Description
Pizza Beans is a delicious and easy one-skillet recipe combining blistered cherry tomatoes, creamy cannellini beans, and melted mozzarella, topped with fresh basil and served with crusty bread. Perfect for a comforting, budget-friendly meal ready in just 30 minutes.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- ½ teaspoon salt, or more to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
- 2 cans cannellini beans (15 oz / 400 g each), drained and rinsed
- 1 cup broth (vegetable or chicken)
- 1½ cups shredded mozzarella (or 1 fresh mozzarella ball torn into chunks, about 7-8 oz or 200 g)
- ⅓ cup grated parmesan
- 1 handful fresh basil
- 4 slices crusty bread, toasted, for serving
Instructions
- Blister the tomatoes: Heat 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 pints of halved cherry tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes until the skins start to blister.
- Add aromatics and seasonings: Stir in 2 cloves grated garlic, 3 tablespoons tomato paste, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, ½ teaspoon salt, and black pepper. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add beans and simmer: Stir in 2 cans of drained and rinsed cannellini beans along with 1 cup of broth. Mix well, bring to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes until the tomatoes soften and the sauce thickens.
- Add cheese and broil: Turn on your oven broiler. Top the skillet with 1½ cups shredded mozzarella (or torn mozzarella ball) and ⅓ cup grated parmesan. Broil for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and golden in spots.
- Finish and serve: Remove from the oven and scatter 1 handful fresh basil on top. Serve warm with 4 slices of toasted crusty bread for scooping the saucy beans and melted cheese.
Notes
- Substitute extra virgin olive oil with avocado oil or light olive oil.
- Use marinara sauce or canned diced, crushed, or whole peeled tomatoes instead of cherry tomatoes.
- Replace garlic with garlic powder or roasted garlic if desired.
- Tomato paste can be swapped with tomato passata or marinara sauce.
- Dried oregano may be replaced with Italian seasoning or dried basil.
- Use great northern beans, butter beans, or chickpeas if cannellini beans are not available.
- Vegetable broth can be substituted with water plus a pinch of salt or chicken broth.
- Both fresh and shredded mozzarella work well; alternatively, use cheddar, crumbled feta, provolone, fontina, or dairy-free mozzarella.
- Grated parmesan can be replaced with pecorino Romano.
- Fresh basil can be swapped for fresh oregano or basil pesto.
- Serve with whole grain toast or warm pita instead of crusty bread.
- For best flavor, let tomatoes blister undisturbed to develop sweetness.
- Use an oven-safe skillet to easily transfer from stovetop to broiler, minimizing cleanup.
- Brown the tomato paste briefly to enhance richness and depth.
- Add more broth or water if the sauce becomes too thick during simmering.
- Tearing mozzarella into irregular pieces helps it melt into a bubbly, attractive crust.
- Watch the broiler closely as cheese can brown quickly in the final minutes.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 700 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 45 g
- Fiber: 10 g
- Protein: 22 g
- Cholesterol: 40 mg
