Cheesy Pizza Beans Skillet
This pizza beans skillet is a crowd-pleasing, one-pan meatless dinner ready in 30 minutes, with white beans, veggies, and topped with melty mozzarella.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 8 ounces white button or cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 2 green bell peppers, chopped
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- ⅓ cup vegetable broth, or water
- 1 14-ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon fennel seed, crushed (or ¼ teaspoon ground fennel)
- 2½ cups low-sodium cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (about 1½ cans)
- ¼ cup sliced black olives, drained
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional/to taste
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 4 pieces whole wheat pita bread, warmed
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a 10-inch oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute, until fragrant.2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1 medium onion,, 2 cloves garlic,
- Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until they have released their moisture and it has mostly cooked off. Add the green bell peppers and sauté until they just start to soften, 2-3 minutes.8 ounces white button or cremini mushrooms,, 2 green bell peppers,
- Add the tomato paste and mix it into the vegetables. Let everything cook, stirring frequently, for 3-4 minutes, until the tomato paste starts to deepen in color.3 tablespoons tomato paste
- Carefully pour in the broth or water and stir into the vegetables and tomato paste, scraping to release any browned bits stuck to the pan.⅓ cup vegetable broth,
- Stir in the canned tomatoes, oregano, crushed fennel seed, beans, salt, and pepper flakes.1 14-ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes,, 2 teaspoons dried oregano, ½ teaspoon fennel seed, crushed (or ¼ teaspoon ground fennel), 2½ cups low-sodium cannellini beans,, ½ teaspoon kosher salt,, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes,
- Bring to a moderate simmer and cook for 8-10 minutes, until the moisture from the tomatoes reduces and the mixture becomes saucy. While the stew simmers, move an oven rack to the second level down from the top and turn your broiler on high.
- Stir in the olives. Taste the stew and add more salt if needed (this will depend on the saltiness of your tomatoes, so this is definitely a "salt to taste" situation). Sprinkle the cheese over the top of your skillet.¼ cup sliced black olives,, 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- Transfer the skillet to the oven and broil until the cheese is melted and toasty, about 3 minutes. Watch carefully to avoid burning.
- Let sit for a couple of minutes before serving.
Notes
Ingredient notes:
It's a little inconvenient, but this recipe takes more than a full 15-ounce can of cannellini beans, but less than 2 full cans. I just kept coming up with 2½ cups being the exact right amount for our family, both texture-wise and protein-wise. Depending on how much you like beans, can use anything from 1 can to 2 cans. Thankfully, cannellini beans are also great in salads, so that's what I have been doing with the extras.
Good tomatoes are critical to the outcome of this recipe. I use Muir Glen's Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes. Mutti and Delallo both make excellent tomato pastes.
Don’t be shy with the salt. If the finished dish tastes a little flat, it almost always needs more seasoning. The exact amount will vary depending on the brand of tomatoes you use, since their sodium levels differ quite a bit. This is one of those recipes where tasting and adjusting your seasoning at the end makes all the difference.
Variations:
Want to add protein? This recipe is also delicious with ground turkey Italian sausage (browned, of course), or two links of Aidell's turkey Italian sausages, sliced.
This is a great recipe to play around with adding different ingredients you enjoy on your pizza. Let me know if you find a combination you love!
Leftovers:
Leftovers will keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to four days. Reheat on the stove over medium low heat, or covered in the microwave in one minute increments.
Nutrition
Calories: 437.1kcal | Carbohydrates: 60.8g | Protein: 21.1g | Fat: 15.8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8.1g | Cholesterol: 22.1mg | Sodium: 1178.3mg | Potassium: 661.2mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 7.1g | Vitamin A: 681.3IU | Vitamin C: 53mg | Calcium: 267.5mg | Iron: 5.6mg
