Lasagna Beans
Yield: 6 servings
A mash-up of my famous Lasagna Soup and gigantes plaki (Greek baked beans), where giant beans replace the pasta!
Ingredients
Cheesy Yum
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta
- ½ cup grated Parmesan
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella (use shredded whole milk mozzarella, if you can find it)
Lasagna Beans
- 12 ounces dry gigante white beans, cooked until tender and creamy, yet still firm (See Notes below) (or use 3 cups canned/cooked gigante white beans, rinsed and drained)
- 1 pound bulk Italian sausage
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 4 large garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cans (15 ounces each) crushed tomatoes with no added salt/seasonings, with juices (do not drain)
- 2 teaspoons dried Italian herb seasoning mix
- ¼ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
- salt & pepper, to taste
- 1½ cups shredded mozzarella
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan
- ¼ cup small fresh basil leaves, for garnish
Instructions
- Note: Before you start, know that if you are cooking dry gigante beans from scratch, you will need to allow extra time. See Notes below.
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
Cheesy Yum
- In a small bowl, stir together ricotta, Parmesan, salt, and pepper. Then fold in mozzarella. Set aside.
Lasagna Beans
- Heat a 2.5 to 3-quart oven-safe deep saute pan, braiser, or shallow Dutch oven over medium to medium-low heat, and brown the sausage with the onion. Stir often, breaking the sausage into small bites. Once the sausage has cooked through and is a bit browned, stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Drain away any excess grease.
- Add crushed tomatoes to pan, stirring and scraping up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.
- Bring to a simmer, then fold in the cooked beans. Turn heat down to low and stir in the Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes. Let simmer for 10 minutes. If the mixture is dry, depending on the tomatoes that you use, add a bit of water to loosen it up.
- Taste test, then add salt and pepper, to taste. (If your pan is not oven-safe, now transfer mixture to a 3-quart oven-safe baking dish.) Spread lasagna beans into an even layer, then dollop the prepared cheesy yum over the top, in 8 dollops. With the back of a spoon, press the dollops down into the lasagna beans a bit, to create a more even top surface. Sprinkle mozzarella over the top.
- Bake for 5 minutes, or until cheese is very melty. Then sprinkle Parmesan over the top and bake 5-10 minutes more, or until everything is bubbly and the cheese is melted and just a bit browned.
- Remove from oven and garnish with small fresh basil leaves. Serve with your favorite garlic bread, for scooping up the lasagna beans.
Notes
How to cook gigante beans:
- Add the dry beans to a colander and rinse under cool water.
- Place the beans in a large bowl and cover with cold water by 1 inch. Let soak overnight, about 12 hours.
- Drain the beans and transfer them to a large pot. Add water to cover beans by 2 inches.
- On the stovetop, bring the water just to a boil. Then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour. Stir in 1 teaspoon Morton kosher salt. Check the beans now every 20-30 minutes. The goal is for the beans to have soft, creamy centers while still holding their shape. With the beans I use, this usually takes right around 2 hours total simmering time.
- Drain the beans.
Nutrition Information:
Calories: 776kcal Carbohydrates: 52g Protein: 46g Fat: 44g Saturated Fat: 20g Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g Monounsaturated Fat: 16g Cholesterol: 126mg Sodium: 1346mg Potassium: 1784mg Fiber: 12g Sugar: 9g Vitamin A: 1002IU Vitamin C: 17mg Calcium: 652mg Iron: 9mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Spoonacular. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your own favorite calculator.