A few years ago, my daughter Abby walked into the kitchen, saw a pot of beans on the stove and said, “You know what would be really good? If you made beans the way you make mac and cheese.” And she was right. Partly. Because here’s the beauty of this dinner: The whole béchamel thing that is usually so crucial to making mac and cheese? I skipped that part. The cream? Skipped that, too. The multiple pots and pans? Nope! This meal is cooked in one pot. Its relation to mac and cheese lies mostly in the crunchy topping and the peppery cheeses mixed in with the beans. Brilliant.
NOTE: I serve this with a chopped tomato salad—3 to 4 cups of chopped cherry tomatoes with basil, olive oil, red wine vinegar, and minced red onion—but any simple green salad (and maybe even a piece of crusty bread) would be just fine.
recipe 
yields
Serves 4
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Kosher salt
25 meaningful grinds of black pepper
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon dried mustard powder
4½ cups cooked white beans, such as Great Northern or cannellini, or 3 (15-ounce) cans, rinsed (you want them to be a little wet)
1 cup (about 2¾ ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese
1 cup (about 2¾ ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup panko bread crumbs
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Leaves from 3 or 4fresh thyme sprigs
ingredients
steps
-
In a large deep broilerproof skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat.
-
Add the onion, pepper flakes, and salt and black pepper.
-
Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion has softened, about 5 minutes.
-
Add the garlic and mustard powder. Cook for 1 minute.
-
Add the beans to the pan (the slightly wet beans will help loosen everything) and cook until warmed through, about 5 minutes.
-
Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the Gruyère and cheddar, and stir until melted.
-
Remove from the heat. Arrange an oven rack in the middle of the oven and set the oven to broil.
-
In a medium bowl, mix together the panko with the Parm, remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil, and more salt and black pepper. You want all the panko crumbs to be damp.
-
Using your hands, top the beans with the panko mixture. It might feel like a lot of topping, but persevere. You’re going to want the crunch.
-
Place the whole thing in the oven and broil for 1 to 2 minutes, keeping an eye on it the entire time.
-
It’s ready when the topping looks golden and toasty. Serve warm, garnished with thyme leaves.
share
-
Reprinted with permission from:
The Weekday Vegetarians Get Simple” Copyright © 2024 by Jenny Rosenstrach. Photographs copyright © 2024 by Eva Kolenko. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Crown Publishing Group.
