A high protein, vegetarian meal made with large white beans (e.g., Royal Coronas, Cannellini, Great Northern), smothered in a rich and tasty roasted tomato garlic sauce and finished off with fresh herbs and cheese. Delicious comfort food.
*See Kitchen Notes for more information, related links and substitutions.
The dried beans can be cooked 2-3 days in advance.
To cook Royal Corona beans or another white bean, follow the instructions at this link.
Save 3 cups of cooked beans for this recipe and use the rest in another dish.
Add the chile flakes, oregano, and Italian herb blend. Stir frequently until the herbs become fragrant, about 1 minute.
Slowly pour in the tomatoes with juice. Add the black pepper and 1 Tbsp. tomato paste. Stir to dissolve the paste.
Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the roasted garlic and stir. If the sauce is too thin, add another Tbsp of tomato paste. Stir to incorporate.
Taste and add salt if needed (but keep in mind that you’ll be adding cheese to the final dish, so don’t over salt.) If the sauce is too acidic, add ½ tsp. honey, taste again, and if still a little too acidic, add another ½ tsp.
Add 3 cups of cooked, drained corona beans to the sauce. Stir to coat the beans and heat through.
Serve in wide bowls. Top with finely grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese and a few more chopped, fresh herbs if desired.
Corona beans - Since it takes about 6 hours to brine and cook up a pot of large white beans such as Royal Coronas, you can make them up to 3 days in advance. You can also make the beans and the sauce on the same day. While the beans are in the brine, cook up the sauce then let it rest and flavor while the beans cook.
Roasted tomatoes – During the summer and fall, I roast many of my homegrown tomatoes and freeze them in 2 cups containers. To roast the tomatoes, I follow the recipe for Tomato Confit, minus the olive oil drizzle. If you don’t have any frozen tomatoes, substitute with crushed, canned Fire Roasted Tomatoes or buy some fresh tomatoes and roast them.
Roasted garlic and infused garlic oil – I always keep a jar of roasted garlic and oil in my refrigerator. If you don’t have either of these, you can make a quick batch. Pour 3 to 4 Tbsp olive oil in a small skillet and add several cloves of garlic, peeled and gently smashed. Heat over medium heat for about 20 to 30 minutes. The olive oil should sizzle a little bit around the garlic cloves. If the cloves start to brown before 15 minutes, reduce the heat. Cook until the garlic cloves are soft and lightly brown. Use some of the oil and garlic cloves in this sauce and save the unused oil and cloves for another dish.
Honey – Honey helps to counter the acidity of tomatoes. If your final sauce is too acidic for your taste, add a bit honey as instructed. Just don’t use too much. It will make the sauce too sweet.
Fresh herbs – You can use any combination you choose. Basil, tarragon, and marjoram can be used depending on how you plan to use the sauce. Marjoram is nice if you would like to use this sauce as a pizza sauce.
Meat Option - If you want a little meat in the meal, then add an Italian sausage. Remove the sausage from its casing, crumble into a skillet and cook through. Add to the tomato sauce before adding the beans.
Other uses for the Roasted Garlic Tomato Sauce – A sauce for pasta, pizza, or bruschetta.
Recipe author: MJ of MJ's Kitchen