Hearty and comforting, these one-pot cheesy pizza beans bring the familiar flavours of a great pizza into a cosy, spoon-able bake. With rich tomato, fragrant herbs and a melted cheese topping, it delivers all the pleasure of a pizza night in a one-pot dish - a nutritionally solid meal with all the indulgence of a classic vegetarian pizza, and one that's deeply satisfying, and protein and fibre-rich.
Why You'll Love This Cheesy Pizza Beans Recipe
- Comfort food that is indulging, yet with some nutritional value.
- One-pot, very easy recipe. Minimal fuss. A good weeknight dinner option.
- Perfect for dipping and scooping with bread if your heart desires!
- Budget and family-friendly. Ingredients that turn into something generous and indulgent.
- This is a vegan recipe, but it can easily be made vegetarian by swapping to dairy cheese.
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Key Ingredients & Notes
- Baked beans, cannellini beans and haricot beans -After testing the recipe, I found that white beans work better because they have a more neutral flavour. Adding baked beans adds the sweeter tomato flavour they offer.
- Garlic, celery, white onion and Bay leaf - Are the aromatics which provide the base layer of flavour
- Chopped tomatoes -For that natural acidity and mild sweetness, and that pizza-feel.
- Vegan Mozzarella and cheddar -For depth and richness and that classic pizza-feel.
- Paprika, peppercorns and oregano -Add more layers of flavour, as well as heat
- Basil -Adds that sweet, peppery flavour and aroma, lifting the dish.
- Pickled Jalapeño peppers - For the tangy flavour and spicy kick.
See the recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Cheesy Pizza Beans
- Finely chop the onion and garlic.
- Finely chop the celery.
- Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat.
- When the oil is heated, add the bay leaf and peppercorns.
- Then add the onion and sweat until soft.
- Add the garlic and celery and sauté until soft.
- Add the chopped tinned tomatoes and cook for about 10 minutes until the tomatoes start to darken and stick to the bottom of the pot.
- Next, add the cannellini beans, haricot beans from the tins, along with their liquid.
- Add the spices and season with salt.
- Cook over a medium/high heat for 10 minutes or until the mixture thickens. Stir often.
- Add the baked beans, mix well and cook for a couple of minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
- Grate the cheddar and mozzarella.
- Add a generous layer of cheddar cheese and then a layer of mozzarella.
- Bake in the oven for 15 minutes until the cheese has melted and browned somewhat.
- Garnish with pickled jalapeno peppers and fresh basil.
Substitutions & Variations
Beans
- Any other white bean, with a similar mild flavour and texture profile, can work in this recipe, such as butterbeans.
Cheese
- This is a Vegan recipe; however, you can, of course, replace the vegan cheddar and mozzarella with dairy cheddar and mozzarella.
- Make it a 3-cheese pizza beans and add parmesan, either vegan or dairy.
Heat & Spice
- For spicy pizza beans, add some chopped fresh chilli, chilli powder, or harissa to your taste.
- Substitute the paprika with smoked paprika for a wood-fired effect.
Herbs
- Swap out the oregano for marjoram or thyme.
Extra add-ins
- Much like a regular pizza with extra toppings, if it tickles your fancy, why not add olives or capers?
- Stir in some spinach at the end, perhaps.
- Sauté some mushrooms and add them in for some additional texture and flavour.
Storage
Pizza beans reheat well, so they can be batch-cooked and served throughout the week, or for longer if frozen.
Store in the fridge for up to three days. Either reheat in the oven for 10 minutes at 180ºC or reheat in the microwave.
Pizza beans can also be frozen for up to a month.
Chef's Tips
Be generous with the cheese on top to give that golden cheesy layer you get on a pizza.
FAQs
Pizza beans is a one-pot dish in which the beans are cooked in a rich tomato-and-herb sauce and topped with a generous helping of melted cheese. The beans replace the pizza dough. The concept was an idea that went viral from blogger Deb Perelman in 2017.
This cheesy pizza beans recipe has approximately 18g of protein, 11g of fibre and 15g of fat per portion. For a vegetarian dish, this is protein-rich and will support satiety, making you feel fuller for longer. The fibre levels per portion are good, thus helping support gut health. The 15g of fat per portion is moderate for a main meal. All-in-all, a nutritionally solid and balanced meal. Not diet food, but not unhealthy either.
A bread like sourdough or focaccia, or garlic bread, or perhaps a fresh side of salad.
Related Recipes
Go check out my baked "polenta pizza" and some of my other bean recipes.
Pairing Suggestion
These are some of my recipes I think will go well with cheesy pizza beans:
📖 Recipe
One-Pot Cheesy Pizza Beans
Equipment
- Digital scales
Ingredients
- 400 g Cannellini beans tinned
- 400 g Haricot beans tinned
- 415 g Baked beans tinned
- 140 g White onion
- 40 g Garlic
- 20 g Celery one stick
- 400 g Chopped tomato tinned
- 2 tablespoon Olive oil
- 1 Bay leaf
- 8 Black peppercorns
- 2 tsp Paprika
- 2 teaspoon Oregano dried
- 100 g Cheddar cheese
- 100 g Mozzarella cheese
- 30 g Jalapeno optional
- A few basil leaves for garnish
Instructions
- Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic.
- Wash a celery stick, pat dry, and finely chop.
- In an oven safe casserole dish and over a medium heat, add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the bay leaf and peppercorns, followed by chopped onions. Sweat the onions until soft. Then add the garlic and celery and sauté until soft.
- Next, add the tomatoes and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the tomatoes have darkened and starts to stick in the bottom of the pan.
- Now add the cannellini and haricot beans from the tins, along with all their liquid. Add the spices and season with salt. Simmer the beans over medium/high heat, for about 10 minutes, stirring once so often, until it thickens.
- While the beans are cooking, grate the cheddar and mozzarella cheese.
- Now add the baked beans and mix well. Cook for a couple of minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC (fan assisted)
- Add a generous layer of the grated cheddar cheese, followed by the mozzarella cheese and bake in the oven for 15 minutes. We are aiming for the cheese to melt and brown.
- Once ready, garnish with basil leaf and pickled Jalapeno. The Jalapeno is optional but highly recommended. Serve hot.
Nutrition
Food Safety
- Wash your hands regularly while preparing, handling and cooking food.
- Wipe down countertops and high-contact points regularly.
- If you cook meat and fish, do not use the same utensils on cooked food that previously touched raw meat. Use separate chopping boards for meat and fish. Wash your chopping boards immediately after use.
- Thoroughly cook food to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C).
- Don't leave food at room temperature for extended periods (more than 2 hours).
- Store food correctly.
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