Good morning! In less than one month (28 days, not that I’m nervously counting or anything), my second cookbook, Smitten Kitchen Every Day, will be ready to leave warehouses and head to you or your favorite bookstore. A book tour will be quickly under way (I hope we get to meet!). And all of this means that today, I get to share two more awesome things:
I also get to share another video shot in my tiny kitchen by the very talented Ben Pliss. This is one of my favorite recipes from the book, one that has been particularly hard to keep to myself (seriously, check out these two comments from 2014, when I first made it and brought it to a potluck and then couldn’t tell you about it yet, rather rude, I know.)
Here’s the full story, excerpted from the book:
Most of us know the number one rule of cooking for a crowd: don’t make anything new or scary. Not the rack of lamb you’ve been eyeing, not the soufflé or anything else that’s going to send you into a vibe-ruining tizzy. This rule is probably doubly important if you’re invited to a potluck at a big-deal editor’s apartment with a dozen food writers you’re totally intimidated by, each of whom will arrive with his or her own signature dish. But this is not what I did. I’d like to pretend that it’s just because I’ve got an unshakable confidence in my cooking, or, at the least, kitchen, uh, “meatballs” of steel. Alas, it would be more accurate to say that I decided to make this dish you see here—a mash-up of a giant-beans-in-tomato-sauce dish from Greece and American-style baked ziti, with beans instead of noodles—because, well, it was really what I was in the mood to cook that day, and cravings trump rationality pretty much always around here, and especially when I am 6 months pregnant.
Before I left, I baked off a smaller amount for my husband and son for dinner, and my son — perhaps predictably for the then-kindergarten [now-3rd grade!] set — threw a fit. “I do not like beans.” “You’re going to love these.” “I won’t eat them.” “You should try them! You’ll see! There’s tomato sauce, and look at all of that cheese on top… It’s just like pizza.” “Pizza beans!!” (Do I even need to tell you that this did the trick?)
And thus this is the story of how I showed up to a potluck with a dish tagged “Tomato-Braised Gigante Bean Gratin,” but there isn’t a person there who will remember them (fondly, I hope) as anything but “Pizza Beans.”
Pizza Beans / Tomato and Gigante Bean Bake
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 1 large or 2 regular carrots, diced
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper or red pepper flakes
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) dry white or red wine (optional)
- 4 ounces (115 grams) curly kale leaves, chopped or torn
- 2 1/4 cups (550 grams) crushed tomatoes (28-ounce or 800-gram can minus 1 cup; reserve the rest for another use)
- 1 pound (455 grams) cooked firm-tender giant white beans
- Up to 3/4 cup (175 ml) vegetable broth
- 1/2 pound (225 grams) mozzarella, coarsely grated
- 1/3 cup (35 grams) grated Parmesan
- 2 tablespoons (5 grams) roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish (optional)
Season well with salt and black or red pepper. Cook, sautéing, until the vegetables brown lightly, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook for 1 minute more. Add the wine, if using, to scrape up any stuck bits, then simmer until it disappears, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the kale, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until collapsed, then add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Add the beans, and, if the mixture looks too dry or thick (canned tomatoes range quite a bit in juiciness), add up to 3/4 cup broth, 1/4 cup at a time. Simmer the mixture together over medium for about 10 minutes, adjusting the seasonings as needed.
If your pan isn’t ovenproof, transfer the mixture to a 3-quart baking dish. If it is, well, carry on.
Bake: Sprinkle the beans first with the mozzarella, then the Parmesan, and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until browned on top. If you’re impatient and want a deeper color, you can run it under the broiler. Finish with parsley, if desired.
YAY! I can’t wait – we’re meeting you the day after the cookbook comes out (in Boston). So thrilled for you.
I have some of these special beans in my pantry! Any advice on how to cook them? THANKS!
Well, next week’s meatless Monday is all squared away.
Can you sub anything for kale?
You can use another green.
Can’t wait for the new cookbook! SO many of my favorite recipes are from your kitchen, and *I* am smitten! Thank you!
This both looks and sounds amazing. Can’t wait to get my hands on some proper beans to try this with! And as a kicker, I now have inspiration of what to do with that can of Giant Beans in Tomato Sauce from Trader Joe’s that’s been eyeballing me every time I open the pantry…
that’s good to know TJs has the beans. I was thinking of using Cannelini beans.
This cookbook is going to be PERFECT to use and share with OneTable hosts across the country (an organization that helps support young millennials to host Friday night dinners in their own homes). Nothing’s more stressful than preparing a dinner for 10 in a small apartment while working a 9-5 (and the more-than-occasional happy hour). can’t wait to see you in DC!
…and a pantry dish, to boot, especially with everything coming out of the garden right now.
Can’t wait to receive my ore-ordered copy! This recipe looks yummy, plan to make it for a friend! Silly question……I’m always looking for a good olive oil dispenser. Is the one in the video your go to for cooking? Can you share any I
information? Thank you!
YES to pizza beans!!!!! Never thought the day would come.
I love this idea. It’s one of those things that, now that I see it, it seems like such an obvious combination – baked ziti with beans instead of pasta – but I certainly never thought of it on my own. I think I’ll see what other pasta recipes I can substitute beans in too. My toddler loves beans. (Granted, not as much as she loves pasta (“noo-noo!), but we can’t be eating pasta every single day!)
I’m probably one of the very few people in the WORLD who can’t stand kale! Think if I sub’d spinach leaves for the kale it would still work? MANY THANKS!
If you like Swiss chard, I’d go with that since it retains texture a bit more than spinach. If you don’t like it, I bet spinach would be excellent!
THANK YOU!
Paula: YOU ARE NOT ALONE! I also can’t stand kale. Although, oddly enough, I grow both collards and chard in my garden and I LOVE them.
THANK YOU!
Is there a Chard/Kale thing like Cilantro? Because after growing/trying all the various greens I just can’t make myself like Swiss chard, while I can eat Kale every day. But I often hear the opposite. Thank goodness they’re both so easy to grow!
I also love kale and collards but can’t handle swiss chard.
Sara, I’m the same way! I don’t much care for chard unless it’s in a context where it’s accompanied by lots of other flavors (as in a recipe like this one), but I could eat kale until the cows came home!
Not as rare as you might think it is… lol
I still can’t get over the fact that people now WANT to eat something that we used to cover up the ice with on salad bars, you know, to make them ‘pretty’ lol
+1 to everyone else who’s said that this is obvious in hindsight, but I never would have thought to make, essentially, baked-pasta-but-with-beans. I love it! And it certainly perfectly explains “pizza beans,” which caused a weird look on my face when I got the new-post alert on my phone.
My question: for the beans, 1 pound is the cooked weight, yeah? It looks that way grammatically, but I thought I’d check since I typically end up starting with a pound of dry beans for most bean recipes. I’m guessing that would be… what… 1/3 lb = 2/3 c dry?
I have the same question.
Same question here too
Just borrowed my neighbor’s scale. For anyone else with this question one can of beans has 1 lb cooked beans in it. I always assumed the weight listed included the brine but maybe not… either way, you just need a can!
I also have the same question about the volume of dried beans to start with. I know 1 lb cooked is 1 (15 oz?) can, but I’m not sure how much giant white beans expand on soaking. Should it be around 1 cup dry?
I am *so sorry* it took so long to respond. It was for two reasons, one, I’ve been traveling a lot in the last week (not book tour yet, but pre-book stuff, eee) and two because, well, you found a typo! Oof. All books have one or two, I just hoped I might get lucky this time. We went up and down and up and down the editorial chain (manuscript edits and emails to recipe testers and more) to figure out how it happened and what it means and more. Here’s what you need to know:
1. The recipe works as written. (It’s been retested.) It’s not what the video shows, you’ll have a little more sauce a little less beans, but it’s not a dealbreaker. Thank goodness, but I still have a few new gray hairs over it.
2. 1 pound of cooked beans is just over 1 15.5-ounce can, let’s say 2 cups of cooked beans. So, you can use that here. It works, hooray.
3. However (long sigh), I’d originally written this recipe for dried beans, 1 pound of them.* 1 pound of dried beans is roughly 2 cups and cooks into roughly 4 cups. So, for a proportion like you see in the video and in my photos, you’ll want to use about 2 15.5-ounce cans of beans. Again, I’m so sorry for the trouble. The good news is that 1 can vs. 2 cans: both work; the former is more vegetable-heavy.
* The original plan for the book recipe had included bean-cooking instructions but as the size and age of these kinds of beans will vary so much, it was nearly impossible to get the cooking times right for everyone so I defaulted to already-cooked beans instead.
Thank you I’m making it right now it smells so good :)
I still don’t quite understand: how much dried beans should I use to make this recipe?
I believe it is 1 pound dried beans, then cooked before adding to the mixture. Or use 1 or 2 15-oz. cans of (cooked) beans.
Here is everything (and more) that you ever wanted to know about beans
https://www.thebalance.com/dried-bean-conversions-and-measurements-1388322
There is a website for everything!
Thanks Deb! I’m throwing dry beans into my Instant Pot now to get them ready for the recipe tonight. I appreciate the thorough answer to the question, as I had assumed cooked weight vs. dry. So glad to have found this thread so I can make them in their bean-ful glory.
Just want to say that three years later I came into the comments hoping to find the answer to this question. Thank you!
same!
1 lb of dried beans cooks up to more like 6 cups of cooked beans, which translates to about 4 cans of beans. I looked this up from a trusted source to be sure, but my own experience tells me that 6 cups is accurate. I never buy canned beans, but I cook all types from dry quite often and freeze them 1-1/2 cups per jar (i.e. “can size” batches), to make them easy to use in recipes.
Sounds like this recipe is flexible enough that whatever amount of beans is used still works. I just don’t want people thinking that a pound of dried beans only produces 2 cans worth when cooked.
https://beaninstitute.com/bean-counting-the-bean-yield-chart/
Depends on the beans. The Royal Coronas Deb references are gigantic. Might make a difference.
I made this last night. Amazing. I used Butter Beans from a can. Goya. If you add spicy sausage (I added Beyond Italian sausage) I’d skip the red pepper. More than enough flavor. My husband and I had 3 servings each. Delicious.
What is your preferred method of cooking dried beans? I have Rancho Gordo beans, and have tried many times to make them on the stove top, but never get the results quite right. The way I’ve liked them most is in your crock pot instructions for chicken chili and bean chili, but how would you cook them if you are making them on their own, for a recipe like this?
So much looking forward to the new book, and this recipe looks delicious!!
