Vegan Mediterranean Baked White Beans
Baked White Beans With An Authentic Mediterranean Flair
These Vegan Mediterranean Baked White Beans are a delightful change for dinner. The breadcrumb crust topping, peppers, tomatoes and fresh garlic really burst your senses with Italian and Greek cuisine. Pair up this tasty dish with your favorite meat substitute or favorite zesty salad and of course your favorite wine. It is a sure winner with the entire family. Make room at the table to invite a friend because it makes about 8 side servings.
How To Make Vegan Mediterranean Baked White Beans
Well, as usual the secret is all in the sauce. Don’t worry about being perfect with this dish because there are many ways to make it. I like a variety of peppers. I use red and orange. Sometimes I use two large ones or a bunch of small sweet mini peppers. I have even used spicy peppers. It is all up to you. Variety is best, but in this dish I kept it simple and this time not so spicy. Tomatoes are the same. Just pick whatever tomatoes you love to cook with. I like the cherry tomatoes because they don’t get really runny. I don’t want soupy beans.
As for the beans. Really, I love northern beans and Italian cannellini beans. It is not always easy to find the Italian cannellini beans so I have to choose the northern. I like to soak beans over night, but can beans work as well. Just rinse the can beans out and drain them or the sauce will be runny and lacking full flavor.
As for the base to this dish I just add some vegetables broth. Although, adding a little red wine always comes in handy to give this dish a little more zing to the sauce. I wouldn’t add more them about 3 to 4 tablespoons. Make sure to cook off the alcohol a little before adding the beans. The added tomato paste helps with a tang to the sauce, but sometimes the wine can lift it to another level of a rich flavoring. It is an option. So play around and see what you like.
How To Make The Flavorful Breadcrumb Topping
Yes, you guessed it! It is all about the breadcrumbs. I try to get organic breadcrumbs when I can find them and Italian spiced breadcrumbs are best. I do add some extra garlic powder to the crumbs and sometimes extra sea salt. Salt flavoring is up to you and your guests. Although, parsley is a must. It really adds a beautiful fresh flavor.
There are many ways to make this dish. This is the base starter recipe. I will work on coming up with some variations in the future. I hope you like and enjoy these Vegan Mediterranean Baked White Beans as much as we have.
Vegan Mediterranean Baked White Beans
Equipment
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Sharp knife
- 1 Large skillet
- 1 Small mixing bowl
- 1 Mixing spoon
- 1 Large casserole dish
- 1 Large serving spoon
Ingredients
Vegan Mediterranean Baked Beans
- 3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Organic Red Bell Pepper, or 4 small sweet peppers, chopped
- 1 Organic Orange Bell Pepper, or 4 small sweet peppers, chopped
- 1 med Organic Red or Yellow Onion, diced
- 1½ cups Organic Cherry or Regular Tomatoes, diced
- 4 cloves Garlic, minced or pressed
- 1½ Tbsp Organic Tomato Paste
- 1⅔ cup Organic Vegetable Broth
- 3 to 4 Tbsp Red Wine, optional
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 tsp Basil
- ½ tsp Oregano
- 1 tsp Sea Salt
- Black Pepper, to taste
- 4 dashes Cayenne Pepper, optional
- 3 cups Northern or Cannellini Beans
Bread Crumb Topping
- 2½ cups Organic Plain or Italian Bread Crumbs
- ¾ tsp Garlic Powder
- ½ tsp Sea Salt
- ½ tsp Black Pepper, optional
- ¼ cup Fresh Italian Parsley, chopped fine
- 3 to 4 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil, enough to make the bread crumbs grainy like a sand consistency
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° Heat your large skillet to medium heat. Add the Olive Oil. When heated add the onions and diced peppers. Sauté for two minutes in the oil. Add the diced tomatoes and garlic. Stir and sauté for 4 more minutes.
- Add the vegetable broth, tomato paste and (optional) red wine. Stir together well. Add smoked paprika, basil, oregano, sea salt, black pepper, (optional) cayenne pepper. Stir together well. Sauté for 3 minutes.
- Transfer the vegetables and broth mixture to a large casserole dish. Add the Northern or Cannellini white beans. Mix together.
- In a small bowl add the bread crumbs, garlic powder, sea salt, (optional) black pepper and olive oil. Mix together until crumbly. Add the fresh chopped fresh parsley. Mix together and add to the top of the bean mixture and spread out evenly. Do not press it into the beans.
- Put in the preheated 350° oven. Cook for 40 minutes. Top should be browning when done.
- Enjoy!