The duo of double-concentrated (read: extra flavorful) tomato paste and cooked-down canned whole peeled tomatoes brings stewed-all-day flavor to this under-an-hour skillet dinner. Call them pizza beans with a dose of greens.
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What you’ll need
Cast Iron Skillet
$30 At Amazon
Box Grater
$12 At Amazon
Can Opener
$14 At Amazon
Wooden Spoon
$7 At Amazon
Mesh Sieve
$13 At Amazon
Recipe information
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
4
3
4
2
½
1
1
2
1
Preparation
Step 1
Cook garlic and 3 Tbsp. oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium, reducing heat as needed to keep garlic from burning, until golden brown, 6–8 minutes. Add anchovies, tomato paste, and ½ tsp. red pepper flakes.
Step 2
Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until tomato paste is darkened in color and anchovies are dissolved into mixture, about 2 minutes.
Step 3
Add broccoli rabe to skillet and stir to coat; season with salt and pepper. Cook until broccoli rabe leaves are wilted and stems begin to soften, 6–8 minutes. Mash garlic cloves with spoon and stir into broccoli rabe to incorporate. Add tomato pieces and cook until broccoli rabe is tender and almost all of the liquid from tomatoes is evaporated (it should look more like a paste than a sauce), 8–10 minutes. Add beans, reserved tomato liquid, and ¼ cup water and stir to combine; season with more salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook until beans are warmed through and flavors have melded, about 5 minutes.
Step 4
Heat broiler. Evenly scatter mozzarella over bean mixture and transfer skillet to oven. Broil until cheese is melted, bubbling, and browned in spots, about 2 minutes (watch carefully so cheese doesn’t burn).
Step 5
Serve beans, topped with Parmesan and more oil and red pepper flakes, with toast alongside for dipping.
How would you rate Cheesy Tomato Beans With Broccoli Rabe?
Leave a Review
Reviews (58)
Back to TopThis is one of the so-called "bitter greens", therefore it has to be treated accordingly. I happen to lone it, but it's not for everyone. This is a "love-it-or-hate-it" dish. I'll definitely make it again. It's one of those dishes that will morph over time.
StuKin
CT
1/28/2024
To those who find this recipe underwhelming, think of it as a template, as you would any recipe, and adjust accordingly. I regularly make a version of this dish (without the mozzarella) on weeknights when I feel exhausted or uninspired. At our house we call it "bachelor's stew": a can of well-rinsed beans (garbanzo, cannellini, even black-eyeds, although butter beans are the best), twice that many canned tomatoes (diced, crushed, whatever's to hand), olive oil, anchovies, whatever fibrous greens need to be used up, a splash of homemade stock to thin it out a bit, and a ton of smashed garlic and good red chili flakes. I'll add spicy Italian sausage if I have it, sliced into thick coins. Sometimes we top it with a poached egg. I never thought to top it with mozzarella and broil it at the end, but man was that a treat! I'll definitely make it this way again — probably not every time, but for a particularly indulgent variant, this version really does the trick. Thanks for a new take on an old favorite!
Kid Icarus
Brooklyn
4/30/2023
Amazing. I had crushed tomatoes so I added half of that with some leftover summer vine tomatoes from the yard chopped. I also substituted anchovies for paste. I blanched the broccoli rabe. Didn’t have mozzarella but did have a Mexican blend It worked ok. This is now a rotating one for me. Than you!!!!
Pamela Bland
Scotch Plains Nj
9/9/2022
Delish. Served it to guests and it was a big hit. I substituted soy sauce for the anchovy because guests are vegetarians.
Liz
CA
6/8/2022
This is the first review I've ever written of a recipe. We loved this! Used kale instead of broccoli rabe, and diced tomatoes instead of whole--it was just what I had in the cupboard. It was really delicious. Will definitely make again.
Tricia
Northampton, MA
5/1/2022
This could easily be a dish we make every week. It was absolutely delicious! The only thing I changed was using broccolini instead of broccoli rabe (after seeing a few reviews that commented on bitterness). It was perfect. My husband and I gobbled it up along with some toasted bread. I made fish that night too and hardly ate any because this dish was so delicious. Thanks BA!
amyamy
Houston, TX
2/15/2022
One of the few recipes from Bon Apetit that fails. The cooked double concentrated tomato plus broccoli rabe makes for an extremely bitter dish. The beans are lackluster and the dish desperately needs some brightness. Sad I wasted a good homemade pit of beans on this dish. It completely lacks flavor and depth. Don’t waste your time.
Anonymous
Santa Fe
2/11/2022