Supreme Pizza Beans · i am a food blog

Supreme pizza beans, a mashup of pizza beans and my favorite kind of pizza, hits all the right notes when you need a cozy comfort food kind of night.

Come fall, I’m all about the comfort foods. I want food that makes me warm and cozy, from the inside out. These pizza beans hit all the right notes. Warm, savory, filling, full of flavor and protein. This and a side of extra garlicky bread and it’s my favorite meal: carbs with carbs but with the added benefit of bean protein.

What are pizza beans?

Pizza beans are baked giant white beans in tomato sauce with browned melted mozzarella and topped with pizza toppings. Think American-style baked ziti but with beans. Baked ziti is a classic Italian-American casserole made with ziti, tomato sauce, and cheese, all baked together into a bubbly, delicious dish. Swap out the ziti for giant beans and you have pizza beans.

Deb Perelman, the cookbook author and creator of Smitten Kitchen came up with this genius dish as a mashup of a Greek dish of giant beans in tomato sauce, but with a bunch of cheese to make it more like ziti. I’m a huge fan of Smitten Kitchen (I mean, I think everyone is, she’s our Martha/Ina) and I’ve made so many of her recipes over the years.

Supreme pizza beans

Now that the sun has gone into hiding and the days are starting out crisp and a little cold, I’ve been making pizza beans on repeat, but I amped it up a notch with my favorite (and I personally think under-ordered) pizza topping: supreme. If you haven’t had it, supreme is Italian meat of some kind (eg sausage or pepperoni), green peppers, mushrooms, onions, and olives, and it’s so much more than the sum of its ingredients. It’s the iconic pizza when you think of a pizza that’s not just pepperoni. To me, supreme is like the most pizza pizza to ever pizza.

What do pizza beans taste like?

They taste kind of like pizza, but I would say they taste more like a comforting baked pasta. There’s rich and savory tomato sauce, creamy bean-y beans, gooey browned cheese, and your favorite pizza toppings. The whole thing just begs to be eaten with a spoon, in a bowl, which is my ultimate comfort meal requirement.

On pizza bean supreme

I absolutely adored this dish. Something about adding the supreme toppings really made it feel like a pizza. I think my mind is just wired to think that the flavor combination of green peppers, mushrooms, olives, and sausages (or pepperoni) equals pizza. We just about demolished half of the pan, which was surprising because it was quite a large pan.

Mike told me that the supreme toppings are what made it amazing. Apparently, he wasn’t prepared to like it as much as he did because, as he said before the first bite: how good can beans be? The answer is: really freaking good!

But why pizza beans?

I love beans. I love pizza. Everyone loves a good one pan dish that’s hearty, saucy, and full of flavor. With pizza beans you get the benefit of two things people are always looking to get more of: fiber and protein. Pizza beans are proteinmaxxing and fibermaxxing together as one. Best of all, they’re super leftover friendly. They can even be completely meat-free if you want. If you dare (I dare) you can even bring these to a holiday potluck or dinner party.

Pizza bean ingredients

Extra virgin olive oil

Pretend you’re in Greece and you have your own olive orchard. Go wild. The first time Mike ever made me a pasta sauce, his soffritto was essentially equal parts extra virgin olive oil to vegetables. It seems like a lot, and it is, but it’s what makes really good Italian food good: vegetables chilling out in a long warm oil hot tub so they release all of their aromatics and flavor.

Italian sausage

I love Italian sausage. Italian sausage, if you’re not from North America, refers to ground pork seasoned with fennel/anise, garlic, pepper, and other seasonings of that sort. It’s not cured, but it comes in casings, which I almost always remove. If you like, you can even go with ground pork and season it on your own.

Note: If you don’t eat meat, you can skip the sausage. If I’m making a mini batch for me and not Mike, I almost always go all beans.

Soffritto

Soffritto, if you’re not familiar, is a classic Italian base for sauces, braises, and the like. In France, they call it mirepoix, in Spain they call it sofrito. Essentially, they’re all the same idea: aromatics finely chopped and gently cooked in fat.

