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Margherita Pizza Beans

Summer tomato pizza beans recipe
Photo by Emma Fishman, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich

You may already know and love Deb Perelman’s infamousPizza Beans, which have a jammy, brick-red sauce with a marinara pizza vibe. This recipe gives pizza beans the Margherita treatment, swapping a cooked-down sauce for fresh tomatoes cooked just enough to bring out their full flavor. You can use pristine specimens or damaged goods alike: blistering small tomatoes brings out their sweetness, while simmering large, grated tomatoes is an easy way to remove their tough skins and (flavorless) excess moisture.—Ali Slagle

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What you’ll need

Ingredients

4 Servings

1 lb. large ripe tomatoes
2 15-oz. cans white beans (such as cannellini or butter), rinsed
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 pints cherry or Sun Gold tomatoes (about 1¼ lb.)
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
¼ cup torn basil leaves, stems reserved, plus more for serving
6 oz. fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. finely grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
Toasted country-style bread (for serving)
  1. Step 1

    Heat broiler. Halve large tomatoes crosswise (through the equator). Starting with cut sides, grate tomatoes on the large holes of a box grater into a medium bowl; discard or compost skins. Add beans and season generously with salt and pepper.

    Step 2

    Heat 3 Tbsp. oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high. Add cherry tomatoes; cook, shaking pan occasionally, until browned in spots, about 3 minutes. Add garlic; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.

    Step 3

    Stir in grated tomato mixture and reserved basil stems. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is thickened and flavorful, 10–15 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

    Step 4

    Remove basil stems from pan; stir in ¼ cup basil leaves. Shake skillet to evenly distribute beans. Top with mozzarella and 2 Tbsp. Parmesan. Broil until cheese is melted and browned in spots, about 3 minutes.

    Step 5

    Spoon tomato beans over toast as desired. Top with more basil leaves and Parmesan and drizzle with oil. Season generously with more pepper.

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