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These 25-minute Tomato Beans simmer soft white beans in a tangy, savory, and smoky tomato sauce, giving you a rich and hearty meal to serve over polenta or scoop up with crusty bread. Vegan and Gluten-Free, Oil-Free Option.
These Hearty Tomato Beans are proof that you don’t need more than a few minutes to whip up a deeply flavorful and satisfying meal! Buttery white beans and a rustic tomato sauce simmer together with just 10 minutes of prep and 15 minutes on the stove. In less time than it would take you to start a more extravagant meal, this rich and warming Tuscan-inspired dish is ready to warm you up on a chilly evening.
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Your New Go-To Comfort Food
I’m almost grateful for the cold and rainy weather because it gives me an excuse to dig into my favorite comfort foods. From Vegan Mac & Cheese to Butternut Squash Soup, there’s no shortage of vegan comfort foods on my blog, but I’m usually happiest with a big bowl of creamy white beans stewed in a luxurious sauce. And that’s exactly what these Vegan Tomato Beans are all about—a quick and easy dish with the ultimate cozy vibe.
This saucy stewed white beans recipe takes the classic Italian combination of tomatoes and beans to the next level. Canned white beans are simmered in a layered and deeply flavorful tomato sauce seasoned with balsamic vinegar, Italian herbs, and red chili flakes. The result is a savory, smoky, and spicy-ish weeknight dinner you can enjoy with creamy polenta or a hunk of bread.
The best part? It all comes together in less than 30 minutes!
What You Need for Tomato Beans
A handful of quality Italian-style ingredients make up this hearty white bean recipe:
- Capers: these add a burst of tangy, briny flavor throughout the dish. Are your capers too salty? Rinse them under cold running water first to wash away the excess salt.
- Seasonings: a blend of Italian seasoning, paprika, and red chili flakes adds the Tuscan-inspired flavor and just the right amount of heat here. You only need 1/2 teaspoon of chili flakes but if you’re sensitive to spice, reduce the amount to 1/4 teaspoon.
- Balsamic Vinegar: opt for a good-quality aged balsamic vinegar if you can. Its sour and almost floral notes make a BIG difference in the flavor and balance of the sauce. Imitation balsamic vinegar doesn’t have the same “pop” since it’s just vinegar with sweetener and color added in.
- White Beans: go with a soft and creamy white bean, like butter beans, great northern beans, cannellini beans, or navy beans. They’ll soak up the tangy tomato sauce beautifully and melt in your mouth.
- Tomatoes: pick up a can of crushed tomatoes for ease or blitz 5 to 6 fresh Roma tomatoes in your food processor instead. They’re the star of the tomato sauce (obviously!), so quality matters here.
- Vegetable Broth: any good-quality store-bought or homemade vegetable broth works well. Make sure it’s low-sodium to help your savory sauce stay balanced.
How to Make Tomato Beans
- Sauté the onions in a large pan until they begin to brown. Add the garlic, capers, Italian seasoning, paprika, and chili flakes, then cook until fragrant.
- Deglaze the pan with balsamic vinegar and simmer until it’s evaporated.
- Stir the beans, crushed tomatoes, and vegetable broth into the pan and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the chopped basil. Season with salt or chili flakes to taste and serve warm with bread or polenta. Enjoy!
Caitlin’s Cooking Tips
- Don’t rush the aromatics: Taking the time to cook the onions and garlic until they’re fragrant and browned around the edges unlocks some serious flavor in this dish. This process can take anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes, so patience is key!
- Is your tomato sauce splattering? That’s a simple fix—just lower the heat to medium low and keep a lid or splatter guard nearby to prevent the mess.
- For a creamier texture, lightly mash some of the white beans with the back of a spoon or puree up to half of them with an immersion blender during the last few minutes of cooking. The released starches will thicken up the sauce, so have plenty of crusty bread on hand for dunking and scooping.
Serving Suggestions
As the tomato beans are doing their thing on the stove, prepare a batch of creamy polenta and slice up a loaf of crusty bread (anything from sourdough to ciabatta will do). Add a scoop of the beans over top of the polenta in bowls, then scoop up every bite with a big slice of bread. And there you have it: the ultimate cozy weeknight dinner!