Our soffritto contains garlic. You might be surprised to hear that garlic is not traditionally in Italian soffritto. In fact, garlic in general is not used with as much abandon as we use it here in North America. It’s more of a background note, usually added to oil to infuse with a light garlic flavor. I love garlic though and this dish is by no means authentic, so I say garlic with all your heart.

Wine

A bit of wine (you can choose white or red depending what you want to drink with your pizza beans) is optional, but I think it adds a complexity, depth, and a bit of acidity. It makes what seems like a regular red sauce more than just a red sauce.

Kale

Greens! I love hearty greens that cook down into silky, smooth strands. The kale adds a much needed bit of green to the recipe, visually, as well as its mild earthy flavor. Chop it up nice and tiny so it distributes throughout the beans, like star flecks of kale in a pizza bean universe.

Crushed tomatoes

Crushed tomatoes will be the base of this recipe. If you happen to have tomato sauce (by that I mean, jarred pasta sauce) you can use that too, but once you see how easy it is to turn crushed tomatoes into a rich and savory sauce, you won’t look back.

Giant white beans

Of all the beans, giant white beans are the cutest and most fun to eat. I’m always on the lookout for them because they always seem hard to find. Or maybe I’m dreaming of really giant white beans. Where the heck do restaurants source their white beans? Sometimes, they have ones that are the size of a chicken nugget. Anyway, some other types of giant beans are: Royal Corona, Gigantes, or butter beans. All of them will work in this recipe. Side note: I just love the name butter beans. Typically, you can find them dried at Italian or Greek markets.

This recipe calls for cooked beans, so canned is the way to go if you haven’t planned ahead but soaking overnight and cooking dried beans lets them get to your preferred texture. I went with canned beans because I’m not great at soaking and cooking beans. They didn’t have giant beans at the store and really, any bean will work, so choose your bean fighter.

Toppings

Just like pizza, you can be as restrained or as wild with the toppings as you like. Mike suggested supreme to me and as a true lover of supreme pizza, I was all in. I think every pizza place has their own version of supreme, but in my book, it’s: some sort of pizza meat, either sausage, ham, or pepperoni, green peppers, onions, sliced black olives, and mushrooms. It’s just the classic, nostalgic pizza flavors that remind me of my not-so-misspent youth eating dollar slices in the middle of the night.

Cheese

We’re going with mozzarella because of its extra melty, cheesy pull. If you want a bit more depth, you can add a little bit of Parm or even just go with your favorite pizza cheese mix. The important part is a generous layer. Don’t be shy, the cheese is going to bake into a beautiful blanket of golden crispiness.

How to make pizza beans

• Heat. Start off by heating your oven to 475°F then start on prepping your vegetables.
• Brown. Start by placing an oven-proof shallow dutch oven or braiser on the stove. Essentially anything that can go from stove to oven to table. You can (and should) roll the sausage into little meatballs. Turn the heat to medium-high and add the sausage without the casing. You shouldn’t need any extra oil when cooking the sausage, as the fat in the sausage will render out and help the sausage release from the pan. Once the sausage is browned (it doesn’t need to cook through all the way), remove from the pan and set aside.
• Saute. Now it’s time to slowly coax all the flavors out of the onions, celery, and carrots. Add a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil to the pan (no need to wash it or anything, leave the flavorful bits and fat left behind by the sausage). Turn the heat to medium and when hot, add the onion, celery, and carrots. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables take on some color and start to soften, about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute, just until it’s fragrant.
• Deglaze. Pour in the wine (if using) and use a wooden spoon or silicone spatula to scrape up any caramelized fond bits (the parts sticking to the pan). Let the wine bubble, simmer, and reduce into a syrupy coating on the vegetables. We want the wine to reduce by at least half before we add the tomatoes.
• Stir. Add the kale and let it wilt, then add the crushed tomatoes and bring to a gentle simmer.
• Bean. Add your rinsed and drained beans to the pan. If the mix looks too dry, add a bit of broth or water to bring it up to a nice level of soupy-ness, starting with 1/4 cup at a time. You want the beans to be fairly liquidy, like a thick stew, because the beans will absorb the liquid and thicken while baking.
• Pizza toppings. Set some sausage balls, green peppers, mushrooms, onions, and olives aside for topping the pizza beans. Add the remaining toppings and sausage balls to the beans.
• Simmer. Keeping the beans on low heat, continue to simmer for 8-10 minutes, then taste and adjust with salt and pepper if needed. Be sure to taste a perfect bite with a little sausage and olives because they add salt too.
• Cheese. After all the flavors have melded together, it’s time to cheese. Finish the pizza beans by sprinkling on the mozzarella evenly and then topping with the remaining sausage, onions, peppers, olives, and mushrooms.
• Bake. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until bubbling and the cheese melts and starts to get brown and crispy. If desired, broil briefly while watching at the end for a deeper color and crisp.
• Remove from the oven. Let rest for 5 mins to firm up and not be so nuclear-hot, and enjoy with a big spoon that lets you scoop all that cheesy pizza goodness.