There’s a great tutorial on the Budget Bytes site for cooking any kind of dried beans in the crockpot.
https://www.budgetbytes.com/2010/12/how-to-kick-the-can-of-beans/
I’ve used it for chickpeas (garbanzo) and butter beans (which are very similar to gigantes and it works brilliantly)
Hope that helps!
I make black beans in the crockpot, 6 and 1/2 cups of water or broth to a pound of dried beans, and then adding sautéed onions, peppers and 3 cloves minced garlic on top of the dried beans before setting them to cook for 5 hours on High or 8 hrs on Low. Delicious, we freeze half for later.
Not sure if this method would work well for other types of beans, but it’s been my standby method for years.
Maybe one of the books can make it to Sweden…it’s ever so slightly to the northeast of the US and Canada, close enough!!
What a clever idea! Definitely making these.
Pizza beans it is for our next meat-free night. Thank you for this brilliant combo!
I can’t wait to try pizza beans and am excited about your new cookbook!
I actually have a container of cooked Rancho Gordo Royal Corona beans in the freezer that need to be used up – how perfect is the timing of this recipe! This looks great and I can’t wait to try it.
For those who asked about cooking Rancho Gordo beans, here is my method (slightly adapted from Steve Sando’s, of RG fame): Rinse beans, cover with about 2 inches of lightly salted water and soak for around 4 hours. When soaking time is up, don’t drain them, just add more water to keep level at 2″ above beans. Bring to boil and boil hard for 5 minutes, stirring a couple of times to keep them from sticking, then reduce to bare simmer, cover and cook until beans are soft and creamy Check them occasionally while cooking and add a bit more water if necessary (if water level drops below the beans they won’t cook evenly, so keep them covered). Cooking time in my experience is generally around an hour, but that will vary with size, type and age of the beans, so just keep tasting them until you like the result. Steve says he doesn’t soak beans before cooking, but personally I find I get a better result if I do, although I don’t usually soak them overnight like I used to do with grocery store beans.
The pizza beans idea is brilliant.
We LOVE beans in our house. My daughter ate pureed beans with added…well you don’t want to know what…when she was largely tube fed and underweight. And I cook up black beans in the slow cooker several times a month. So I can’t wait to try this!
I’m sooooooooooooooooo sad to miss you when you come to Chicago. I’m already committed that night. But you’re in good hands with Susie and the folks from The Book Cellar.
Can’t wait to get my hands on your book!
Please, please, come to St. Petersburg Florida! (I recommend January or February–a good time to escape the tri-state area, and our best season. Hands down)
And this sounds delicious. Can’t wait to try it!
From west palm beach, I’d drive to St Pete or Miami or Orlando or… pretty much anywhere in our lovely state to meet Deb!!!
I don’t think you can go wrong with beans and cheese. Yum, thanks for the recipe and looking forward to the new book!
Deb, Pizza beans look to be on the menu for next week – fist pump!
Also, when you make it to the southern hemisphere (Auckland, NZ to be specific) I have plenty of room for you to stay – it’s coming up to summer time here – just sayin’ :-)
Deb, I’ve had a problem with this post – twice I was blocked from scrolling down, and had reboot the site. And the video to the right appeared to be an advertisement for the Fox series Empire, which was more than a little distracting. Is there a technical problem? I was never able to finish reading the full post. Thank you.
I’m sorry to hear — is it still happening? We’ve had a lot of trouble recently with bad video ads slipping in but as soon we find out about them, we make sure they’re taken out rotation. It’s very frustrating for all of us as it’s not the experience we want anyone to have here.
Thanks Deb – no video now, and I’m able to read the whole post.
Pizza Beans! I must try this recipe soon! It looks great especially since my husband is a Type 1 and he can eat this low carb dish.
After leaving the second comment, I couldn’t get the idea of pizza beans out of my mind, so I guessed how they were made and loved them! I used tiny white beans, because they were what I had, but otherwise, it looks like my guess was pretty close…although if memory serves, I used quite a bit of oregano because pizza. So glad to have the actual recipe!
Any chance his book tour is coming to England?
You had me at “Pizza Beans”
To run with the pizza theme I added 1/2 cup of sliced mushrooms and a bit of basil. I used 2 cans of canellini beans (should have waited until the last second of stovetop cooking to add them; mine were particularly mushy!) I had to add a lot more salt towards the end (pre-cheese) to bring out more of the flavors. The only disappointment was that my mixture was too wet, so the liquid ended up partially running over the cheese at the end. Probably my fault for using my 5qt Staub instead of a casserole dish but it’s cool though – I probably like browned cheese lids less than most people! Served with toasted kalamata bread.
Overall really good and definitely hit the pizza notes!
I’m really sad you’re not giving away an copies in Australia :( I use your website regularly and have sent links and recommendations to lots of friends. We are having a glut on beautiful fresh cheap vegetables at the moment, particularly cauliflower, so I’ve been roasting heaps. Definitely my favourite way to eat cauliflower now so thanks for the inspirations.
Me too! I can find out more but I’m 98% sure it’s because the books aren’t in warehouses yet — the pub date is 6 weeks later (Dec. 8) and it’s still at the printers. And thank you.
Sounds amaizing and indeed the book is going to be just perfect :)
making this as soon as no one’s home! anxiously awaiting a birthday cake post…i now just get a box of donuts and everyone loves it.
Mmmmm these look SO comforting to this prego mama. I don’t think I’ll be able to resist adding some bacon to the mix, bacon and beans is basically a required pairing imo 😉. And I have a potluck this weekend, thanks for the inspiration!!!
Also so excited for the give away, I’m all signed up for the Canadians 🇨🇦, yahoo! Would you ever pretty pretty please consider Edmonton, AB for a book tour date? Us prairie gals would go nuts ☺️!!!
Any possibility of adding Nashville to your book tour? So many fans in this city!
LOVE the fact that you are including Canadians in your give away! That’s awesome. However, I hope the skill-testing question isn’t important. Given the format, it’s easy to assume many people will get it wrong. 6×4/8-3. Does that mean (6×4)/(8–3) or 6 x 4/8 – 3? Those give very different answers!
I’m so excited to see your new book and make some of the recipes. Everything I’ve ever made of yours turned out. Congratulations!
Julie
1. People tell me I’m a good cook, but I always respond, “No, I’m just a good recipe finder and basically exclusively cook from Smitten Kitchen.” I think your tastebuds are the same as mine (or mine as yours).
2. Can’t wait for your book release and your book tour and SO hope to meet you! I will say, though, that when I’m cooking out of your cookbook, I do miss the comment section! I read nearly every comment and enjoy the community hear and the helpful cooking tips from other readers.
3. This looks delicious, but my husband despises cooked/stewed tomatoes. I’ll have to eat this when he’s out of town and, until then, eat this dish vicariously through everyone else here.
*here… not “hear”
Hi there – did you change your advertising platform recently? When I try to read this recipe the screen freezes on the small video clip that’s playing here above the comment box, and I can’t scroll up or down to read the actual recipe. Even when filling out this comment, I couldn’t scroll down to enter my email address so I had to change my screen size to get it all on one page. I’ve never had this problem on your site before and it makes me sad!
Ooooh, I make this!! Except we serve it on pasta (triple carbs FTW) and call it “bean slurry” because we’re classy like that. Often with the addition of some top quality bacon to bring out the flavor of the rich tomato sauce and the brassica-sweetness of the kale. It’s a major comfort food of my childhood, but not something I’ve ever seen anyone else make!
This Recipe looks so yummy!!!
Our dinner tonight was your cumin roasted cauliflower (hooray fall, roast all the things!) and this looks like a wonderful addition to the meatless rotation. I’m excited for your cookbook also :)
Sounds amazing but my daughter is allergic to kale. Could I substitute spinach instead?
When you say “1 pound of beans, is that 1 pound of uncooked, dry beans?
Deb you give me inspiration when mine is dried up, you make me laugh with your chatty, ‘bring us along for the ride’ style. I can’t wait for this new book. The last one is food stained and dogearred….. my favourite book. Best of luck with your new one. Go get ’em.
Alas, I was in NYC this past HOT weekend with the family. If I could, I’d return for a book signing since sadly you’re not scheduled to visit my city. Your cookbook to be has me drooling with anticipation!
I am anxious to try this recipe! It looks fantastic. Can you clarify the quantity for the beans? Is it 1 lb dried beans, cooked? Or 1 pound of cooked beans?
1 pound cooked.
See Deb’s note above from October 6, 2017—there’s an error in the printed book. Both ways work, but she originally wrote the recipe for 1 lb dried.
Already ordered your book — probably back when you first announced it was coming. Waiting happy, excitedly, with new 6-burner stove and new kitchen! No freebie for me…..
LOVE LOVE LOVE your recipes AND the stories that accompany them. BRAVA!
Hi there! Congratulations on the upcoming new book release. I don’t suppose you can inveigle your publishers to include Australian residents in the giveaway?
I can’t wait to try the pizza beans this weekend for brunch.
For a less cheesy version check out the 2011 NYT slow baked beans with kale recipe that is among my favorite favorite meals ever.
This looks amazing but I recently became vegan (mainly for health reasons) and am wondering how it would be without the cheese… Thanks!
Unbelievable – this is too good to be true! Not only do I already have every single ingredient, but I had even soaked beans overnight to make ‘something’ with them today. Just didn’t know what until now! I even have a kindergartener who will be suitably impressed with ‘Pizza Beans’. TOOT TOOT!
I made this recipe last night for my ‘new’ teenage vegetarian/non-meat eater. Thank god she still eats cheese!It was so good!I put it over spaghetti squash to add another veg to it. Added some chicken for my husband. I’m having the leftovers for lunch, it’s 10am, is that too early?Also made the marbled banana bread, fantastic! Cannot wait for the new cookbook!
Pizza Beans looks great! While not a veg, but a definite carnivore, I’m going to make this for our game night at school. I can’t tell you how many of your recipes I’ve shared with students and we’ve made in our cooking class weekly. I’ve been following your posts for several years now. Your Apple Slab Pie and Whole Wheat Sharp Cheddar crackers are a must make each year.
For the first time ever I had RG Royal Corona beans cooked and waiting, so made this for dinner last night. Subbed peppers for the celery and kale (had neither in the house) and added cubed chorizo. It was awesome! The toddler and the husband both loved it. Thanks for the great weeknight dinner inspiration!
Spanish or Mexican chorizo?
I did a mosh up of this (carrot, celery, onion, garlic sauté) and Trader Joe’s sofrito beans recip (sofrito seasoning) but cooked dried great northern beans to start (with some aromatics and salt). I used the bean cooking liquid and a little white wine to thin the dish instead of broth. After adding cheese, Topped with chopped parsley and basil. Used ciabatta rolls to make garlic bread and It was exceptional!
