Description
A delicious baked dish featuring cannellini beans coated in a flavorful tomato sauce, topped with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cans (15 oz each) cannellini beans or Great Northern beans
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic (thinly sliced)
- 1/2 small yellow onion (finely diced)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 can (14 oz) crushed tomatoes or tomato purée
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Fresh basil or parsley for garnish
- Toasted sourdough bread or a baguette for serving
Instructions
- Thinly slice the garlic into paper-thin slivers and finely dice the onion.
- Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) so it is ready for the final baking stage.
- Heat the olive oil in an oven-safe skillet over medium heat.
- Sauté the onions until they are soft and translucent, then add the garlic slivers for one minute.
- Once fragrant, stir in the tomato paste and let it fry for two minutes until it turns a deep red.
- Pour in the crushed tomatoes, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.
- Use your spoon to scrape up any flavorful browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.
- Let the sauce simmer gently for about eight minutes.
- Rinse and drain your cannellini beans, then gently stir them into the simmering tomato sauce.
- You want to coat every bean in the sauce without mashing them.
- If the sauce looks too thick to spread, add a tablespoon of water to loosen it slightly.
- Turn off the heat and level out the bean mixture with your spoon.
- Cover the surface with a generous layer of shredded mozzarella and a final dusting of grated Parmesan.
- This dual-cheese layer is what gives the dish its top-notch, decadent finish.
- Place the skillet in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
- The dish is finished when the cheese is bubbling and has developed golden-brown spots.
- For a truly professional look, you can broil the top for the last 60 seconds.
- Let the pan rest for five minutes before serving with thick slices of toasted sourdough bread to soak up the sauce.
Notes
- Can substitute other beans if desired.
- Adjust spice levels based on preference.
- Best served immediately for the freshest taste.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 800mg
- Fat: 20g
- Saturated Fat: 8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 50g
- Fiber: 12g
- Protein: 26g
- Cholesterol: 30mg