Vegetable-Rich Baked Beans

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 celery stalks, diced

1 large carrots, diced or 2 regular

Salt

freshly ground black pepper or red pepper flakes

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup dry white or red wine optional

4 ounces curly kale leaves, chopped or torn

2 1/4 cups crushed tomatoes reserve the rest for another use

1 pound giant white beans cooked firm-tender

3/4 cup vegetable broth up to

1/2 pound mozzarella coarsely grated

1/3 cup grated Parmesan

2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley roughly chopped, for garnish (optional)

Equipment

sauté pan, braiser, or shallow Dutch oven

oven

Directions

Heat the oven to 475 degrees. In a 2 1/2-to-3-quart (ideally oven-safe) deep sauté pan, braiser, or shallow Dutch oven, heat the olive oil on medium-high. Add the onion, celery, and carrots. Season well with salt and black or red pepper. Cook, sautéing, until the vegetables brown lightly, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook for 1 minute more. Add the wine, if using, to scrape up any stuck bits, then simmer until it disappears, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the kale, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until collapsed, then add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Add the beans, and, if the mixture looks too dry or thick, add up to 3/4 cup broth, 1/4 cup at a time. Simmer the mixture together over medium for about 10 minutes, adjusting the seasonings as needed. If your pan isn’t ovenproof, transfer the mixture to a 3-quart baking dish.

Sprinkle the beans first with the mozzarella, then the Parmesan, and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until browned on top. If you’re impatient and want a deeper color, you can run it under the broiler. Finish with parsley, if desired.