I always try new recipes on company.
When else do I get to have a built in test audience?
If it is a flop, there’s always pizza!
Hi Deb, long time reader and follower here, very excited for the new book! Recently I’ve attempted to browse your website via mobile phone and the website always seems to turn off my music (a sign of an ad playing video or auto play overriding)… after looking around the page I don’t see any ads that should be overriding my audio like that and it happens on every page/post/section I go to on the smittenkitchen domain. :( I’m browsing in safari but it’s put a damper on my usual morning commute when I like to peruse this site sometimes. Could you get your webmaster to look into it? Thank you.
I just made a double batch of this and i have two containers headed for my freezer and one for my oven. How should I go about cooking from frozen (baby will be here in a couple weeks and this looked like a good one to try and freeze!)? Defrost then cook? Straight from the freezer lower and slower? Thanks in advance!!
The book, the recipe, ok, ok, but oh THE CAKE! THE HARRY POTTER CAKE! Jacob is so lucky to have you.
I’m guessing it must be one pound dried beans, looking at the picture. Look at how many beans there are next to the 28 oz. can of tomatoes!
The recipe says 1 pound cooked.
Currently making these for dinner! My un-soaked beans are currently in the pressure cooker… Fingers crossed, but even if they’re mediocre, getting pizza’d will help! (I’ll be honest, I’m just sort of throwing them together with what I’ve got, so I can’t really say they’ll be *your* pizza beans… That’ll happen for sure next time I make the trek to tht local store with those Rancho Gordos, or out to the giant suburban Whole Foods with the huge selection of dried beans.)
Thanks for relieving my wonder at what to make for a vegetarian pot luck!
I had to make this after reading the name. Bought dried cranberry beans, did my normal 1.5 hours in the oven at 300 and they were perfect. We all LOVED this. I used fresh mozzarella on 3/4, and left it off the other part for a kid who doesn’t like cheese. He even loved this w/o any gooey melty cheese on top.
It was really quick to assemble and a future go-to meal. Served with gluten free naan bread, and basil sprinkled over the top.
Hi, how many cans of beans equals a pound of dried? Thanks for recipe!
I made it last night and used 3 cans of (drained and rinsed) butter beans.
Worked out fine, was delish!
Alllll of the flavor of pizza without the crust?? Sign. Me. Up. This looks divine! Do you think a combo of parmesan and goat cheese on top would taste ok? Mozzarella and a number of other cheeses are an issue for some members of our house:/
This looks an easy and tasty meal for the Autumn, I will try it out soon. I’m looking forward to the new cookbook
Could you please give some guidance on freezing/reheating? I would guess that it’s best prepped stovetop and then frozen in a freezable oven-safe pan; top with cheese prior to/partway through baking? Can it be baked straight from frozen? How much oven time do you think that would that add?
Thank you!
I had the veggies on the stove top for 40-50 minutes, and the whole thing in the oven for 20-30 at 400 and the carrots and celery were *still* crunchy. Maybe need to be boiled first… ?
I had gigante beans in the house (had to order from Amazon since imcouldn’tmfind them in any store),so I made this tonight. It was pretty fast to,put together once I had cooked the beans in the pressure cooker. Mine was a little too liquids, so next time I would leave out the broth. I liked the recipe but I’m wondering if it would be good with both pasta and beans.
Just made this last night for a few friends. It turned out amazing! I made it with butter beans (super easy to find at most stores) and a couple of links of italian sausage. It was a big hit. And it was super cheap!
Butter beans, yes! Thanks for this idea cuz I was definitely wondering what lengths I would have to go to.
Made these tonight – fantastic! I added the ground Italian sausage and some pepperoni, and my family loved it! I can easily see how other “pizza” ingredients would work well here too (bell pepper, mushrooms, etc). We really enjoyed this dish – like Italian chili! Yum! Thank you, Smitten Kitchen!
Super yummy! I used butter beans, and added a bit of basil and thyme. Delicious! I plan on doubling the recipe next time.
So so easy and good! I added Italian sausage, as suggested. I used cannellini beans (cooked from dry) since that’s what I had on hand, and I also stirred in a few scoops of ricotta since I had it left over from making Smitten Kitchen’s cannoli pound cake earlier. My husband and I both had two bowls!
I’ve had this recipe bookmarked for a while and tonight was the night! Beyond delicious … Would life-affirming be too much?? Used fresh mozzarella and used that liquid instead of broth. Gave myself the 15 mins it took my truffle garlic bread to bake, so shredded carrots on box grater and finely diced celery. Kind of rustic but SuPeR healthy, fast + delicious!! My first S.K. recipe of many more to come. Thanks!!
OMG. Waaaay better than the sum of its parts! What an amazing dish. Loved everything about it. We found the same beans called for and cooked the whole pound (with carrots, a half onion, and olive oil), after soaking overnight. Fished everything out and used the bean broth as the liquid. Cut 6 or so 8” sprigs of oregano and removed them right before serving. The whole dish was amazing (repeat, I know). We just loved it (even my kid).
Oh, and we added Italian sausage too. I don’t think it’s necessary, but it certainly doesn’t detract from the dish, at all.
What a great sounding recipe ! Could you please clarify the quantity of beans, as a few people have posted that question and I don’t see a definite answer yet. One pound of dried beans, or 1 pound of cooked, canned beans?
Have found dried gigante beans but I am not familiar with how dried converts to cooked weight? Recipe calls for pound cooked so does 8 ounces dried become a pound?
Kimberly, in my experience, yes, about 8 oz should turn into a pound cooked. No harm in making too many and having them for other uses, though!
Thanks so much for getting back to me! I appreciate the input!
This was DELICIOUS. Perfect for a cold, rainy, Fall night in Colorado. Thank you Deb!
Yummmm! I added 4 slices of bacon to this because I had some that needed to be used. I also used large lima beans because they looked similar and those were easy to find in a regular grocery store. I did use the full 1lb dry, soaked and then cooked. Finally, I used a full 28 oz crushed tomatoes plus about 1/2 cup water, and I thought the consistency and sauciness was perfect, but I do live in a very dry place. I recommend going with your instinct. DELICIOUS. BRILLIANT. Can’t believe I haven’t thought of this before!
GAHH! I was waiting impatiently for the weekend so I could make it to the market with a great bean selection. I picked up some gigantes, and I’m glad I held off, because they were AMAZING in this. Soaked/cooked them on Sunday and made this last night for dinner. It’s just my husband and I, so we have lots of leftovers…I’m already craving them at 9AM. It’s like pizza but way healthier!
Should the beans be weighed before or after cooking? I just started soaking a pound of beans, only to realize the recipe isn’t totally clear.
I’m so excited to try pizza beans tonight!
I used Great Northern beans that I’d cooked in the instant pot. We really liked it (esp run under the broiler) but next time I’ll add something for textural and flavor contrast–some crunch or chewiness would have been welcome. And I’m not usually one to add meat, but this would be seriously delicious w some sausage or pepperoni in it. I halved it and it was plenty for four big servings, even without garlic bread. Cant wait for the cookbook!
I had a hard time finding any large beans matching your suggested types, but I did find large Lima Beans. I made this last night using those large Lima beans, and it worked out well. We all enjoyed the texture and overall flavors. I think I would like a little oregano or basil to mimic more of a pizza flavor, but overall I loved it and it seems like a great meal to include in our meal rotation. Thanks!
This is fantastic! I didn’t think it was possible to be *even more* excited for your next cookbook! I burned my dried beans and so had to sub a scant 2 cans of drained and rinsed cannellini beans, but I followed another commenter’s advice and added them just a minute or two before throwing the whole thing into the oven and it turned out great — not mushy at all. Thank you for another wonderful recipe!
Made this last night and my husband and toddler devoured it. My son actually said “mom, that was a star bake!” Thank you!
I love the concept and the flavors, though I think my beans were too firm. I usually use canned beans but thought this was a good chance to try to use dried beans but could only find the large lima beans. Would love some additional info (handholding?) on making the transition from canned beams to dried. Still tasty and am hopeful that the leftovers will be even better.
The easiest way is to soak them for a day in salted water and then simmer them very low, usually an hour but sometimes as little as 45 minutes or up to 2 hours for larger varieties. You can also use a pressure cooker (faster, of course) or slow-cooker (slower but hands-off). Hope that hleps.
Bear in mind that dried beans from Rancho Gordo are much fresher than grocery-store dried beans. I soaked a pound of the Marcella cannellinis overnight, and they were perfectly cooked in 25 minutes. Rancho Gordo beans are pristine, so I always cook them right in the soaking water with some garlic, onion and bay leaves before using them in a recipe. If a recipe calls for broth or stock, I add a bouillon cube or Better than Bouillon to the bean cooking liquid and use that instead. That way I keep all the nutrients and the flavor.
Love this recipe, Deb – thanks!
I made this last night! I LOVE the idea of making a baked ziti-ish dish with beans rather than pasta. It was tasty, but there are a few things I’d do differently next time to make it SUPER tasty:
-Seek out Rancho Gordo beans to use! I used store-brand white lima beans … sadly, they took forever to cook even though they soaked all day, and they cooked unevenly.
-Put a layer of cheese in the middle, so there is a gooey layer in the center and a crispy layer on top.
-Add cooked, crumbled sausage like you suggested above. The extra fat and salt would be welcome here.
-Add more GARLIC! This may be a personal preference ;)
I’m looking forward to testing out this recipe again!!
Made this two days ago! It was a perfect after work meal – to avoid an extra trip to the grocery store, I used a can of white northern beans and a bag of frozen chopped spinach instead of the kale. Blown away by how flavorful this was after a comparatively short cooking time.
Definitely trying this for my boys. Can’t wait for the new cookbook. I pre ordered and an excited to see you’re coming to Austin. Looking forward to your visit — my baking friends and I would be happy to take you on a queso tour of the city :-)
Thank you!
This was a huge hit with kids and adults. I added extra kale because I had it and didn’t have large beans so used small white ones. Also, I accidentally bought Kraft Shredded Mozzarella with a little cream cheese added to it and I will use it again. My 11 year old declared this recipe “a keeper!” Thanks so much.
OK, good thing I soaked the beans before putting into dish. I didn’t see the “cooked” beans until I had already mixed the soaked beans into the dish. (I kept wondering how are the beans going to be done without a long cook beforehand. Should have listened to my instincts and read the recipe closer). In an attempt to save the dish, I added 3 cups of water, stirred every 15 minutes while it baked in the oven (with a lid on) until the beans were tender. Took about 1 1/2 hours, checking the liquid content each time I stirred up the mixture. After that time the beans were done, then I removed lid, sprinkled with cheeses, put under broiler to brown the cheeses, and finished with chopped parsley. Whew, crisis averted!! Delicious!!!