Soupy or dry

Pizza beans are meant to be kind of soupy, not like baked beans you’d get out of a can. If yours looks like bean soup, you did it right. For science, we made this two ways: with a substantial amount of liquid, and then again, essentially drained of all liquid. Personally, I like soup-y pizza beans and Mike thought he would like dry pizza beans, but ended up preferring soupy too. I think soupy pizza beans are somehow more comforting and cozy.

Additionally, the next day we found that the beans were completely non-soupy, because they absorbed all the liquid in the fridge. So I think the lesson is, if you rest your pizza beans, they will become just the right consistency over time (and bonus, won’t burn your mouth).

Less soupy pizza beans

If you want your pizza beans to be thicker, make sure to sweat and cook down the vegetables so they’re not releasing any extra liquid into the pan. You can do this by adding onion, mushrooms, and peppers (and you might as well throw in the olives at this time for convenience) to the pan at the same time as the kale and cook until all the liquid evaporates. But be sure to reserve some for the toppings, those don’t need to be cooked down.

Be sure to drain and rinse the beans well before adding to the pan. Add the crushed tomatoes, but don’t add in any extra liquid or chicken stock.

Pro tips

• Prep first. You’ll need to peel and chop onions, dice celery, and peel and dice carrots. Peel and mince the garlic, wash, chop or tear the kale, and shred your cheese. Dice the green pepper, slice the mushrooms, and drain the olives. Having all of your ingredients at the ready makes it so much easier to cook. I actually love the meditativeness of prepping, I feel like I could do it forever cause I’m weird like that.
• Don’t overcook the beans. They should be firm-to-tender because they’ll continue cooking in the oven. I overcooked my first batch of beans. Don’t be me.
• Make tiny meatballs. I like to roll my Italian sausage into tiny meatballs because I love the way they look and scoop, but that’s entirely up to you if you want to be mini meatball crazy too.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you make pizza beans ahead of time?

Yes! This makes them great for potlucks and dinner parties. To make pizza beans ahead of time, just assemble as per the recipe but don’t add the cheese or toppings. Cover and refrigerate, then when you’re ready, add the cheese and toppings and bake straight from the fridge until bubbling and browned. You’ll need to add an extra 10-15 minutes to the time.

How do you store and reheat?

Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. Scoop out what you want to eat and microwave, or just put the whole thing back in the oven at 350ºF until hot. You might need to add a little liquid if the beans have soaked up all the broth.

Can you freeze pizza beans?

Yes! Make and assemble without cheese and toppings, then freeze for up to 3 months. Pro tip: you can freeze the cheese and toppings (separate from the pizza beans) as well. Then just thaw overnight in the fridge and bake until bubbling as above.

Can I use dried beans?

Yes! Soak your dried beans overnight and cook until just tender but not creamy. They’ll keep softening in the sauce and oven.

