Cheesy White Bean Tomato Bake recipe

For those who crave the crispy, cheesy edges of lasagna where the tomato sauce caramelizes, this dish is made for you—even the center. A tube of tomato paste in this recipe brings the rich, concentrated flavor of sun-dried tomatoes.

By frying a generous amount, the sugars in the paste caramelize, infusing the olive oil with deep, savory flavors that cling to anything you mix in. In this case, it’s white beans, but you could easily swap in kale, pasta, or roasted veggies.

Top it with cheese, bake until it’s bubbling and golden to your liking, and serve with crusty bread and a bitter greens salad.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil extra virgin
• 3 large garlic cloves thinly sliced
• 4 to 5 San Marzano peeled tomatoes
• 2 handfuls fresh spinach*
• 2 (15 oz) cans Cannellini white beans rinsed and drained
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella

Instructions

• Pre-heat the oven to 475 degrees. In a 10-inch ovenproof skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Fry the garlic until lightly golden, about 1 minute. Add in the San Marzano peeled tomatoes (be careful of splattering) and mash them down with a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon. Let cook for about a minute and then reduce the heat as needed to prevent the garlic from burning.
• Add the spinach and the beans, water and then all the Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper flakes, and season with the salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top, then bake until the cheese has melted and browned in spots; for about 8 to 10 minutes. For more browning, switch to the broiler setting and leave under the broiler for about 2 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy immediately.

Notes

*If you add a lot of spinach, adding water isn’t necessary.