Amazing recipe! This was so good. It was a perfect Meatless Monday dish for those of us that live in colder climates. I used red wine and a 5 oz container of baby kale to make this because I’m not a huge fan of the texture of kale. It was delicious! Thank you so much for sharing it. If this is what we can expect in your new cookbook then I can’t wait to get it!
This was surprisingly bland in my opinion. The word “pizza” conjures up, at the very least, some oregano! The second time I made it I included oregano, thyme and basil in the sauce and it made a big difference.
I was also underwhelmed. I used the gigante beans and they almost seemed too big, didn’t mix well. I added a little parsley, oregano and basil. It didn’t wow me (or my meat loving husband). When I heated up the leftovers the next day, I suddenly got the hype! They tasted amazing! Definitely needed a day to meld. From now on I will make them at least a day ahead.
Hi!
This is simmering on my stove right now and I have a question. I started with a Le Creuset braiser with 3.5 quart capacity but it was too full to stir. So..was it meant to be 1 lb dried beans, soaked and cooked? Or 1 lb after cooking? I think I have too many beans! (Wait…any such thing as too many beans?)
Thanks!
Ilene
I am sorry for the confusion; I actually used 1 pound dried then cooked beans (the recipe above calls for half of that, but works, so I don’t want to mess with it). I use a 4-quart braiser (Staub) in the video beginning to end — cooking and baking — and it worked fine but it’s also quite full. Hope you enjoyed it.
I just made these, tripled the amount of carrot, celery and onion….dislike kale and felt guilty about removing veg from a recipe. Awesome results and will make again to share. Thanks for the recipe
OMG! Deb! I just found out that I won one of the cookbooks! I’m so excited! Hopefully I will have it in time for you to sign at the Toronto event! Thank you so much! I’m beside myself! XOXO💟
These were delicious…….the day after not so great….family had a bad case of flatulence…….had to sleep on sofa. Whew!
This is my kinda food. pizza beans sounds fine. going to try this one on weekends. thanks for sharing.
I am so happy to see more vegan recipes (or those that can be easily made vegan) on SK! We have a teen vegan in our house, and it has made us all healthier and more aware of the influence our food choices have on the world. Deb, how about a vegan cookbook next? Pretty please!
Question: are the beans cooked prior to being put in the pot?
Yes, cooked beans.
Well, I tried this dish this week using 1/2# dried beans (rancho gordo’s scarlet runners since they are big and “meaty like a gigante). Did not notice the bean weigh issue until now. Nevertheless, this was the bomb in my book. LOVED IT! But then I am a bean freak. I did add some diced cooked chicken Italian sausages and probably more kale since I had more than was called for and just threw it all in the casserole. Big thumbs up and sure to be repeated. Thanks!
Not super excited by this one. It was OK, mind you, just not great. I used spinach instead of kale because I despise kale but that shouldn’t have made a huge difference.
I will say, though, that the flavor improved somewhat on the second day. Still not enough to kick up my heels and shout, but you might want to make it a day ahead and stick it in the oven to reheat.
This was my exact experience too! The beans were “eh” on the first day, and tastier on the second day, but I’m not sure I’d make them again.
I used baby kale rather than “adult” kale, because I don’t love the chewiness.
Trying this tonight with (gasp) jarred pasta sauce, because sometimes you need a shortcut to comfort food when a virus is wreaking havoc across the globe and it’s just better not to go to the store when one doesn’t have to. Quarantine adaptations ftw!
Thank you for letting us know about jarred sauce. I have a can of tomato sauce but no crushed tomatoes. Wondering if I can sub that or if I’d be better off with a jarred sauce of some sort. This social distancing is causing me to think creatively!
Yes you can. Made this tonight with a can of sauce and it was great. Only changes were that I used the bean liquid instead of wine or broth, simmered the veggies and beans together for 30 minutes before baking and added some diced hot pepper. Good stuff!
PJCAMP, try arugula as the greens instead. I found the perfect pizza seasoning on Amazon, by SZEGED. It’s the only blend in my spice cupboard, and is pizza personified. I also add sweet pepper to this dish when I saute everything else.
I made this for the family last week and substituted blanched chopped broccoli rabe in for the kale. I also added loose ground sweet Italian sausage. This was absolutely delicious! We served it with garlic bread.
I just made this! Used jumbo lima beans, skipped the parmesan and it was still ridiculously good!
I did enjoy this, but I do feel that the pizza part is a misnomer. I guess you could tell by looking at the recipe, but even after I went ahead and added oregano and basil, I really didn’t think it was reminiscent of my favorite food at all. Good, healthy, would make again, but more like a bean stew. (Somebody said like italian chili – I’d say that’s about right. Or like a pasta fagioli, senza pasta. A thicker minestrone. Something like that.)
Just made this using an entire 16 oz. bag of dried goya lima beans that I cooked up earlier on. I liked that the beans were bigger to give the dish some heft and also that I had so many beans to add to the dish–any less for this amount of sauce and it would feel more like a thick soup such as chili. I added some Italian Sausage and also extra garlic and tons of oregano after reading this is on the bland side. Even after all of that, I felt that something was missing, though overall this is still pretty tasty–I could not imagine making the recipe exactly as written though without even any oregano and so little garlic. Next time I may try pepperoni and / or adding other veggies like mushrooms and green pepper as people have suggested. All of this said, I will make this again–My kid, especially loved it and am sure it will improve overnight.
ps I definitely think you could easily add twice the kale to this–the amount listed did not make much of an impact.
I would love to win a copy of your book. I am really intrgued by the Pizza Bean recipe. I’m trying to incorporate more beans in our diet and this recipe is definitely one to try.
Delicious! Made a double batch for potluck + dinner. Used 3 celery stalks, 4 carrots, 2 onions, tossed in some dried oregano and basil, and used the entire cans of crushed tomatoes, 2 cans of cannelini beans (drained), extra garlic (do that with every recipe…), some really old white wine I found in the fridge, and 1 pound of frozen, chopped spinach. I thought I put in too much spinach at first, but it turned out delicious. Fit in a 3qt + a 2qt pan to finish it off in the oven.
oops, also tossed in a chopped red bell pepper.
I wanted to love this recipe, I really did. I was excited to try it. But I can’t get past those corona beans. I’ve got a bag from Rancho Gordo and though they are described by everyone everywhere as “creamy,” in fact they turned out to be “crumbly” and “gritty.” They also take for-evah to cook, even when I soak the crime out of them, they bubble away on the stove for hours and hours, smelling like wet dog. My whole house needs a poodle cut and a trip to the groomer now. I’m so very disappointed in these beans. I had such hopes. Can anybody give me the secret to unlocking the “creamy” in these beans?? Because otherwise I’m a really sad wet dog-bean. :-(
How very sad! You’ll see in my comment that I used the same Rancho Gordo beans . . . soaked ’em overnight (14 hours), cooked ’em in salted water for a couple of hours (like, two hours) and they turned out just fine. I don’t understand why they didn’t work for you and can understand your disappointment.
PIZZA BEANS!!!!! Oh my goodness, if I weren’t retired and still living in the metropolitan Washington DC area, I’d come to one of your book signings and give you a big hug for this recipe alone! (Though I’ve made quite a number of your recipes and they’ve ALL been wonderful.) My husband just had a small bowlful of them as a preview for dinner, and he raved about them. I added some mild Italian sausage and I think it added an extra note of flavor to the dish. And I also used the Rancho Gordo beans you recommended . . . and they were spectacular! They were much better . . . much more flavorful (a bit sweet?) and tender than anything else I could have found in my local small town supermarket (like lima beans). Working my way through the cookbook . . . keep those great recipes coming!!
Just wanted to add my $.02 in the event that it might help someone else. First, kudos to Deb – as always – for coming up with something novel. Second, I thought this was tasty but not as extraordinary as the comments suggest. I used dried giant limas from the Hispanic foods section (because that’s all my little town had). I used at least twice the amount of kale and it still wasn’t a ton. If I make this again, I’ll increase the cheese 50-100% and do a layer of cheese halfway through the bean mixture. And this definitely feeds an army.
1 pound dry beans, or 1 pound cooked? Thanks!
This recipe looks great! I have the Royal Corona Beans and am ready to go. Am I really not pre-soaking the beans before cooking??? Or even cooking them first?
Am I the only one who can’t figure this out? Thanks.
They have to be cooked first, before you start the recipe. Start with 1 pound dried beans and soak and cook them however you like.
I cooked my beans for 4 hours in a slow cooker, and they were still a bit hard and I needed to go to bed, so I just let them sit in their cooking water overnight. The next day they were still on the firm side, so I microwaved them for 20 minutes while I was prepping the ingredients. After simmering and cooking in the oven as described, the dish was still unpalatable because the beans were just too darn hard. I wound up stirring ~1.5 cups of the bean cooking water into the prepared (and partially eaten) dish, covering with a lid, and baking for two more hours at 350. The beans finally seem to be cooked for the most part, and the tomato sauce has a pretty nice caramelized/roasted taste to it. It’s alright, but I wouldn’t take the trouble to make it again. I second the other comments suggesting to add *a lot* of oregano and basil to get the flavors a little more interesting. Looking forward to seeing if it tastes better on the second day as many comments suggest.
Thank you for sharing that lovely food recipe. This is one of my favorite dish. If you love these kind of dishes then you may visit my website: https://www.tomatocafe.com which is full of sweet dishes also
Hi Deb. Do you think large white lima beans would work well for this dish? That’s all I’ve found locally (so far) and I’m dying to make this…please advise.
And thanks for everything you do!
Uh, never mind…I got too impatient and posted my question before reading the comments…which I’ve now done and see many people used large lima beans, so I’ll give that a whirl and if it’s a hit, I’ll get some gigante beans next time. Thanks!
Royal Corona beans completely sold out online at Rancho Gordo – I bet this recipe in the new cookbook has something to do with this! :)
it’s March and they are still sold out!
boo
Really? Oh no. I’d get Greek gigante beans, if you can find them elsewhere (online or at a store).
Made with one pound dried cassoulet beans from Rancho Gordo, cooked and used the cooking liquid as broth. I used white wine and followed the recipe exactly as written. I only put the cheese on a small portion of it because most of the people at the table don’t eat dairy. Had Field Roast vegan Italian sausage on the side.