Can I make pizza beans vegetarian?

Yes! I often just skip the meat. If you add extra mushrooms, be sure to cook them a bit first so they release their water outside of the top of your cheese.

Can I use jarred pasta sauce instead of crushed tomatoes?

Yes! But be sure to adjust the salt to match. Jarred sauce is much saltier than crushed tomatoes.

What to serve with pizza beans

These guys are a hearty meal just by themselves, but I never say no to:

• Garlic bread grilled cheese – yes, grilled cheese but made with garlic butter because, grilled cheese + garlic butter is heaven.
• Garlicky Parker House rolls – warm, plush, pillowy perfect Parker House rolls with garlic butter dripping into each and every nook and cranny.
• Salt bread – if you want to make something extra special to go along with, might I suggest salt bread? Their insanely crispy butter basted bottoms are out of this world crackly and the insides are soft with a little pocket of butter.
• kale salad – because you have kale already, and because kale salad is probably the best salad to go with supreme pizza (beans).

Pizza beans forever,
xoxo steph

Pizza Beans Supreme

These pizza beans hit all the right notes. Warm, savory, filling, full of flavor and extra pizza-y from the supreme toppings.

Serves 8

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

• 1 lb mild Italian sausage formed into little meatballs (see notes)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion chopped
• 2 stalks celery diced
• 1 carrot diced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1/4 cup wine dry, optional
• 4 oz curly kale chopped or torn
• 28 oz crushed tomatoes ~1 large can
• 1 lb giant white beans cooked firm-tender, see notes
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1 bell pepper green, cored and diced, with a few slices for topping
• 1 cup mushrooms sliced
• 1/4 cup black olives sliced
• 1/2 lb mozzarella cheese coarsely grated

• Preheat the oven to 475°F.

• Add the sausage to a large shallow oven-safe pan and brown over medium-high heat. The fat in the sausage should render out and provide enough oil in the pan, but if it sticks, add olive oil as needed. When browned, transfer the sausage to a bowl and set aside, leaving behind any rendered fat.

• Add 2 tbsp of olive oil to the pan and turn the heat to medium-high. Add the onions (making sure to reserve some for topping), celery, and carrots. Sweat the vegetables, stirring, until they start to soften and take on some color, 5-8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the garlic.

• If you’re doing the optional wine deglaze, now is the time to add the wine to the pan and use a wooden spoon to scrape up the fond. Reduce the wine by at least half or until syrupy, 3-4 minutes.

• Stir in the kale until it’s wilted, then add crushed tomatoes and bring to a gentle simmer over medium-high.

• Add the drained beans and chicken broth.

• Set a small handful of sausage, green peppers, mushrooms, and olives aside for topping, then add the rest to the beans. Simmer until all the flavors meld together, 8-10 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. If the pan becomes too dry, add more chicken broth, a 1/4 cup at a time.

• Remove the pan from the heat and top the beans with shredded mozzarella. Use the remaining toppings to top the cheese like a pizza.

• Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly, golden, and melted through. Broil on high for an extra deep color if desired, watching the entire time.

• Remove from the oven, rest for 5 minutes (or more) and enjoy!

On sausage balls: The best way I’ve found to make sausage meatballs is to freeze the sausage slightly, then cut them up with a knife, and roll them once they’ve thawed to a rollable texture.
On beans: If you’re using canned, you’ll need two 15 ounce cans, drained. If you’re cooking the beans yourself, you’ll want to prepare about 1 cup of dry beans.
lightly adapted from Smitten Kitchen https://smittenkitchen.com/2017/09/pizza-beans/

Nutrition Facts

Pizza Beans Supreme

Amount Per Serving

Calories 378
Calories from Fat 182

% Daily Value*

Fat 20.2g31%

Saturated Fat 7.4g46%

Cholesterol 42mg14%

Sodium 843mg37%

Potassium 772mg22%

Carbohydrates 26.7g9%

Fiber 6.6g28%

Sugar 4.7g5%

Protein 23g46%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.