white bean tomato bake
This white bean tomato bake is hands down one of the best bean dishes I’ve had. I was surprised by how so few ingredients could create a dish with such rich flavor. Other than the beans, the tomato paste is really the star of the dish. It adds smokiness and savoriness which shines through in every bite. And fun fact: tomato is rich in umami. Umami is the fifth taste after salty, sweet, sour and bitter. It’s a Japanese word which translates to “savoriness and deliciousness.” The flavor compounds responsible for umami are glutamates. Any food that has glutamic acid is considered umami. Tomatoes are rich in umami, and they instantly add flavor and savoriness to the dish. Along with the tomato paste, the addition of the mozzarella cheese just adds even more deliciousness to this dish.
This dish is highly adaptable, so feel free to change it up according to your preferences. I added kale, but you could add spinach, mushrooms, roasted vegetables, and different spices. You can also use dairy free-cheese if you want to make it vegan. The bean bake would go great with some toast, a salad, and would even make a good pasta sauce. But it also stands on it’s own very well…I could eat bowls and bowls of these beans. It comes together in a pinch, so it’s great to make on a weeknight when you don’t really feel like cooking.
I’ll definitely be making this bean bake a lot! Also, I can’t wait to teach this bean bake at the “Bring on the Beans” virtual summer cooking class I’m teaching this weekend (I’ll be posting more on the cooking classes I’m teaching soon…but long story short, I’m teaching virtual summer cooking classes to Claremont College students and it’s been a lot of fun!) Along with the bean bake, we’ll be making white bean and kale quesadillas as well as a white bean and cherry tomato spring lettuce salad. So excited!
Note: The cooking process is really fast, so be sure to have the ingredients chopped and ready to add before you turn on your stove.
Directions
Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. In a 10-inch ovenproof skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Turn the heat down to low and fry the garlic until it's lightly golden, about 1 minute. Stir in the tomato paste (be careful of splattering) and fry for 30 seconds, reducing the heat as needed to prevent the garlic from burning.
Add the beans, hot water, and generous pinches of salt and pepper and stir to combine. Turn back up to medium heat and sprinkle the kale and the cheese evenly over the top.
Bake until the cheese has melted and browned in spots, ~3 minutes. Serve right away.
Ingredients
2-3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3 large garlic cloves, minced
4 tbsp. tomato paste
2 (15-oz) cans white beans (such as cannellini or Great Northern) or chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup hot water
~1/2 tsp. sea salt
~1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 cups tuscan kale, chopped
1 cup shredded mozzarella
My aunt, Pera, tried out the white bean tomato bake and liked it! Looks great Pera!