You can also serve the tomato beans as a satisfying side dish with dinner. I’d recommend serving a scoop alongside this Everyday Kale Salad and a light yet comforting main, like a bowl of this Vegan Stew, a few slices of this Tofu Turkey, or these Portobello Mushroom Steaks.
If you’re looking for more recipes that will upgrade the canned beans in your cupboard, you’ll also love these Braised White Beans and Greens, this Cozy White Bean Stew, and these Cacio e Pepe Butter Beans!
How to Store Leftover Stewed Tomato Beans
Wait for the leftover tomato beans to cool to room temperature, then transfer them to an airtight container. They’ll keep for up to 5 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer. Thaw the frozen beans in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
You can reheat the leftover tomato beans in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stove over medium low heat. You may need to add a splash of water or broth to the batch to make them saucy again.
Substitutions and Variations
- Oil-Free Variation: Sauté the onions and garlic in a splash of vegetable broth or water instead of olive oil. You’ll skip the added fat, but not the flavor.
- Balsamic Vinegar Substitute: If you don’t have balsamic vinegar, use an equal amount of red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar combined with 1 teaspoon of brown sugar or maple syrup instead.
- Capers Substitute: Chopped green olives will lend a similar briny, salty flavor. You can also omit the capers if you’re not a fan.
- Add Leafy Greens: For a little more nutrition, feel free to stir in a handful of chopped spinach, kale, or Swiss chard at the end and cook until the leaves wilt.
- For a Protein Boost: White beans are already a great source of plant protein but you can stir in up to 1/4 cup of cooked quinoa or red lentils to make this dish extra hearty. Or, try topping the bowls of tomato beans with seared plant-based Italian sausage or crispy baked tofu.
Recipe FAQs
They go so well together. The acidic and sweet tomatoes complement the creamy and earthy beans, leaving you with a satisfying bowl of savory goodness!
You can use chickpeas instead of cannellini beans or another soft white bean if you want. Just know that chickpeas are firmer and won’t melt into the dish as well.
Yes. To make baked beans with tomato sauce, follow steps 1 and 2 as normal, then transfer the bean mixture to an oven-safe dish. Cover it with aluminum foil and bake at 375°F (190°C) for 25 to 30 minutes or until the beans are heated through and the tomato sauce has thickened.
Enjoy! If you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I would also love it if you could leave a comment below with a recipe rating! Thank you for the support 😊
Hearty Tomato Beans
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion fine dice
- 7-10 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons capers
- 1 teaspoon salt-free Italian seasoning blend
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
- 1 tablespoon good quality balsamic vinegar
- 2 15 ounce butter or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 14 ounce crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
- 1 ounce freshly chopped basil, for serving (about 1 cup; or sub parsley)
Instructions
- Aromatics: Warm the oil in a large sauté pan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Once shimmering add the onion and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes, until the onion is beginning to brown around the edges. Add the garlic, capers, Italian seasoning, paprika, and chili flakes. Sauté for another 1 to 2 minutes, until the garlic starts to brown.
- Deglaze: Add the balsamic vinegar to the pan and sauté until it’s evaporated. Add the beans, crushed tomatoes, vegetable broth, and salt to the pan. Use a spatula to scrape any browned bits off of the bottom of the pan if necessary
- Simmer: Bring the mixture to a simmer over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to medium low if the sauce starts to splatter.
- Final Touches: Turn the heat off and stir in half of the chopped basil. Season with additional salt or chili flakes to taste, as necessary.
- Serve: Serve warm, with crusty bread or over polenta – or as desired! Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- Beans: I recommend using a creamy white bean for this recipe like butter beans, great northern beans, cannellini beans, or navy beans. You can also make this recipe with chickpeas, but I prefer to use a softer bean that has more starch here.
- Gluten-Free: This recipe is gluten-free as written.
So delicious!!! Planning to make more often.
enjoy!
This is SO good. I love how flavorful and easy it is.
So glad, Sarah!
The vegans and the non-vegans in my house loved this dish. Next time I’ll make a double batch, and perhaps serve over rice instead of polenta.
Thanks Karen! I love it served over both rice and polenta, so it’s definitely worth a try!