Description
Pizza Beans is a hearty and flavorful oven-baked dish combining tender butter beans, cannellini beans, and savory pizza ingredients like pepperoni and melted mozzarella cheese. It’s an easy, comforting meal perfect for a weeknight dinner that brings the classic flavors of pizza to a protein-packed bean base.
Ingredients
Scale
Base Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- ½ green bell pepper, finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
Beans
- 1 (16 ounce) can butter beans (or large lima beans), drained and rinsed
- 1 (16 ounce) can cannellini beans (or white kidney beans), drained and rinsed
Pizza Sauce & Toppings
- 1 (8 ounce) can pizza sauce
- 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
- ½ cup mini pepperoni (or chopped salami, plus more for topping)
- 1¼ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (plus more for serving)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 375°F to prepare for baking the dish.
- Sauté Vegetables: Heat olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add the finely diced onion and green bell pepper and cook until softened, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add Garlic and Herb: Stir in the minced garlic and dried oregano. Cook for about 1 minute until fragrant to develop flavor.
- Add Beans and Sauces: Mix in the drained butter beans and cannellini beans, then add the pizza sauce, tomato sauce, and mini pepperoni. Simmer together for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally to combine all flavors well.
- Add Cheese and Toppings: Evenly top the bean mixture with shredded mozzarella and grated Parmesan cheese. Add extra pepperoni on top if desired for more flavor and presentation.
- Bake: Place the skillet in the preheated oven and bake uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the mixture is bubbly and the cheeses have melted and turned a lightly golden color.
- Rest and Serve: Remove the skillet from the oven and let the dish rest for 5 minutes. This allows the flavors to settle before serving. Optionally, sprinkle extra Parmesan cheese over the top when serving.
Notes
- You can use chopped salami as an alternative to mini pepperoni if preferred.
- Use either butter beans or large lima beans interchangeably based on availability.
- If you do not have an oven-safe skillet, transfer the bean mixture to a baking dish before adding cheese and baking.
- For a vegetarian version, omit the pepperoni and consider adding mushrooms or olives instead.
- Letting the dish rest before serving helps the beans absorb flavors better and prevents burns from hot cheese.
