Pizza Beans on Toast. Rey Lopez/photo; Carolyn Robb/food stylist for The Washington Post

Join me as we travel back to the fall of 2014 — before the last presidential election, before the coronavirus pandemic, before TikTok, before the long fight for marriage equality was won. That’s when recipe developer and author Deb Perelman behind Smitten Kitchen, one of the Internet’s coolest places, brought a casserole dish of boiled beans, covered in a blanket of melted cheese, into a pot.

“Most of us know the number one rule of cooking for a crowd: don’t do anything new or scary,” Perelman wrote in his second cookbook, “Every Day Smitten Kitchen,” noting that it’s very difficult to start cooking and then serve a labor-intensive meal. or a complex meal like a roast or a soufflé, “can cause excitement that disrupts your vibration.”

For many reasons, but mostly because “he was in the mood to cook that day,” Perelman broke that rule and made a dish inspired by Greek gigantesplaki (large white beans cooked in a tomato sauce flavored with garlic and herbs). and warm spices.

He dreamed of “a giant bean dish with tomato sauce from Greece and American-style cooked ziti mixed with beans instead of noodles.” (Longtime Smitten Kitchen fans agree: Perelman is a genius.) The “Giant Fried Giant Bean Gratin with Tomatoes” was a mouthful, but it was just right, and more importantly, it tasted great.

But when Perelman tried to get his son, then a kindergartener, to taste it, he encountered, let’s say, some resistance. “I don’t like beans,” he said, unimpressed by his mother’s requests. “You’ll love these.” “You should try them! You will see!” – until you realize it’s not food, it’s marketing. “It’s got tomato sauce,” he said, “and look at the cheese on it… It looks just like pizza.” That’s how Pizza Beans were born.

On September 26, 2017, I clicked on smittenkitchen.com and read the title of that day’s blog post: “pizza beans.” Simple, evocative and instantly appealing. That evening I made the beans with sauce and cheese and ate them for the next few days. Like many of the recipes I find on Smitten Kitchen, this is one I’ve made over and over again. Almost every time, I tweaked the original recipe by swapping out ingredients; experimenting with different spices and sauce bases, various cheeses and other types of beans; and adding chicken sausage or some crispy bacon, mushrooms and bell peppers, pepperoni or anchovies.

When I reached Perelman by phone recently, he said he doesn’t make Pizza Beans as often as he used to. “Unfortunately, I have since had another child and she also eats the beans lukewarm,” she explained. But then, after thinking about it for a minute, she realized she’d been making some version of this recipe for years. “I made salsa-based baked black beans. I made lentils and farro with French onions. “I made roasted chickpeas with zucchini and pesto and put bits of burrata or ricotta on top,” said Perelman, noting that he sometimes creates new dishes by changing ingredients in favorite formulas. “There are so many fun ways to mess around with ingredients. I love doing this. He also gave me his blessing. “I’m excited that people love it enough to play with it and have fun with it.”

You can whip up the original recipe in under an hour – if you haven’t made it before, please do – but I’m sharing a quicker version here.

Perelman recommends serving baked bean casserole with pieces of garlic bread. In this variation, you’ll quickly cook a can of white beans in doctored jarred marinara (Rao won our blind taste test and has long been my go-to), spread them over crispy garlic toast pieces, sprinkle some cheese on top, and cook until the cheese melts and bubbles and maybe shines a little. slide the mess under the grate. The whole thing takes less than 30 minutes because sometimes you want that seemingly virtuous but also comforting meal to happen as quickly as possible.

Pizza Beans on Toast. Rey Lopez/photo; Carolyn Robb/food stylist for The Washington Post

Pizza Beans on Toast

Makes 2 to 4 servings (makes 4 pizza seed toasts)

Total time: 25 minutes

In this quick dish, cannellini beans are simmered in a delicious marinara sauce, spread on toast, and topped with cheese for a pizza-like effect—but requires much less time and effort. This recipe was inspired by Smitten Kitchen blogger and cookbook author Deb Perelman’s recipe for a great casserole-style baked pizza bean that’s worth your time. But if you want these flavors faster, consider this shortcut version that relies on canned beans, store-bought marinara, regular toast, and broiler for a quick, filling, and nutritious meal.

Storage: Store bean mixture in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

CONTENTS

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more as needed

4 (3/4-inch thick) slices firm bread, such as cottage loaves or sourdough

3 cloves of garlic

1 (15-ounce) can cannellini or navy beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup store-bought marinara sauce, such as Rao’s

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 cup (4 ounces) chopped fontina

1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves (optional)

Pinch crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

STEPS

In a large (12-inch) skillet, preferably with high sides, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat until shimmering. Place a large tray near your work area.

Add the tortillas to the skillet and cook, turning occasionally and adding more oil as needed, until lightly browned on each side, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer bread to prepared pan and let stand until cool enough to handle, 1 to 2 minutes.

Lightly rub the toasted bread with a clove of garlic. You probably won’t use the whole clove; Finely chop the remaining garlic.

Position the grill about 6 inches from the broiler element and preheat to HIGH.

Return the skillet to medium-high heat and heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil until shimmering. Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring, until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the beans and let them mix with the garlic for about 1 minute. Mix the marinara sauce and wine and bring the mixture to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally and mashing some of the beans with a wooden spoon, until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Spoon 1/2 to 2/3 cup bean mixture onto each piece of bread, working toward the edges. Top each with 1/4 cup fontina and 1 tablespoon parmesan, if using. Transfer skillet to broiler for about 2 minutes or until cheese melts and begins to brown. Divide the toasts on plates, decorate with parsley and chili pepper, if available, and serve hot.

Variations: Top these toasties with anything you like before toasting, including pepperoni, cooked sausage pieces, or thinly sliced ​​veggies.

Notes: Any tomato-based pasta sauce will work here, but we recommend using a pasta sauce you taste and like. It’s even better if you make your own; See related recipes.

Nutrition per toast | 397 calories, 35g carbohydrates, 34mg cholesterol, 21g fat, 7g fiber, 17g protein, 7g saturated fat, 764mg sodium, 5g sugar