This cheesy white bean tomato bake is a perfect meatless meal the whole family will love. Serve it as a the main entree for a Meatless Monday vegetarian meal or as a satisfying side dish any night of the week.
And it's so easy to make. Cannellini beans, garlic, onions, tomatoes, cheese and some Italian herbs is all you need!
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Casseroles are perfect winter fare, but I think they're great all year round. For example, this baked spaghetti casserole and this healthy Mexican casserole with black beans and quinoa. For more dinner casserole ideas, check out this post on back-to-school dinners.
โค๏ธ Why you'll love this recipe
- Perfect vegetarian potluck dish for a dinner party you're hosting or attending.
- Flexible for adding baby spinach, squash, or other veggies. Make it your own!
- Make it ahead, and reheat when you're ready to eat it. If you use a skillet or baking dish that's both stovetop and oven friendly, bake it in the oven, and reheat on the stove!
- Serve as either a vegetarian main dish or side.
- It's a simple recipe, requiring very little meal prep that uses pantry ingredients. No special ingredients to hunt down!
๐ง Main Ingredients + Notes
The secret to faster and easier meals often lies in the ingredients. For example, store-bought items and ingredients you make ahead and store in the refrigerator (or freezer) can turn a 60-minute recipe into a 30-minutes meal or less.
For the all of the ingredients, measurements and directions for this bean bake, go to the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post.
- Yellow onion
- Garlic
- Canned fire-roasted tomatoes, (diced and their juices) - If you can't find fire-roasted canned tomatoes, use regular diced tomatoes.
- Rosemary - I prefer using fresh rosemary in this recipe.
- Oregano - Either fresh or dried is fine.
- Crushed red pepper flakes
- Cannellini beans - either canned beans or cooked from dried. You can also use navy beans or great northern beans. Cannellini beans are also called white kidney beans.
- Parmesan cheese - or use a plant-based Parmesan-style cheese.
- Fontina cheese - or other melty cheese. Fresh mozzarella and Monterey Jack cheese both work great in this recipe. To keep this dish vegetarian, use plant-based cheeses. There are an increasing number of plant-based cheese, so be sure to check the label for the kind of rennet used.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links to products and foods I use in my kitchen. This means that at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. To view my entire storefront of recommended kitchen tools and equipment, check out my shop on Amazon.
๐ช Recommended Equipment
- Dutch oven, or other large, heavy bottomed pot
- Chef's knife
- 8" X 8" baking dish
- Cheese grater
Notes:
If you have a large ovenproof skillet that is approximately 2-quarts, you can use that from start to finish. Or start with the Dutch oven, dump the casserole into the skillet, top with cheese and bake.
๐ Instructions Overview
Detailed instructions for making this baked bean dish are in the recipe card below, but here's a quick overview!
Step 1
Sautรฉ. In a large pot or skillet, cook the onion and garlic in a little olive oil over medium-high heat until softened.
Step 2
Simmer. Lower the heat to medium heat, and add the tomatoes and herbs and simmer until slightly thickened.
Step 3
Add the beans. Stir in the beans, spices, half of the Parmesan cheese, and one-quarter of the fontina cheese. Cook long enough only to warm the beans.
Step 4
Dump into a baking dish. Transfer the beans and tomatoes to a baking dish and top with the remaining Parmesan cheese and all of the fontina cheese. Slide into the oven.
Step 5
Bake. Bake until the cheese is completely melted and golden brown, and the casserole is bubbling. Serve warm.
๐ฉโ๐ณ Why This Recipe Works
- Since this recipe assumes the white beans are already cooked, it doesn't take long for this casserole to cook.
- The casserole is first cooked on the stove to thicken the sauce before sliding into the oven when the cheese is melted on top.
๐กIdeas for Possible Variations
- Add baby spinach if you want some greens. Add them with the beans and spices.
- If you have a spice mix of Italian spices and herbs, go for it! Any Italian seasoning is great in this bean bake.
- Pinto beans and cooked chickpeas would work great in this recipe in place of the white beans.
- Instead of rinsing the beans first and draining, add them to the casserole along with the liquid in the can to make this casserole more saucy.
- If you like a little crunch on top of your casseroles, add these gremolata breadcrumbs at the end.
๐คทโโ๏ธ White Bean Tomato Bake FAQ
How do I store leftovers?
Store any leftovers in an airtight container for the best results.
Can I make this dish ahead?
Yes. If you plan to serve it in the next day, just cover with foil, refrigerate, and reheat. Be sure to completely cool the finished casserole before you cover and slide it into the refrigerator.
Don't have time to run to the grocery store? Order the ingredients for this recipe using Instacart (affiliate link). Just click on the Instacart button in the recipe card below, and the ingredients will all be organized for you on their site. Plug in your zip code, choose the store you prefer, and select the ingredients you want delivered to your home.
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Cheesy White Bean Tomato Bake
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion
- 3 cloves garlic smashed and minced
- 28 ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes undrained
- ยผ cup finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves, divided
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano or 1 tablespoons fresh oregano, finely chopped.
- 3 15 ounce cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained (or other canned white beans)
- ยฝ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (or ยฝ teaspoon sea salt)
- ยผ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup grated fontina cheese divided (see Ingredient Notes for plant-based cheeses)
- ยพ cup grated parmesan cheese divided (see Ingredient Notes for plant-based cheeses)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400หF.
- In a Dutch oven or other large, heavy-bottomed pot, warm the olive oil and add the diced onion. Sautรฉ until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook another minute until fragrant.
- Stir in the diced tomatoes, all of the rosemary except 1 tablespoon, and all of the oregano. Simmer for 3 - 4 minutes to meld the flavors. The sauce will slightly thicken.
- Add the beans, crushed red pepper, salt, pepper, one-quarter of the fontina cheese, and half of the Parmesan cheese. Stir to combine, and dump into a baking dish.
- Top with the remaining Parmesan and fontina cheeses, and slide into the oven. Bake for 15 minutes, until the cheese is completely melted and turns a golden color.
- Sprinkle with the remaining rosemary before serving. Serve warm.
Laura Johnson
This is an amazing recipe!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I'm so so happy you loved it! Thanks for letting me know!
Nikki Lee
I made this for dinner and my family raved about it! So delicious and easy to make!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Fabulous! Thanks for letting me know!
Yvonne
Parmesan cheese is not vegetarian. Certainly not the sort they sell in UK supermarkets what could you suggest as an alternative.
Susan Pridmore
We have a lot of plant-based Parmesan-style cheeses here in the US. I personally like the one sold by Follow Your Heart. Thankfully there are more and more plant-based cheeses that use a vegetable rennet, and they taste better and better. If you have Whole Foods groceries, their 365 brand of plant-based cheeses are really good, and have some of the best melting characteristics of the ones I've tried. I've updated the post for this. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!
Susan Pridmore
Another idea for plant-based Parmesan, if you can't find it anywhere, use Nutritional Yeast instead, also called Nooch. I hope this helps!
Paula
Thank you so much for this absolutely delicious recipe! It was easy to make and everyone loved it!
Susan Pridmore
Yay!! I'm so glad you all loved it!! Thanks for letting me know!
Colin
I just downsized the recipe to only use 2 cans of the beans for me alone. I reduced everything by proportion and it was delicious. I will definitely make this again.
Susan Pridmore
I'm so happy you liked this dish! Thank you so much for letting me know!!