Kitchen Pizza Beans Recipe
Try this kitchen pizza beans recipe: giant white beans simmered with kale and crushed tomatoes, then baked under mozzarella until browned. Cook it tonight.
Kitchen pizza beans recipe is a saucy bake of giant white beans, kale, and crushed tomatoes under browned mozzarella and Parmesan. You simmer the vegetable and bean base on the stovetop, then bake it at 475 degrees.
No dough is needed for pizza flavor here: this kitchen pizza beans recipe puts white beans and vegetables under a cheesy pizza-style top of mozzarella and Parmesan. Before you start, check your pan. If it isn’t ovenproof, you’ll move the mixture to a 3-quart baking dish before baking.
Table of Contents
What Makes This Kitchen Pizza Beans Recipe So Good
The base starts with onion, celery, and carrots cooked in olive oil until they brown lightly, about 10 minutes. That browning gives the beans a savory foundation before any tomato goes in. Garlic follows for just 1 minute, and the optional wine loosens the stuck bits from the bottom of the pan.
The topping does the pizza work. Mozzarella goes on first and Parmesan second, then the dish bakes at 475 degrees until the top browns. Kale and a little broth, added only if needed, keep the beans saucy underneath.
Kitchen Pizza Beans Recipe With Kale and Mozzarella
Equipment
- 2 1/2-to-3-quart oven-safe deep sauté pan, braiser, or shallow Dutch oven
- 3-quart baking dish (if pan isn’t ovenproof)
- Box grater
- oven
- Food thermometer
Ingredients
For the Vegetable Base
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (30 ml); cooks the vegetables
- 1 large onion chopped
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 1 large carrot or 2 regular, diced
- salt and freshly ground black pepper or red pepper flakes season well
- 2 large cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup vegetable broth plus 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar (60 ml); optional, alcohol-free replacement for wine; loosens stuck bits from the pan
- 4 ounces curly kale leaves (115 grams), chopped or torn
For the Beans
- 2 ¼ cups crushed tomatoes (550 grams); from a 28-ounce (800-gram) can minus 1 cup, rest reserved for another use
- 1 pound cooked firm-tender giant white beans (455 grams)
- up to ¾ cup vegetable broth (175 ml); only if the mixture is too dry or thick
For the Topping
- ½ pound mozzarella (225 grams), coarsely grated
- ⅓ cup grated Parmesan (35 grams)
- 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley (5 grams), roughly chopped; optional garnish
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 475 degrees.
- Heat the olive oil on medium-high in a 2 1/2-to-3-quart (ideally oven-safe) deep sauté pan, braiser, or shallow Dutch oven. Add the onion, celery, and carrots.
- Season well with salt and black or red pepper. Sauté until the vegetables brown lightly, about 10 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
- If using, add the vegetable broth and red wine vinegar and scrape up any stuck bits. Simmer until the liquid disappears, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the kale and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until collapsed. Add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer.
- Add the beans. If the mixture looks too dry or thick, add up to 3/4 cup broth, 1/4 cup at a time. Simmer 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, carry on.
- Sprinkle the beans first with the mozzarella, then the Parmesan. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until browned on top.
- For a deeper color, run the dish under the broiler. Finish with parsley, if desired.
Notes
Ingredients for Kitchen Pizza Beans
| Ingredient | Amount | Why It’s Here |
|---|---|---|
| For the Vegetable Base | ||
| Olive oil | 2 tablespoons (30 ml) | Cooks the vegetables |
| Onion | 1 large, chopped | Browns with the celery and carrots |
| Celery | 2 stalks, diced | Browns with the onion and carrots |
| Carrots | 1 large or 2 regular, diced | Browns with the onion and celery |
| Salt and freshly ground black pepper or red pepper flakes | Season well | Seasons the vegetables as they cook |
| Garlic | 2 large cloves, minced | Goes in after the vegetables brown |
| Dry white or red wine (optional) | 1/4 cup (60 ml) | Loosens stuck bits from the pan |
| Curly kale leaves | 4 ounces (115 grams), chopped or torn | Collapses into the pan before the tomatoes go in |
| For the Beans | ||
| Crushed tomatoes | 2 1/4 cups (550 grams); from a 28-ounce (800-gram) can minus 1 cup, with the rest reserved for another use | Forms the sauce |
| Cooked firm-tender giant white beans | 1 pound (455 grams) | Make up the body of the dish |
| Vegetable broth | Up to 3/4 cup (175 ml) | Loosens the mixture if it’s too dry or thick |
| For the Topping | ||
| Mozzarella | 1/2 pound (225 grams), coarsely grated | Goes on first as the melted layer |
| Grated Parmesan | 1/3 cup (35 grams) | Sprinkled over the mozzarella |
| Fresh flat-leaf parsley (optional) | 2 tablespoons (5 grams), roughly chopped | Garnish at the end |
Start with giant white beans that are already cooked and still firm-tender, since they simmer and then bake. Canned crushed tomatoes vary in juiciness, which is why the broth goes in a little at a time.
