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This one-pot White Bean Puttanesca packs a punch, with white beans simmered in a rich sauce made from tomatoes, olives, capers, and garlic. A fun and easy play on an Italian classic! Vegan and Gluten-Free.
This simple recipe for Puttanesca with White Beans transforms pantry staples, like tomatoes, olives, capers, and white beans into a deeply comforting, pasta-free dinner. While this dish is traditionally made with spaghetti, I opted for white beans to make it easier to serve with polenta and crusty bread!
Table of Contents
What is Puttanesca?
Spaghetti alla puttanesca is a classic Italian dish with a, uh, colorful name. It literally translates to “worthless” or “whore” because the sauce is made with cheap and accessible ingredients, like tomatoes, olives, garlic, capers, and oil. Colorful name or not, this is one simple yet tasty meal I could eat every day of the week.
My White Bean Puttanesca Recipe is a vegan-friendly and gluten-free variation of the version made with spaghetti. With the same punch of briny and umami flavors, there’s only one big difference: I swapped the pasta for soft and creamy white beans.
“What do you mean you ditched the pasta?!” I did, and here’s why: canned cannellini beans have a special place in my heart (and cupboard). They add more plant protein to every bite, cook even faster than pasta, and are incredibly cost-effective, lowering this already budget-friendly meal’s price tag even more!
Trust me—white beans are magical in this Italian classic and I know you’ll love them, too.
What You Need for Bean Puttanesca
This vegan puttanesca recipe is all about making pantry staples shine. Because so few ingredients are needed, I recommend splurging on the good stuff to help the sauce taste its best, especially when it comes to the olives and tomatoes. This is what you need:
- Tomatoes: canned whole tomatoes, like San Marzano tomatoes, are drained and mashed by hand to form the base of the sauce. A can of crushed tomatoes will also work if you want to save a step.
- Kalamata Olives: head to the olive bar in your local grocery store for the best fresh olives. Kalamata olives are quite large, so I recommend slicing them in half before adding them to the sauce.
- Capers: these add another layer of punchy, salty flavors to this white bean recipe. Sometimes, capers can be a little too salty, but it helps to rinse them under cold running water.
- Miso Paste: any mellow-tasting miso paste, like white or yellow miso, will do. It adds a nice pop of umami to complement the tomatoes and tone down the briny olives and capers.
- Herbs and Spices: either fresh or dried thyme and a pinch of red pepper flakes lend warm, subtly spicy flavors.
- Canned White Beans: I used cannellini beans because they’re soft and tender, just like pasta or gnocchi. Any other creamy white bean, like great northern beans, navy beans, and butter beans, will also work well here.
How to Make White Bean Puttanesca
- Drain the canned tomatoes and discard the juices. In a large bowl, mash the tomatoes until they’re in bite-sized pieces.
- Sauté the garlic in a pan over medium heat. Once golden, add the olives, capers, miso paste, thyme, and red pepper flakes to the pan. Mash the miso paste with the other ingredients until combined.
- Add the white beans and mashed tomatoes to the pan. Simmer until the tomatoes and beans soften and the flavors have come together.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve the warm beans over rice, polenta, or with bread on the side. Enjoy!
Caitlin’s Cooking Tips
- If the tomato sauce starts to splatter on the stove, cover the pan with a splatter guard or reduce the heat slightly.
- Balance the big flavors as the sauce simmers. If the sauce ever tastes off-balance, you can adjust the flavors by adding a little more miso for a boost of umami or another clove or two of garlic for a stronger savory taste. And if the tomatoes are a little too sour, a pinch of white sugar will easily tone them down.
Serving Suggestions
You only need 30 minutes to make white bean puttanesca, which should be just enough to cook a batch of vegan polenta, rice, or quinoa. Add a scoop of the polenta or grains to a bowl and spoon the saucy beans over top. Enjoy them as-is for lunch or dinner or with roasted veggies on the side, like these Roasted Root Vegetables or these Dijon Garlic Roasted Potatoes.
To me, no saucy white bean recipe is complete without crusty bread on the side. A big ‘ol toasted hunk of my Whole Wheat Bread is perfect for dunking and scooping up each bite and soaking up the leftover sauce at the bottom of the bowl.
If you’d rather skip most of the carbs, feel free to pair the beans with something lighter on the side. My Everyday Kale Salad is light and refreshing, while my Tomato Cucumber Basil Salad is super simple but packed with flavor.
If you’re looking for more saucy braised white bean recipes, you’ll also love these Tomato Beans, these Cacio e Pepe Butter Beans, these Sweet & Smoky White Beans, and these Braised White Beans & Greens!
How to Store White Bean Puttanesca
Once fully cool, transfer the leftover puttanesca to an airtight container. It will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator or up to 2 months in the freezer. Allow the leftovers to thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
To reheat, either warm the puttanesca in the microwave (stirring every 30 seconds) or in a saucepan over medium heat. You can stir in a splash of broth or water to help loosen the consistency if needed.
Substitutions and Variations
- Olive Substitute: Kalamata olives are really your best bet here but if you can’t find them or aren’t a fan, use an equal amount of black olives instead.
- Veggie Add-Ins: While not traditional, you can easily turn this into a bulkier, heartier meal by simmering finely diced zucchini, mushrooms, bell peppers, or eggplant in the sauce.
- Oil-Free Variation: Sauté the garlic, olives, capers, miso paste, thyme, and red pepper flakes in a shallow layer of water or vegetable broth instead of olive oil. Add more liquid to the pan as needed.
Recipe FAQs
Traditional spaghetti puttanesca has a salty, briny, and savory flavor profile thanks to the olives, garlic, and anchovies in the sauce.
You can use an equal amount of canned chickpeas instead of white beans here but they will not become as soft and creamy.
Yes! Soak 1 1/2 cups of dry white beans in water overnight, then drain and simmer in fresh water the next day until tender (about 45 minutes to 1 hour).
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 😊
White Bean Puttanesca
Ingredients
- 1 28 ounce can peeled whole tomatoes
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup kalamata olives sliced in half
- 2 tablespoons capers drained
- 2 teaspoons mellow miso paste
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or sub 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 46.5 ounces canned cannellini beans drained and rinsed
Instructions
- Prep the Tomatoes: Drain the can of tomatoes over a fine mesh sieve and discard the juice that comes out. Place the drained tomatoes in a large bowl and use a fork or potato masher to mash the tomatoes until they are in bite-sized pieces.
- Aromatics: Warm the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the sliced garlic and fry for 3 to 5 minutes, until the edges are golden. Add the olives, capers, miso paste, thyme, and red pepper flakes to the pan. Sauté for an additional 1 to 2 minutes, mashing the miso paste with the other ingredients until it becomes evenly distributed.
- Simmer: Add the drained beans and mashed tomatoes to the pan. Bring to a simmer over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the mixture starts to splatter I recommend covering it with a splatter guard, or reduce the heat as necessary.
- Serve & Store: Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste, as necessary. Serve warm over rice or polenta, or alongside some crusty bread and roasted veggies. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Leftovers can also be frozen for up to 2 months.
Recipe Notes
- Beans: Cannellini beans can be substituted with another creamy white bean, like great northern beans, navy beans.
Very good! Used two cans of cannellini beans instead of three (only had two) but I thought the proportions were spot on with two. Also subbed tomato paste for miso paste. Final simmer with lid on for about 10 min and it was saucy and delicious. Served with sourdough bread.
Delicious, I’m so glad you enjoyed!!
I love your recipes and this looks great. Question- does it really use 46.5 ounces of beans- like 3 cans? That seems like a lot for 4 servings.
yes! it makes quite a big portion 🙂