I was worried that this wouldn’t be good without lots of add-ons–I was wrong. The beans by themselves were so so good–I chose to eat the ones without cheese even though cheese is basically my favorite thing in the universe.
Next time, I might increase the garlic and white wine and decrease the tomatoes. Other than that, though, I you;don’t chase a thing. Definitely wouldn’t–WOULD NOT– add basil or oregano (esp since it’s winter and that means dried basil which is gross).
Truly found this an exceptionally good bean dish without any cheese or sausage (though those are great too). Very popular with the whole family.
um, why would autocorrect think “you;don’t” is preferable to “wouldn’t”? blargh.
I cannot find giant white beans in NYC! Have you guys bought them all out?
I finally found some of the beans at Sahadi’s! I made this, but doubled almost everything (quadrupled the garlic) left the cheese as is, I don’t think it needed the extra cheese. I also added dry oregano and basil, and served it with whole wheat pasta. My husband said it hit the spot.
Delicious and easy meal! Especially since I just used two cans of cooked beans- black eyed peas cuz that’s what I had on hand- and it was still great. Subbed spinach for kale, and a few chopped jalapeños for the celery, and by “season to taste”, I seasoned liberally with some dry Italian seasoning blend, splash of soy sauce, garlic powder, xtra red pepper. Served with focaccia for scooping.
This recipe was easy and DELISH! I can’t wait to cook my way through the new cookbook.
If anyone’s looking for an instant pot version, I put in the dried, unsoaked beans and all the other ingredients except the cheese straight into the instant pot. I used 2 cups of vegetable broth instead of 3/4 cup since the beans were dried. Everything else was the same. Cooked on manual for 35 min and it came out awesome. No soaking or cooking beans separately!!!
Fantastic to know!
Thank you!! What type of beans did you use? I know that can impact the cooking time in an instant pot.
Thank you so much! I want to try this next time!
I made these when I saw them on David Lebovitz’s blog. He suggested adding a chile or herbs to spice it up. I added one diced serrano to the veggies when they were cooking. Otherwise I followed the recipe exactly and it was so intensely good. It is completely worth scouting out giant dried beans (I found them in bulk at my Whole Foods) because they add a texture that can never happen with any canned bean. Leftovers for days and never disappointed to have them!
PS- I also gave a plate to my downstair neighbor and got a text “What kinda magic are you?”
Such a tasty, hearty dish. Great for the chill of winter. I made this as written with gigandes beans found at a Greek/Middle Eastern grocery store and they worked well, even becoming creamy. I will add some crushed red pepper next time for a bit of extra kick (and because I love spicy pizza). Thanks!
I really loved this recipe! I actually have loved pretty much every recipe from this cookbook but this one is so easy and can at least pretend to be healthy. I tried it with a can of cooked beans (didn’t see the other comments until after) and did feel a bit more beans might help, it was a touch tomatoey but otherwise delicious!
this is a brilliant recipe! can’t wait to give it a try. our toddler LOVES beans and tomatoes, so this should be a big hit. also, my husband makes killer garlic bread (old Cook’s Illustrated recipe) so this meal would be a collaborative crowd pleaser in our house.
This was great! I made it from the cookbook. Definitely a recipe that is greater than the sum of its parts! I used Great Northern Beans which I had on hand. Otherwise I made it exactly as written. It’s a keeper! Love that it is an affordable dinner and pretty healthy too.
Can’t find gigante beans. Would butter beans be an acceptable substitute without changing flavor or better to use smaller white beans?
Made this and immediately ordered the new cookbook! It’s something you could feed your friends that need more vegetables with out them knowing you know they need more vegetables!
I’m always enticed whenever I see the heading of Smitten Kitchen and what your offerings be.Congratulations on the new cookbook and look forward to your newest culinary creations. Love your delightful commentary.
My PI made this for our BBQ since I’m in the process of becoming a vegetarian and it was so good! I had to look the recipe up so I can make it too :)
Hi, Deb–
Just want to say that I make this recipe on a regular basis. Thank you so much! I love, love, love it! Because I have a sensitivity to regular, shredded mozzarella, I’ve been using diced fresh mozzarella. It’s like having a margherita pizza without the bread. It also keeps well for a couple of days, so it makes a good lunch to take to work.
These were great! I used cannellini beans because that’s what I had. A really simple, delicious recipe. If you like cooking, this is the kind of recipe that is fun and satisfying to make. Even if you don’t like cooking, this recipe is super easy and simple.
Another amazing recipe Deb! I made it according to the recipe but added 3/4 lb garlic herbed pork sausage and instead of soaking the beans I used 2 cans of white kidney beans (for convenience!)
Everyone loved it, even my meat and potato friends! This will definitely go into our regular meal rotation.
I made this with a few modifications thanks to some reader comments, personal preferences and what I had:
I cooked the beans with carrots and celery but removed them for the dish and left then out of the recipe as well.
Chard instead of kale and I think I used maybe twice as much.
Added mushrooms with the onions (YUM!!0
Added some “Italian seasoning” (Mtn Rose Herbs blend)
I used a smoked aged balsamic (red) in place of the wine.
I used Rancho Gordo Royal Corona.
It smelled wonderful and first bite … WOW. Loved this and even better next day. I soak the Royal Coronas for 24 hours, Instant Pot for 28 minutes. Oh, used the been broth in place of veg broth. Super duper recipe! This will be on repeat.
Oh, I took the flavors and seasonings and made a kind of pizza beans on toast before making the dish: mashed beans (the RC), Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, grape tomatoes halved, melty cheese – great lunch!!
Fabulous success! I made it in a traditional pressure cooker on a gas stove using dried large lima beans cooked at high pressure for 30 minutes using 2 cups homemade beef stock. Finished in the oven in a casserole dish at 475 for 10 minutes. It took longer than anticipated, but was absolutely delicious both the day of and the following evening.
should the beans weigh one lb after or before cooking? sorry if i seem stupid. love the recipe – more fibre than ziti! good.
Before, ideally, but it works both ways.
I thought this was terrific. Made it pretty much as written, except:
Added oregano, as per suggestions in comments
Did a bottom layer of the bean mixture, then added some mozzarella, then the remaining beans then the rest of the cheese. It’s like a pizza bean style lasagna.
Used 2 little cans of crushed tomatoes (29 oz total). I thought that worked perfectly.
Unfortunately I undercooked the beans a little, and the Rancho Gordo cassoulet beans were not my favorites. I look forward to making it again with Marcella beans.
These have become a staple in our house! I’ve made these a few times and came back to comments to look and see if anyone had done it in the Instant Pot. Wanted to add my two cents about possible additions if you are looking for other ideas – I love adding Italian chicken sausage and mushrooms to the sauteed vegetables at the beginning. Also, we are big garlic lovers so I increase the garlic. If you are looking to really make them taste like pizza, I highly recommend investing in some Penzey’s pizza seasoning too.
HI Deb: I finally just made this dish and it was spectacular. I did buy Rancho Gordo Corona Beans and they are as buttery & creamy as promised. (soaked 24 hours, cooked/simmered one hour or so with mirepoix.) My onions were scant, so I happened to have Tr Joe’s leeks and alas no mozzarella, so I topped the casserole with Boursin cheese and fresh grated parmigiano reggiano. Thanks for all that you do. S.
I clicked on the link in your email to see “9 freezer-friendly meals” but it only led me to this recipe. Can you redirect me?
This was the top of the 9 shown. You can view the full newsletter here. Click on the picture of any dish you want to make.
Quick question, is that one pound dry beans cooked or is it one pound of cooked beans?
It works with both (the latter is saucier) but I show it here with 1 pound dried beans that I’d cooked.
Loved this! Added red bell peppers and poblano peppers and Italian seasoning. Used fresh tomato’s instead of canned. And added 1 can of canneli beans (instead of cooked beans)just before it went in the oven.
Made this last night and it’s fantastic. Had to make a couple last minute changes because I overcooked my beans. I used a couple cans of great northern beans and added them at the last minute on the stove, right before popping it in the oven and the texture was perfect (I’m eating leftovers right now that I heated and a microwave and the beans are still firm and not mushy). I also added in 10 ounces of kale because that’s how much I had and we really like kale. The bag of kale I bought was chopped but still had stems included, which actually ended up adding a nice additional texture (I cooked my sauce on the stove with the kale in it a bit longer than called for, because I had to wait for my fiancé to run to the store to grab beans after I overcooked mine).
Going on the pizza theme, I also added some chopped kalamata olives over the top of mine because I love olives.
Will definitely be adding this in the rotation.
Wonderful dish. I made it with canned butter beans and it was still really good. I absolutely love kale and this was a great way to have more kale in my meals. It looks from the photos of the ingredients that you made it with fresh mozzarella, is that correct? I used regular mozzarella and would like to know what others have done and whether it’s best with regular or fresh mozzarella ?
I liked this one a lot! I appreciate that you can scale ingredients up or down depending on what’s on hand. I used three carrots, two bunches of kale, two cans of white beans, 3/4 lb. Italian sausage, the full can of tomatoes and no celery. Very tasty!
Made this last night with a lot of leftover ingredients from a pizza party, including Italian sausage. I used Christmas Lima beans which were the closest bean I had in the house, and they worked great. Added some extra veg (peppers and an eggplant, plus a dollop of pesto). Delicious! It came together super fast once the beans were cooked, and seemed endlessly adaptable. Even though we added meat I think the vegetarian version would be great too though I might add some fennel seed/pepper flakes etc. Really a great bridge season dinner —used up a bunch of garden produce but felt like a nice change from summer fare. Will make again in the winter too!
FYI, the link to us residents says the offer has already expired – may want to give those folks a heads up!
Ps I am a total idiot and didn’t read the dates of this original post. 😬 Sorry!!
I saw this recipe on Instagram the night I was planning on making baked ziti and couldn’t resist trying this out. Like some others, I doubled the kale and other veggies and also made this in the Instant Pot. After sautéing everything, I added some extra water, the dried beans, and a little extra oil on top to prevent foam. Did high pressure at 45 minutes with a natural release and everything was cooked perfectly. I did remove some of the excess liquid before baking this with the cheese, though. We ate it with Deb’s garlic bread recipe and it was delicious! My 1-year old also approved.
Where do you buy the giant white beans?
I will echo comments that this recipe is incredible! Such simple ingredients and easy to throw together but way more than the sum of its parts. Love that it’s vegetarian and no pasta. Served with garlic toast on a fall evening. Only change was adding fresh oregano and italian spices, and subbing oil for high-quality butter. Thanks for the inspiration!
Freezing half of this recipe. What are your tips for thawing and reheating? Thanks!
