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Vegetarian, Northern, Eastern and Western France

Soissons beans with cream and soft boiled eggs

Soissons beans with cream and soft boiled eggs is a simmered dish for 4 people, ready in 1h10, rated easy, costing €1.90 per serving. The key to success is cooking the beans gently, never at a rolling boil, and salting them only at the very end so their skins stay tender.

Tonight, big white Soissons beans simmered with cream and herbs, topped with soft boiled eggs for that extra bit of comfort.

Soissons beans with cream and soft boiled eggs
Total time
1 h 10
Difficulty
Easy
Cost per person
€1.90
Calories per person
470 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Winter, Fall
The kids
They generally like it

Soissons beans are large white beans that turn meltingly soft once properly cooked, with a thin skin that stays intact as long as you never salt them too early. Simmered with an onion, carrot and thyme broth, then finished with heavy cream and butter, they turn almost velvety, a texture the soft boiled eggs make even richer with their runny yolk.

This is a fall and winter dish, the kind you set on the table on a lazy Sunday while the beans simmer away on their own. Kids usually love the mild creaminess and the egg yolk they get to mash in with a fork, and adults find in this simple dish something that warms you up without any fuss.

The ingredients

4 people

Pantry

  • dried Soissons beansoften in the pantry 300 g
  • saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch
  • pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch

Fruits and vegetables

  • onion 1
  • carrot 1
  • garlic 2 cloves
  • thyme 2 sprigs
  • parsley 3 sprigs

Dairy

  • heavy cream 15 cl
  • eggs 6
  • butter 20 g

Allergens Lactose, Eggs

The step by step recipe

  1. Soak the beans in cold water overnight, then drain them.

    Soaking cuts down the cooking time and makes the beans easier to digest.

  2. Cover with cold water along with the studded onion, carrot, garlic and thyme, and bring to a gentle simmer. 1 h

    Never let it reach a rolling boil, the beans' skins would burst.

  3. Drain while keeping some of the cooking liquid, remove the aromatics and put the beans back in the pot.

    Save a cup of the broth for the sauce.

  4. Add the cream, butter, parsley, salt and pepper and let it thicken. 5 min

    Mash a few beans to naturally thicken the sauce.

  5. Cook the eggs in boiling water, peel them and arrange them on top of the beans. 6 min

    Run them under cold water, they'll peel effortlessly.

Our tips to get it right

  • Sort through the dried beans carefully before soaking, a small stone sometimes ends up in the bag.
  • If your eggs come straight from the fridge, cool them in ice water for exactly the time needed to keep the yolk runny, not a second longer.
  • Adjust how much cooking liquid you keep based on how thick you like the sauce, since some beans soak up more liquid than others.

The variations

  • Swap the heavy cream for soy cream for a dairy free version, the result stays just as creamy.
  • For a quicker version, use canned or jarred Soissons beans, which lets you skip the soaking and the long simmer.
  • For kids, cut the soft boiled egg into pieces right on the plate and stir the yolk into the beans before serving.

What to serve it with

  • A sharply dressed green salad
  • Toasted country bread
  • A glass of sparkling apple juice

Storage

The beans keep for 2 to 3 days in the fridge in a sealed container. They freeze well without the eggs, which are best cooked fresh right before serving. Reheat gently in a saucepan with a splash of water or broth to loosen the sauce again.

Questions about this dish

Can you make this dish ahead of time?

Yes, you can cook the creamy beans the day before and reheat them gently the next day. Cook the soft boiled eggs just before serving, since they don't keep well once cooked.

Can you use a different bean instead of Soissons beans?

Coco beans or regular large white beans work too, though cooking time may vary slightly. Soissons beans stay more tender thanks to their size and thin skin.

How do you get soft boiled eggs just right?

Cook them for 6 minutes in boiling water, counting from when the water returns to a simmer after adding the eggs. Plunge them straight into cold water to stop the cooking and keep a runny yolk.

Does this dish freeze well?

The creamy beans freeze well for up to 2 months in an airtight container. Avoid freezing the soft boiled eggs, cook them fresh right before serving instead.

How long does it take to make a pot of Soissons beans with cream and soft boiled eggs?

Count 1 h 10 in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “easy”.

How many calories are in a pot of Soissons beans with cream and soft boiled eggs?

About 470 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does a pot of Soissons beans with cream and soft boiled eggs cost?

About €1.90 per serving, or €7.60 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains lactose, eggs. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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