VEGETARIAN GIANT WHITE BEANS PIZZA

Serves 6-8

Found this on Smitten Kitchen and loved it!

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp (30ml)  olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 stalks celery, diced
  • 1 large carrot) diced
  •  salt freshly ground black pepper, or red pepper flakes
  • 2 large cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup (60ml) dry white or red wine, (optional)
  • 2 1/4 cups (550g) crushed tomatoes, (28-ounce or 800g can minus 1 cup; reserve the rest for another use)
  • 1 pound (455g) cooked tender-firm giant white beans
  • 4 cups chopped spinach
  • Up to 3/4 cup (175 ml) vegetable broth
  • 1/2 pound (225g) mozzarella, coarsely grated
  • 1/3 cup (35g) grated Parmesan
  • 2 tbsp (5g) roughly chopped fresh flat parsley, for garnish (optional)

Directions

Prepare the beans* and vegetables Heat the oven to 475 degrees. In a 21/2-to-3-quart (ideally oven-safe) deep sauté pan, or shallow Dutch oven, heat the olive oil on medium-high. Add the onion, celery, and carrots.

Season well with salt and black or red pepper. Cook, sautéing, until the vegetables brown lightly, about  10  minutes. Add the garlic, and cook for 1 minute more. Add the wine, if using, to scrape up any stuck bits, then simmer until it disappears, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the spinach, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until collapsed, then add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Add the beans, and, if the mixture looks too dry or thick (canned tomatoes range quite a bit in juiciness), add up to 3/4 cup broth, 1/4 cup at a time. Simmer the mixture together over medium for about 10 minutes, adjusting the seasonings as needed. If your pan isn’t ovenproof, transfer the mixture to a 3-quart baking dish. If it is, well, carry on.   Sprinkle the beans first with the mozzarella, then the Parmesan, and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until browned on top. If you’re impatient and want a deeper color, you can run it under the broiler. Finish with parsley, if desired.

Bean cooking notes
These beans are called fagioli corona (in Italy), gigante/ gigandes (in Greece), Royal Corona (by Rancho Gordo, where I ordered mine), and other name  Because they’re very big, I usually soak them for 12 to 24 hours in salted water, then simmer them for a couple hours; you could also use a slow cooker on high (usually 4 to 6 hours, but it will vary), or a pressure cooker (about 20 minutes, with variance), or bake them in the oven at 325 degrees for approximately 70 to 90 minutes after bringing them to a simmer on the stove.

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