Pizza Beans
Updated Jul 16, 2026
Pizza Beans are baked with white beans, marinara, mozzarella, and pizza toppings for an easy high-protein snack, lunch, or appetizer.
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Pizza beans are what I make when I want pizza flavor without making dough or waiting for delivery. It’s basically saucy white beans baked with marinara, mozzarella, Parmesan, and a few pizza toppings until everything is warm and bubbly.
I like this recipe because it feels fun but still has protein and fiber from the beans. It’s great for lunch, a snacky dinner, or even an easy appetizer with crusty bread for scooping. You can keep the toppings simple or add whatever pizza-style toppings you already have in the fridge.
Recipe Testing Notes
For the past 10 years, I’ve tested every recipe before sharing it with you! These notes give you a peek into the process of developing this pizza beans recipe.
I originally tested this recipe as a single-serve pizza beans recipe in a small 6-inch skillet for lunch. I only used one can of beans and eyeballed the sauce, cheese and toppings. When I went back to officially do a recipe test, I found that it’s a super forgiving recipe and works well with different ratios of sauce to beans.
One thing I did notice is that the size of the baking dish makes a difference. A smaller dish keeps the beans saucier and helps the cheese sit nicely on top. If the dish is too wide, the beans spread out too much and the cheese doesn’t cover them as well.
I also tested it with and without the broil at the end. It’s not necessary, but if you want that lightly browned cheese on top, 1 to 2 minutes under the broiler gives it more of a pizza feel. Just watch it closely because it can brown quickly.
Happy Cooking!
– Yumna
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Pizza Beans Ingredients
- White beans: Cannellini beans, Great Northern beans, or navy beans all work. Make sure to drain and rinse them well before adding them to the baking dish.
- Marinara sauce: Use your favorite jarred marinara or my homemade marinara sauce if you have some ready.
- Seasonings: Dried oregano, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper flakes give the beans that pizza flavor without needing a lot of ingredients.
- Mozzarella cheese: Shredded mozzarella melts well on top. You can use part-skim or whole milk mozzarella.
- Parmesan cheese: Optional, but I like the salty flavor it adds with the mozzarella.
- Pizza toppings: Cherry tomatoes, green peppers, and black olives are easy here, but you can switch them up based on what you like. Add the fresh basil after baking so it stays fresh and doesn’t turn dark.
How to Make Pizza Beans
These step-by-step photos walk you through how to make Pizza Beans. For the full ingredient list and detailed instructions, head to the recipe card below, or skip straight to the → Pizza Beans Recipe below
1. MEASURE THE INGREDIENTS
Add the drained white beans to an oven safe baking dish or skillet along with marinara sauce, oregano and garlic powder.
2. STIR THE BEANS & SAUCE
Stir everything together, then spread the beans into an even layer.
3. ADD THE TOPPINGS
Top with the mozzarella, Parmesan, cherry tomatoes, green peppers, olives, more oregano and crushed red pepper flakes.
4. BAKE THE PIZZA BEANS
Bake until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is melted.
Full Pizza Beans Recipe
Pizza Beans
Video
Ingredients
- 2 (15-ounce) cans white beans drained and rinsed
- ¾ cup marinara sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano divided
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 small tomato sliced, optional
- ¼ small green pepper sliced
- 2 tablespoons sliced black olives
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Fresh basil for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Add the drained white beans to a 10-inch baking dish or skillet. Stir in the marinara sauce, ½ teaspoon oregano and garlic powder.
- Spread the beans into an even layer. Top with the mozzarella, Parmesan, cherry tomatoes, green peppers, olives, the remaining ½ teaspoon oregano and crushed red pepper flakes.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is melted.
- Finish with fresh basil and serve warm with crusty bread.
Equipment
- 10" Cast Iron Skillet
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Recipe Tips
- Drain and rinse the beans well. This helps remove the canned liquid so the pizza beans don’t turn watery in the oven.
- Use an oven-safe skillet or baking dish. I use a 10-inch cast iron skillet so the high edges keep everything tucked together, keeping the beans saucy and the cheese melting over the top.
- Add fresh basil after baking. The heat from the oven can make basil wilt and darken quickly, so I like to sprinkle it on right before serving.
- Watch closely if broiling. The cheese can go from lightly golden to too browned fast, so keep an eye on it if you broil at the end.
Troubleshooting
This usually happens if the beans were not drained well or if the marinara sauce was very thin. Drain and rinse the beans well, and use a thicker marinara if possible.
Yes. Double all the ingredients and use a larger baking dish. The bake time should be similar, but add a few extra minutes if the beans are not bubbling around the edges.
Comments
Fabulous recipe and so easy to make!! Totally customizable!! My husband, the pizza king in our house, loved it! I added pepperoni to his side. I’m happy with all veggies on mine. I’ll be making this again and again since I always have white beans on hand. Thank you!!!
Amazing! I’m so happy to hear that. And I agree with you about loading it veggies for myself lol!
This smelled so good! My boys thought I had made pizza, they aren’t to keen on beans but promised they would try it anyway.
I love the smell, too! I hope they kept their promise and tried it!
Why am I unable to pin this recipe to my board in Pinterest?
Hi! There are two ways to save the recipe on Pinterest: Scroll down and tap the Pinterest flag that appears on the left side of the page (above the Facebook flag), or tap the Pinterest logo on the top right of any recipe photo. Let me know if you still can’t find it!