How to Make Kitchen Pizza Beans
- Heat the oven to 475 degrees.
- Heat the olive oil on medium-high in a 2 1/2-to-3-quart (ideally oven-safe) deep sauté pan, braiser, or shallow Dutch oven. Add the onion, celery, and carrots.
- Season well with salt and black or red pepper. Cook, sautéing (stirring the vegetables in the hot oil), until they 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. Simmer until it disappears, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the kale and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until collapsed. Add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer.
- Add the beans. If the mixture looks too dry or thick, add up to 3/4 cup broth, 1/4 cup at a time. Simmer 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, carry on.
- Sprinkle the beans first with the mozzarella, then the Parmesan. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until browned on top.
- If you want a deeper color, you can run the dish under the broiler. Finish with parsley, if desired.
Kitchen Note: The oven heats first, so it’s at 475 degrees by the time the beans finish simmering.
Kitchen Pizza Beans Mistakes to Avoid
What goes wrong: The bean mixture looks dry or thick before it goes in the oven.
How to fix it: Stir in up to 3/4 cup vegetable broth, 1/4 cup at a time. Canned tomatoes vary a lot in juiciness, so add only what the mixture needs.
What goes wrong: The pan isn’t ovenproof, so it can’t go into the oven.
How to fix it: Transfer the simmered mixture to a 3-quart baking dish, then add the mozzarella and Parmesan and bake as written.
What goes wrong: The vegetables look pale after a few minutes in the pan.
How to fix it: Keep sautéing them in the olive oil until they brown lightly, which takes about 10 minutes. Add the garlic only after that point.
What goes wrong: The cheese on top hasn’t browned.
How to fix it: Bake the full 10 to 15 minutes until the top is browned. For deeper color, run the dish under the broiler.
Tips and Variations for Kitchen Pizza Beans
Tips From the Test Kitchen
Measure 2 1/4 cups of crushed tomatoes from the 28-ounce (800-gram) can and save the remaining 1 cup for another use. The recipe is built around that amount.
Grate the mozzarella coarsely, as the ingredient list specifies, and have both cheeses ready before the beans finish simmering.
Taste and adjust the seasoning at the end of the 10-minute simmer. That’s the point where the recipe calls for adjusting salt and pepper.
If you want another pizza-flavored bean dish, try these pizza butter beans. For more Parmesan, see the rosemary Parmesan puff pastry twists.
Ways to Change It Up
Optional: use red pepper flakes. The recipe allows red pepper flakes in place of black pepper when you season the vegetables. This adds a different kind of heat and doesn’t change the method.
Optional: choose your wine. Either dry white or dry red wine works, or you can leave it out. The wine goes in after the garlic and simmers away in 1 to 2 minutes.
Optional: broil the top. For a deeper color after baking, run the dish under the broiler. Skip it if the top is already browned the way you like.
Storing and Reheating Kitchen Pizza Beans
| Where to Store | How Long | How to Store It |
|---|---|---|
| Room temperature | No more than 2 hours after serving | Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours |
| Refrigerator | 3 to 4 days | Divide into shallow containers and cover |
These times come from the USDA leftovers guidance, which applies to home-cooked food in general. The same guidance says to cover leftovers when reheating and to bring them to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer.
Frequently Asked Questions
What pan do I need for this kitchen pizza beans recipe?
The recipe calls for a 2 1/2-to-3-quart deep sauté pan, braiser, or shallow Dutch oven, ideally oven-safe. If your pan isn’t ovenproof, transfer the mixture to a 3-quart baking dish before adding the cheese.
Can I skip the wine?
Yes. The recipe lists the dry white or red wine as optional. When you use it, it goes in after the garlic and simmers until it disappears, 1 to 2 minutes.
What kind of beans does this recipe use?
It uses 1 pound (455 grams) of cooked, firm-tender giant white beans. The recipe doesn’t cover other beans, so stick with giant white beans for the results as written.
Is this kitchen pizza beans recipe vegan?
No. The topping is mozzarella and Parmesan, so the dish isn’t vegan as written.
Ready to Give It a Try?
Put a pan of kitchen pizza beans in the oven and see how the cheese browns. Leave a comment or a rating to tell us how yours turned out. Pin the recipe so it’s easy to find the next time you want a bean bake.
Kitchen pizza beans recipe: giant white beans and kale in a tomato base, topped with browned mozzarella and Parmesan. Onion, celery, and carrots are browned first. Save this pin for your next dinner.