Yum! I really love this recipe. The leftovers were sooo tasty with tortilla chips the next day which makes me think this could also be a great appy!
I made this with canned Greath Northerns. They were the only white beans in the house and it worked really well! I added pepper flakes and a pre-mixed “Italian” seasoning I had in the cupboard and it added a small kick. Everyone, including my toddler, loved this!
Just made this the other night, used 4 cans of canellini beans instead of the dried gigante, since that’s what I could find in the store. Also added some sweet Italian sausage. The kids (6 and 9) were VERY skeptical at first, but polished it off (despite continuing to insist the whole time that it was only so-so…). And it’s great heated up a couple days later for lunch.
I want to make this but I’m confused about the quantity of beans. The recipe calls for 1 pound of cooked beans, which would be about 2 cups. The photo makes it appear there are more beans, such as 1 pound of dried beans that have been cooked, since it shows it in an 8 cup measure.
Is it 1 pound cooked beans or 1 pound dried beans, cooked. ? It sounds yummy and I don’t want to blow it!
Hi there! I am making this for a family with a new baby. I don’t know when they’ll want to cook and eat it—do you think it will keep ok in the fridge for a few days? Thanks!
Absolutely.
I bought the cookbook and have made this recipe at least three times. Finally, a casserole my husband enjoys. Although he does not like most beans, he does like lima beans. I use the large ones that Bob’s Red Mill sells. I find 2 1/2 cups dried cooks up to a respectable amount. My husband wanted to include some meat, so I use browned ground turkey. I mix the ingredients in a big pot, then transfer them to a lasagna pan. I probably use more kale than specified, as when I buy a bunch, I add the entire bunch.
My other change is to use a part-skim mozzarella and to use only 4 oz., in order to cut down on the saturated fat. I cut into small cubes and sprinkle on top before grating the Parmesan over it.
Deb, these are so good! I did make some changes, based on other comments, but I credit you with the idea. I cooked butter beans, 1 lb dry, using a lot of Italian herbs. I used bean cooking liquid and a tablespoon or so of balsamic to deglaze. Doubled the garlic, used two 14 oz. cans of crushed tomatoes, and more Italian seasoning. We both loved it! Lots of flavor, nice and juicy for sopping up with garlic bread. Thanks for a keeper!
Yes, people, make this. I have had the gigante beans in and out of my Amazon cart for months. Finally, after reading more comments, last night I tried it with canned great Northern beans (drained and rinsed) beans. It was awesome. And Deb is right, it’s even better with garlic toast. Thanks, Deb. All the hype on this recipe was spot on! (I may just order the gigantes!)
Made the “Pizza Beans” with Cannellini beans and sad to report found it very bland. I added additional fresh herbs, oregano, parsley, and basil when it came out of the oven. Won’t make again.
I made this tonight and it was excellent! Celery is hard to find where I live so I used celeriac, and I put gouda instead of mozzarella. I also added basil and oregano to the sauce.
OH MY GOODNESS! Been a SK follower for years and this may be her best yet! Super tasty and complex. Used mustard greens instead of kale (had it on hand) & added in a tiny bit of sauteed pancetta…so that I could call it “bacon lasagna” to my super picky eaters (i.e., those opposed to “healthy” meals & veggies). They loved it and went back for seconds & thirds, never knowing exactly how healthy it was for them. A definite keeper!
This was a tasty and healthy meal quick enough for a weeknight and good for work lunches. Ticks all the important boxes. I used canned cannellini beans and extra white wine instead of stock. Very nice.
YUM. Made this tonight and it was delicious! Like a healthier version of lasagna, and easier to make. I followed the advice of previous comments and used 2 14.5 oz cans of butter beans (yielded about 1 lb 3 oz of beans) and mixed them into the tomato mixture right before putting in the oven. I ended up using the entire 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes and ended up loving it – more sauce to sop up with garlic bread! I did add some dried basil and oregano, and generous amount of salt. I made chicken meatballs to eat with but didn’t feel I needed them. Definitely a keeper. Thanks for the inspired recipes, Deb!
I made this last night. I cooked dried Royal Coronas with some onion, carrot, celery, and olive oil. I added in a teaspoon of salt when they were done and used the pot liquor instead of vegetable broth to loosen the tomato mixture up a bit. This recipe is amazing and will definitely go into the rotation.
So I went to buy gigante beans at the local Mediterranean store and the lady who works there never heard of them. She did assure me that the extremely large Lima beans she sold me would be delicious in a tomato sauce. Has anyone used them?
That’s what I used.
I think next time I might try cannelloni for small mouthfuls.
Best recipe ever.
I loved it. But, also, my kids loved it. ‘Nuff said.
This is so good! I used two cans of butter beans and it seems perfect. I was amazed at the flavor from such simple ingredients.
Simple to make, nutritious, and the ingredients cost so little!
And I used Swiss chard for the green because we have then growing in the garden. Worked fine!
In place of kale, could I use spinach? My family isn’t fond of kale but I like it!
Yes
My husband can’t have leafy greens, what’s a good substitute for the kale?
Great recipe! Added roasted eggplant to make a meal of it. Thanks
I have never left a comment although cook recipes from Smitten Kitchen constantly. I just had to share that I and three of my friends with children make this recipe all the time, and it is one that I share constantly. All kids seem to love it. It is delicious and very versatile. I like it better with small- or medium- sized white beans since there is more sauce and veggies per bite; I find the large beans dry. I usually add whatever veggies I have on hand and my kid is eating that month. I have swapped out tomato sauce for the crushed tomatoes, added different spices and veggies and it’s always good. I often serve it over pasta and one friend always adds sausage. It makes a lot so I always freeze either a pan with the mozzarella on top or a container that I defrost and then put in a casserole pan and add cheese to bake. I tried it in the Instant Pot but guessed at the liquid, which wasn’t enough, so the beans were hard. I will try again with Jo’s recipe. Thanks for sharing!
I’ve been eating gluten-free for five years and Pizza Beans satisfies my pizza and lasagna cravings. Such a yummy comfort meal!! I halved the recipe and weighed out 8 oz of dry Royal Corona beans which yielded 1.25 lb cooked. I found this to be the perfect amount of beans when halving the recipe. I’m not sure that 1 lb of cooked beans would be enough for a full recipe but to each one’s own.
I used a crock pot to make this recipe. They are super tasty!
We just did the receipe. All the family loved it including the childrens!
This is great even without the cheeses! I follow a plant-based whole foods no-oil diet for medical reasons so this recipe looked off-limits to me. But I had some cooked Royal Corona beans in the freezer, so I adapted the recipe to be fat-free and vegan. “Sauteed” the vegies in a little broth, then followed the rest of the recipe but left out the cheeses. It was still very tasty and made a great supper with whole grain bread and a salad. Next time I might top the casserole with diet-compliant bread crumbs, or add some nutritional yeast. But it was delicious without them.
How ‘thick/thin’ should this be before you put it into the dish? It doesn’t really say what it should look like before you bake it.
It should be like sauced pasta — a little loose but not watery.
Hi!
We love this recipe. I am wondering if you can provide the nutrition facts? Thanks!
I don’t include calorie counts because there are too many variables in my recipes (serving sizes, ingredient choices, etc.) but I use this recipe analysis tool when I want to check information. It’s far more useful than any list I could add at the end of a recipe because it allows you to cut and paste whole recipes, removing or adding any ingredients you’d like and adjusting serving sizes to what you’ll eat or make. Enjoy!
How much better this would be if you specified vegan cheeses!
Better, how? You want vegan cheeses, than use them, for heaven’s sake!
I’ve made this before, and knew it made a lot.
This time, I took a small portion of the veg/bean mixture and proceeded as directed. The rest went into the fridge. The next day, I added stock to make a soup. I pureed some of it to thicken the soup. I added a poached egg on top.
What’s the best way to reheat from frozen? Thaw first? How long in the oven? Thank you!
If it’s thawed first, I imagine 30 minutes at 350 should do the trick but I cannot say for sure without testing it.
Oh my, these beans are wonderful! Tonight was my first time making them, and they taste so good! I’m looking forward to warming them up for lunch tomorrow.
I made this tonight and I can tell you it is the best thing I have ever made! I used Rancho Gordo Royal Corona beans that I soaked over night and then cooked with 2 bay leaves and a sweet onion cut in half until beans were tender….approx 2.5 hours. The next day I followed the recipe in most respects but I did add a pkg of turkey Italian sausage and used a 28oz can of Muir Glen crushed tomatoes with basil and added 2 t Italian seasoning and skipped the broth as I felt it was. Not needed. When I put is in the oven I used 1 bad of Sargento course grated Italian cheese blend and some fresh mozzarella cheese and sprinkled grated Parmesan cheese on top…did over at 475 fro 10 minutes and then turned on the broiler till browned and bubbly! Served with grilled naan bread and it was total bliss! It was so perfect I am going to repeat it again this weekend for a family get together.
I used the “lazy gal’s” approach and blitzed all the veggies in the food processor, used a full can of puréed tomatoes, and a full bunch of chopped kale. It turned out great, except I coulda/shoulda used more salt. I also added a pinch of dried oregano to enhance that pizza flavor. Such a great meatless meal! We loved it!
Yes I love this recipe! I add chopped zuchinni, mushrooms and capsicum. I also top with some feta and use Cannelini beans :) We have it on toast for dinner on weeknights. Freezes really well!
Thanks!
So delish. I didn’t have the large beans so I used what white beans I already had. My husband and daughter had seconds.
Made this evening for the first but not the last time! I used canned butter beans which seemed to work fine. Beans were a hard sell to my family even as ‘pizza beans’ so I added meat. I made half the recipe and added 250g minced pork with a tsp oregano and half tsp basil to the veg. I served with pasta as a side.
These are fantastic. I made with one can of Goya butter beans, one 14 oz. can of fire roasted diced tomatoes that I pureed, added 1 tbsp. tomato paste and some fresh oregano from garden. I also used less onion, but that’s because the husband doesn’t really like onion (I know, wtf).
Does anyone else feel like they hit the jackpot when they stumble upon an SK recipe that has a roster of ingredients currently (or easily swappable) in one’s kitchen AND is exactly what sounds delicious in the moment? I started with 1.5 cups of dry lima beans, used German helles + squeeze of lemon instead of wine, pressed the freezer celery & carrots into service, seasoned them with Penzeys frozen pizza seasoning, and exchanged parmesan for feta. Used all the beans and a generous amount of plain crushed tomatoes combined with recently leftover pizza sauce. Dashed more frozen pizza herbs over the cheese before the bake. Served with retoasted, leftover garlic bread. Two servings for everyone off top!
