050 / 75 · Beans, Vegetables and New Traditions
Tomato White Bean Mozzarella Bake
One 8×12 in (20×30 cm) dish, at least 3 qt/2.8 L;4 bean portions with 1 bread slice each · Active 25 min · Total 1 hr 20 min
Print recipe · PDFA tomato-and-white-bean filling simmers before mozzarella is added, so the cheese does not spend half an hour waiting for a watery sauce to reduce beneath it. Basil is torn into the filling, and measured slices of wholegrain bread accompany the finished pan. The result is a simple bean supper with a bubbling, patchy cheese surface.
Reduce the tomatoes before the cheese arrives
Canned chopped tomatoes vary in how much loose juice they carry. Tip the full contents into the skillet and simmer uncovered until a spoon drawn through the sauce leaves a brief trail. Stir along the bottom as it thickens. The aim is a chunky coating sauce, not a dry paste or a thin tomato broth. Beans are already cooked and need only a short warming stage after the reduction. Starting with this texture gives the final dish a clear base instead of hoping the oven will remove a large volume of liquid.
Use mozzarella that will not flood the pan
A low-moisture mozzarella block is the specified cheese. Grate it or tear it into small pieces that can melt across the surface in patches. Fresh mozzarella in brine has a different water content and is not an equal unprepared substitution here. There is no thick blanket of cheese hiding the beans; some red tomato should remain visible between melted spots. Let the dish stand briefly before serving so the bean mixture settles and the cheese is less likely to pull off as one long sheet.
Bread is an accompaniment with a quantity
Four slices of wholegrain bread are part of this base recipe, one per person. Warm them alongside the casserole near the end, keeping an eye on their edges. They are useful for the tomato sauce, but the bean filling should still be thick enough to stay on the plate. Fresh basil is folded into the hot filling before assembly rather than scattered as an unlisted decorative handful. If cooking for guests, bring the serving dish to the table with a spoon that reaches the bottom so everybody gets beans as well as the appealing cheese top.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (30 ml)
- 1 large onion, finely chopped (200 g)
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped (12 g)
- 2 cans chopped tomatoes, including juice (1 lb 12 oz/800 g total)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt (1.5 g)
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 cans white beans, drained and rinsed (1 lb 9 oz/720 g drained total)
- 1/3 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, torn (10 g)
- 5 oz low-moisture mozzarella block, grated or torn small (150 g)
- 4 slices wholegrain bread (160 g total)
Set out
Oven, 8×12 in (20×30 cm) baking dish, at least 3 qt/2.8 L, 12-in/30-cm skillet, Rimmed baking sheet, Small baking tray for bread, Food thermometer
Allergens
Milk, Wheat; check bread labels for sesame, soy or other allergens. Check labels and substitutions.
Make it
- Heat oven to 400°F (205°C). Put the baking dish on a rimmed sheet. Heat oil in the skillet over medium heat. Cook onion 8–10 minutes until soft, then garlic 30 seconds.
- Add tomatoes with juice, oregano, salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered 15–20 minutes, stirring along the bottom, until thick enough that a spoon leaves a brief trail. Fold in drained beans and simmer 3 minutes. Take off heat and stir in basil.
- Spread hot bean mixture in the dish. Scatter mozzarella in small patches, leaving some tomato visible. Bake 18–22 minutes until cheese is melted and lightly golden and the center and several other spots reach 165°F (74°C).
- Put bread slices on their tray and warm in the oven for the last 3–4 minutes, watching the edges. Rest the casserole 5 minutes, then serve four portions with one slice of bread each.
Watch the trail, not just the timer
A spoon briefly exposing the skillet bottom is a more useful sauce cue than insisting every brand of canned tomato will reduce in precisely fifteen minutes.
A useful detail
The 80-minute total includes chopping, full onion cooking and tomato reduction, assembly, baking and rest. Particularly watery tomatoes can take a few extra minutes to reach the spoon-trail stage before beans enter.
Another way
- Use 720 g drained canned butter beans instead of smaller white beans. Stir and serve gently to retain their broad shapes; keep the same tomato reduction and low-moisture cheese.
Keep it well
Refrigerate shallow portions within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F (32°C), at 40°F (4°C) or below. Use within 3 days or an earlier dairy deadline. Reheat bean-and-cheese portions to 165°F (74°C). Freeze promptly cooled portions for up to 2 months for quality and thaw in the refrigerator. Keep bread separate and follow its label.