingredient that pulls this out of snack territory and into the main dish stratosphere. Cannelini are my go-to. Great Northern or even butter beans would work too.

You can eat this with traditional accompaniments: over smashed potatoes, with sausage, or blanched vegetables. But for me, there is a clear and humble favorite: scooped onto buttered toast, scattered with briny cornichons, and enjoyed with that already open bottle of wine.