I really wanted to love this but it was kind of underwhelming. Tomato flavor needed ramping up along with maybe a creaminess from the beans that was lacking? I’ve made it twice now and probably will not make it again.
I made this today. I added a lot more spices – thyme, basil and oregano and a ton more garlic. I also added some chili flakes. Going by the comments of the flavors coming together better after some time, I made the beans and let them sit for a bit before baking with the sauce on top. Since people said it got too liquid-y, I omitted the broth and added in the 1 cup of the tomatoes as my mixture looked pretty dry after adding the beans. Probably a great idea overall to keep the consistency good.
The mozzarella got really lovely and brown and tasted delicious. We topped with buttered panko crumbs and it was a lovely dish if still just a tad bland. Might add a lot more spices next time!
Hi! Would large white Limas (also Rancho Gordo) work for this?
Thanks so much for this, Deb. Pizza beans are in our regular rotation, especially these days, “Corona” beans notwithstanding. My hack has been to to save some of the broth from cooking the beans to use in place of the vegetable broth in the recipe- there’s so much going on we didn’t miss the extra flavor.
Delicious. Perfect comfort food, which is what we all need right now #quarantine The only change was that I used 2 cans of great northern beans, as I didn’t have the big beans. I’ll definitely be making this one again.
This was delicious and hearty! I had to use small white beans because i couldn’t find others in supermarket, but made no difference.
I have a quick question about beans! I use the Rancho Gordo corona beans as well, and follow the instructions on the packet to cook them. This includes cooking them stovetop in fragrant vegetables like onion, carrot and celery – a bunch of the ones in this recipe. When I am done cooking the beans….. if it is for this recipe…. do I discard those very cooked vegetables and start the recipe as is with the new, fresher and crunchier ones? Or does cooking the beans like this negate that first step? I’m sure there’s no right or wrong, but since you use Rancho Gordo, I figured you might have an opinion on this. Thank you!
You can, or you can cook them more simply (salted water) and add the vegetables as written here. That’s how I usually do. I should say that I tend not to cook beans with a lot of extra things (maybe garlic or peppercorns or a bay leaf) because I’ve never noticed the perfume of, say, carrots or celery in the final beans, or enough that I’d want to use the vegetables there vs. later, in whatever I’m using the beans for.
Thank you so much! I appreciate your quick response – as I am cooking this tonight! I am new to cooking dried beans – and have always wondered too about that mystical perfume… (I also don’t notice it very much). Thanks again!
I made this and it turned out pretty good! Didn’t have the fresh beans so I used a can of Great Northern Beans instead. Probably should have used two cans, cause I also used 1 lb Italian sausage, so beans weren’t too prominent. But very good and will definitely make again!
What a deeply satisfying dish! Do definitely serve it with garlic bread. I added Italian sausage — and will be doing that again for sure! Yum yum yum! So glad I found gigante dried beans and made this— so worth it!!!
This recepe is awesome, all the family loved it tonight.
That recipe is awesome, my childrens want the same ting tomorow ahah thanks you so much.
Great recipe. I omitted the wine since I didn’t have any but I won’t make that mistake again – the tomato needed something to smooth it out and the solution was clearly stated in the recipe.
I saw a few people mention they served it over pasta, so I stirred some in before baking (baked ziti style) and it turned out great.
Tried to trick my four year old into eating “Pizza Beans,” didn’t work. I like them, though!
I am wondering if this would be weird on pizza dough, as in an actual topping/sauce for pizza? Anyone try it? Thanks!
Made this just as described and it is delicious! Hubby said, “it’s soooo good, but not perfect…I think you need to keep practicing”. Which is code for: make this all the time.
Made 1.5 times the recipe but didn’t have enough cheese so used 140g mozzarella, 40g Parmesan and a bit of goat cheese which turned out great. Next time I’d add a bit of extra spice as we like a bit extra in our food (maybe some extra garlic, oregano, basil, paprika and some chili flakes)
These are so good! My kids actually say “yay pizza beans!” when they see this on our weekly menu board. I’ve added Italian sausage, spinach, cherry tomatoes, ground turkey or whatever else I have a small amount of to use up and it’s always really, really, good. I can never find the giant white beans but Great Northern Beans work great.
Can I used cans of Fava beans instead? If yes, how many cans??? Recipe looks amazing, btw! : )
Use two or about 4 cooked cups.
Hi,
Can I substitute Fava beans? Have a big bag frozen and don’t know what to do with them.
Thanks,
Ann
Yes, it should work.
Made pizza beans last night, added oregano like the comments said and gasp I made it with pinto beans. Mine was a little juicer and I added a good amount of salt to season the crushed tomatoes and a little olive oil. I will definitely make this again. The alcohol really seasons the dish, the bland comments must have needed to add more salt. I thought it was really excellent, will make again.
our 31 year old daughter shared your story and the Pizza Bean story. we bought your first cook book but could not wait for the recipe our daughter talked so much about. we loved the story we loved the recipe, we love the flavors and the ease. thank you for such a memorable story and a tasty dish..
These are SO GOOD! I paired them with pork tenderloin- but this was my vegetarian daughter’s main course and she loved them. Definitely going into her “cookbook” for when she can finally move out…after covid! Thanks!
I remember reading this when it first came out and thinking “yuck”. So today on a snowy Sunday I decided to finally cook my Rancho Gordo gigandes. And then I didn’t know what to do with them and besides I wanted pizza. And then …. SO good. I can’t believe I was a doubter lol. Ty!
I was totally dubious. I doubted every step of the recipe. And yet…It was splendid eating, especially with garlic bread. I seasoned aggressively and added oregano. Otherwise as written. Am now a believer.
Reading this recipe, from the vantage of 2021 and when I hit the suggestion of adding sausage I realized…
Is Alison Roman’s ‘Roberto Soup’ just a brothy version of pizza beans!?
As a smittenhead, I am a tiny bit agog and agahst!!
I’ve been wanting to make this for months. Finally found gigante beans. I chopped all the veg and my husband put it together while I was working. Everything was beautiful, except we didn’t cook the beans! Lol. Maybe put the bean cooking instructions in the recipe, for the dummies in the back! 🤦🏻♀️.
Just found the link to this recipe in an Epicurious article – I’ve got haricot beans soaking now! This recipe sounds delicious!
Could I mix it up a little and make it into a four-cheese pizza beans dish?
This was pretty good. I made it with canned Cannelini beans, and added sliced mushrooms to the veggie lineup. It was definitely better the second day after its flavors had melded more.
Why don’t you ever list the nutritional information on your recipes
Can I use canned beans here?
Is this recipe for pizza beans freezeable. We have leftover.
It should freeze just fine.
I save recipes in the Paprika app and I have always been able to click on the photo to see a larger version of the finished dish until today when I got this message:
— 403: Access Denied —
This file requires authorization:
You must be logged in
and a member of this blog.
What gives?
I am not sure because I don’t set up the Paprika app nor earn from it — it’s a third party thing; it’s best to ask them.
Made this for a potluck, so I cooked the beans and veggies (using spinach instead of kale), then loaded that into a crockpot (which I had warmed up by filling it with boiling water). Then I made the cheese topping by laying the grated cheese on a piece of parchment paper (I drew an oval with the top of the crock pot), heated the cheese in the oven, all mellty and great, put it on the nice warm beans and carried to a potluck where it vanished!
I give up on this recipe. I ordered from Rancho two packages of the beans. Both disasters….I tried their soaking method and I tried the slow cooker method for cooking them…..neither worked at all….so frustrating and wasted money.
I wanted to try this recipe because I’ve been looking for new bean-based dishes to add to my “legume arsenal”, so to speak. I used the Rancho Gordo beans that Deb suggested and my neighbors commented on how flavorful they were. My two sons (ages 6 and 8) both tried it, and my older son announced they “were good”, so my younger one capitulated and had a few bites, although he did not want the kale! I did two modifications. I don’t know about you, but the idea of holding onto a few ounces of crushed tomatoes for another recipe isn’t going to happen, so (1) I used San Marzano crushed tomatoes from a box, and while it was more than the recipe called for, it was less than a 28 oz can so I felt ok using the whole thing. (2) I topped it with ordinary part-skim mozzarella and skipped the parmesan. It was great.
I have to confess to unspeakable crimes I have committed upon this recipe. This is one of my toddler’s favorites so I make it, the normal way, a few times a year. But I just cleaned out my pandemic panic pantry so I made this almost entirely with canned ingredients this time. Canned carrots, spinach, white beans, and of course tomatoes. Other than using WAY TOO MUCH spinach, it still came out surprisingly well! We’ll see if the toddler eats it, since it’s so green, but I tried it and I’ll eat it if he doesn’t! Just goes to show how forgiving this recipe is
This is genius, can’t wait to try, those beans deserve some great bread, so I must find that to be ready!
I had very low expectations for this, but it was delicious. I used a can of great northern beans, added oregano and basil to the seasonings, and also threw in about 3/4 cup ditalini pasta for my kid who doesn’t like beans (so I could say it wasn’t a bean dish, it was a pasta dish). I added extra broth so I could cook the pasta in the pan before baking, and I think that helped soften the veggies (we live at 5200 feet and veggies often need longer to cook). Baked it for 13 minutes, let it sit for 5 minutes, and then served it with a salad. Wow! So good! The kids cleaned their plates. I’m looking forward to having it for lunch and dinner tomorrow, and lunch the next day too (it makes a lot).
I made this tonight with two cans of cannellini beans and followed the recipe exactly. I added a little oregano, since it seems like a pizza spice. They were delicious, super cozy and warming. Thank you for this recipe!
Make these a day or more before eating!
We served these Pizza Beans the same day we cooked them, and frankly, were underwhelmed. Followed recipe exactly, using Rancho Gordo gigante beans, and added a pound of Italian sausage.
Today we ate the leftovers, and they were amazingly delicious. The flavors really came together and the beans absorbed them. I will definitely make this recipe again but let it sit in the fridge for a couple of days after baking.
This did not disappoint, absolutely delicious! I soaked the beans overnight, simmered for about 2.5 hours with an onion and bay leaf and strained it before using them in the bake.
Excited for the leftovers and upgrading the whole meal by making the garlic bread alongside. :)
My 9yo just requested these “at least once a week for forever!” Thank you for this delicious recipe!
This was DELISH! Just added a tsp of Italian seasoning. SO yummy and easy.
Tried this recipe tonight and loved it! I cut the recipe in half so it was only 4 servings. I just halved all the quantities, with the exception of the below, for ease:
– 1 small onion
-1 full 14.5-oz can of butter beans
-1 full 14.5-oz can of crushed tomatoes.
I also ended up adding about 1/2 cup of broth to thin it out due to the extra tomato, and added some dried oregano, dried basil, and red pepper flakes while it simmered.
FYI, I calorie count and weigh all my ingredients and one serving of this came out to be about 300 calories, but YMMV depending on the specific amounts you use.
betting most in US don’t own kitchen scales – be nice to convert 4 oz. kale into however many cups that is. Hope the cookbook includes volumetric measures.
Also,r eason I was curious about amt. of Kale is because, since you discounted spinach substitution, I would prob. use chopped broccoli.
Most greens are sold by weight (my stores sell 5- and 16-ounce packages of kale) but it’s impossible to get an accurate cup measurement as it will land differently depending on how stiff the leaves are, how big the pieces.
I have a 2 pound bag of dry jumbo lima beans. How much dry beans do I need to yield one pound cooked beans?
Thanks!
You should start with 1 pound dried and cook them. More is fine here.
This is great. In the future, I might skip the carrot and celery since I’m not sure the flavor/nutrition they may add is worth the extra chopping. I used half a package of frozen spinach, microwaved, red wine, and added the extra cup of tomato puree. I see why you leave it out as the final dish was a bit wetter than traditional ziti. As a note to myself, I used a large size can butter beans which is just under 4 cups. So tasty and wholesome!
I have seen raves about pizza beans from Alison Roman, Rancho Gordo, etc. I finally made this recipe for company that included some veggie friends, OMG. Pizza beans forever.
This was a hit with the family! I served it with Deb’s garlic bread recipe. It will now go in permanent rotation. I’ve also made few other recipes that my husband and two kids love. Great resource for vegetarian and family friendly meals!
I have made this recipe a few times and everyone likes it. I substituted spinach for kale as I am over the whole kale thing! 😀
I made this for dinner with two cans of butter beans, rinsed and drained, and thought it could use another can. Also put in about 2 tsp. of King Arthur Flour’s Pizza Seasoning; I think it would have been rather bland with out it.
Rookie question: how do you cook the beans? I’ve got a bag of dried giant white beans that I’ve been scared to cook. This seems like just the recipe, once I get them out of their dried form.
I soaked mine for several hours in the morning, brought them to a vigorous boil with a bay leaf, and then simmered them for several hours, adding salt once they were cooked mostly through.
My favorite way to cook beans is the Rancho Gordo method: https://www.ranchogordo.com/blogs/recipes/cooking-basic-beans-in-the-rancho-gordo-manner You do not need to pre-soak beans, especially theirs, but it can reduce cooking time, especially if you’re using their Royal Corona beans, as I do here. Aromatics aren’t essential, but I do always season the water, start with boiling them a bit, and then reducing to a low simmer for the rest of the cooking time.
This was so delicious! I also used the Rancho Gordo Royal corona beans. And your garlic bread was the perfect side.
Just took this out of the oven and it looks and smells divine. Used the whole (28 oz.) can of tomatoes, 2 whole (15.5 oz.) cans of cannellini beans (drained), red white of unknown origin and twice the parmesan. Per comments I added a generous teaspoon of Italian seasoning to the vegetables and layered half the cooked mixture with 1/3 cup parmesan and half the mozzarella. Tried some of it pre-baking and am excited for dinner. Thank you for what appears to be yet another SK winner. Marbled banana bread is up next!!
I saw this recipe and it looked so good, I specially ordered Rancho Gordo beans just to make it! I made it tonight to go with a simply seasoned sous vide pork loin roast. It was absolutely delicious! I cooked the beans in my Instant Pot with some aromatics and then followed the recipe faithfully except for using baby spinach for the kale. Even my husband, who is not the world’s biggest bean fan, thought it was amazing! I can imagine all kinds of add-ins to give this lots of variety!
Even my vegetable hating children ate this up ( 5 and 2)! I used zucchini instead of kale as I didn’t have any and they either didn’t notice the veggies or didn’t care?
Finally made this. Everyone in my family loved it! Im pleasantly surprised that the bean source is here in California so I will be stocking up on the beans and making this again soon!!
One of those recipes I’ve had bookmarked for quite some time and finally made it! So yummy. Subbed three cans of cannelini beans and was very happy.
Help with the royal corona beans! I want to make this recipe work so badly but we have tried cooking the royal coronas twice, and once ended up very overcooked and the 2nd time (trying to avoid the first error) was undercooked. Any tips? The directions give such a wide range of cook times.
I use Rancho Gordo beans. I soaked them overnight, and cooked them in the Instant Pot for 45 minutes. Perfect.
Yum! I made this more like “pizza” with red peppers, onion, kalamata olives, fresh basil, roasted garlic and rancho gordo Royal Coronas. It is definitely a keeper.
This was really good. I didn’t feel like dealing with dried beans so I used 3 cans of rinsed Great Northern Beans. I added a small amount of sausage and small amount of extra kale per other reviewers’ suggestions. I used beef broth instead of wine (we didn’t have any red wine!). I will definitely make again.
Just made this after having it on my list forever! Based on comments, I added more seasoning (1 tsp each Italian seasoning, oregano, and a garlic powder-based blend) and would do more next time. I used two cans of cannellini beans and the full can of tomatoes (but no broth). If you’re wondering, 225g of mozzarella is the same as one bag of shredded mozz from the grocery store :) I stirred some in and put the rest on top, then added the parm at the table.
The adults loved it, the kids liked it. I think serving with some crusty garlic bread would have pushed it into “love” territory–next time.
I can’t stop saying “pizza beans”! So fun to say. These were simple, filling, and delicious, thank you for sharing!
The mobile version of this website doesn’t list kale as an ingredient, but it is listed in the instructions. Very confusing.
Very much enjoyed this. It makes a huge amount, so halve recipe for 2 eaters, unless the plan is to put ½ in the freezer (in which case, using 2 1 1/2 qt. loaf pans works well). Despite Deb’s input, I had a hard time figuring out what quantity of dried beans to use. I ended up using about 11 oz. of RG Corona beans, which produced about 5 c., cooked. We added mild Italian sausage, which we liked. If we add sausage another time, we would use some, or all, spicy. Because there was a hefty amount of beans, in addition to the sausage, another time would use the entire 28 oz. can of tomato sauce. In the video, it looks as though DP used pureed tomatoes, not crushed, and I would do that in the future.
I made these last night for my slightly picky adult sons. They were great! Defiantly a repeater. I had to mail order the gigante but so worth it for texture, taste, and just the visual or these enormous beans.
My 6 year old took one look at this recipe and demanded that I make it for dinner the following night. 1 panicked text to my husband later, I had all the ingredients including dry cannellini beans (even our local fancy grocery store didn’t have giant beans). I made the bean braise earlier on the day & reheated and broiled the cheese at the last minute. Everyone in my family loved it. Kid asked that I make it again next week. Weeknight dinner success.
I make this all the time; (always add oregano, use 28 oz can whole tomatoes and crush in pan, Rancho Gordo Mayocoba beans current fave, and layer bean mixture and mozzarella lasagna-style. The reason for today’s post, though, is that I did something I’ve been doing recently, chopped the kale stems very fine and sautéed them with the onions, etc. It’s a small way to reduce food waste, and I like the flavor they add. Now if I’m using kale in a way that doesn’t involve sautéing I actually save the stems to use the next time I sauté an onion. Most excellent.
This recipe is so so good and very versatile. I have used cannellini beans and giant Lima beans with great results. Last night I spread ricotta between two layers of beans for a lasagne effect and I do not regret that decision one bit. You can also hide many vegetables in this recipe and the kiddos are none the wiser.
When I first made this I thought it was good, but not great. I was happy to scoop it up with a piece of fresh garlic bread, but I didnt think I was going to come back to it. I didnt use the optional wine and thought maybe it was lacking because of that.
That is until I found the left overs buried in my freezer. Somehow after two months lost in the frosty depths, the beans are creamier, the sauce is more complex and I wish I had more.
Before freezing it I removed the browned cheese layer and after reheating sprinkled with parm.
I cannot wait to make more of this and freeze portions for days I can’t be bothered to cook.
I needed two cans of butter beans to get one pound of beans after draining. Browned and added 1# sweet Italian sausage meat. Used green pepper instead of celery. Added 1 tsp Italian seasoning. Used Swiss chard instead of kale. Split the mozzarella into a middle layer and a topping. Delicious!
Question: does this recipe want “a pound of [dry] beans, cooked” or “a pound of cooked beans”? If it’s the latter, how do you recommend approximating that? (in 15oz cans? in dry beans? all the conversions I can find online give weight only for dry beans.
If you’re using canned beans, use 2 to 3 cans. If you’re starting with dried beans, cook 1 pound of them.
So for Hanukkah I was wondering what to do with a pot of delicious Rancho Gordo beans that I’d cooked. I remembered this recipe and took it in a slightly braised brisket direction, like Daniel Gritzer’s recipe which we love https://www.seriouseats.com/jewish-braised-brisket-recipe
This was a hit! This recipe is a really great template for so many flavor profiles!
I have been eyeing this recipe for years. I finally got my act together and ordered some royal carona bean from Rancho Gordo. Other than the advanced planning to cook the beans, this recipe came together quickly and easily. I used our 12 inch cast iron pan. Total win. Thanks, Deb!
I have made this several times and it’s always a big hit, so I decided to change it up and make it “tex-mex” style with black beans, peppers, mild green chiles, cumin and Chipotle powder instead of Italian flavors, and cheddar cheese on top instead of mozzarella. So good. Thanks for both the original recipe and for the inspiration.
I made these for Meatless Monday and they were delicious! I used a the whole can of crushed tomatoes and skipped the wine and vegetable broth. Fun, easy, one pot dinner.. thanks.. I will make again!
This recipe was tasty but with one caveat, the giant white beans, aka Gigantes. I can tell you that never again shall I consume such an explosive oligoasaccharide. My entire digestive tract had a violent reaction that kept me awake most of the night. Between the gas erupting from my mouth and rectum I was quite sure that the smallest spark would set my whole house aflame! I was fearful of wearing my wool socks to bed for the static electricity they could stimulate! I feared for the lives of my child and my sweet Husky. If you do dare to consume this dish I caution you to start small. I had a mere serving spoon and a half. If one consumed an entire bowl you may find yourself at the hospital with a prolapsed sphincter.
Sounds like you rarely (ever?) eat beans. If you build up to it, you won’t see that kind of a reaction. You can ask a doctor.
I just made this recipe and it will definitely be a regularly featured dish in our household!