By Alexandra Caspero on January 31, 2024
All of the flavor of puttanesca in creamy bean form!
Serves 4-6
Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe
If you love spaghetti puttanesca, you’ll love this creamy bean version! All of the flavors of puttanesca are in bean form. Serve these puttanesca beans on its own, over crispy toast, or with polenta.
this Recipe
If you love the flavor of puttanesca, then you’re going to love these creamy puttanesca beans served with garlic bread.
Growing up, my mom would make pasta puttanesca all the time as a quick and easy meal. All you need is tomatoes, capers, olives, and fresh parsley. That’s it! While puttanesca sauce is usually served with pasta like in my one-pot puttanesca recipe, this hearty bean version is so good as an appetizer or a main.
Serve it with crusty garlic bread, my preferred version, or spooned over polenta. See below for more details and tips, or scroll down to the full recipe card below.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Tomato Paste: The tomato paste adds a nice, rich, umami taste to these beans.
- Fire-roasted tomatoes: The fire-roasted tomatoes add another note of smoky tomato flavor, but regular diced tomatoes will also work. Tomato sauce or tomato passata can also work in a pinch.
- White Beans: I prefer cannellini beans in this recipe, but white navy beans or great northern beans will also work.
- Olives and Capers: The olives and capers make the puttanesca flavor, and I don’t recommend omitting them. Anchovies are typically used in making puttanesca, but I didn’t use them to keep this vegetarian. You can if you’d like.
- Fresh parsley: The parsley and the hint of acid in the lemon juice or the red wine vinegar are also essential to this recipe. The freshness helps to balance the richness and the saltiness of the olives.
How to Make Puttanesca Beans
Saute the Onion and Garlic
Cook the onion and garlic in olive oil until softened.
Add the tomatoes and beans
Stir in the tomato paste, then the roasted tomatoes, beans, olives, and capers. Add the broth and simmer until warm and thickened.
Garnish
Stir in the parsley, red wine vinegar or lemon juice, parmesan cheese, and taste to serve. Enjoy with crispy garlic bread or on its own.
Serve
Enjoy as is, or served on top of warmed garlic bread
How to Serve
You can serve these puttanesca beans as an appetizer with crostini or as a main dish alongside a side salad and bread.
If you like polenta, these are also great spooned over creamy or crispy polenta rounds. Or you can also serve it with pasta like traditional puttanesca.
More Mediterranean-Inspired Bean Recipes
- Marinated White Bean Salad
- Italian Farro Bean Soup
- Pesto Orzo with White Beans
- Tuscan White Bean Soup
- Healthy Pasta fa*gioli
If you try these puttanesca beans, make sure to come back to leave a rating and a comment. Your feedback helps other readers, and seeing you make my recipes makes my day!
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Puttanesca Beans with Garlic Bread
- Author: Alexandra Caspero
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: beans, puttanesca, appetizer, main dish
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: American, Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
If you love spaghetti puttanesca, you’ll love this creamy bean version! All of the flavors of puttanesca are in bean form. Serve on its own, over crispy toast, or with polenta.
Print Recipe
- Author: Alexandra Caspero
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: beans, puttanesca, appetizer, main dish
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: American, Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
- Author: Alexandra Caspero
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: beans, puttanesca, appetizer, main dish
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: American, Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Scale
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 white or yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 minced garlic cloves
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 (15-ounce) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
- 1 cup low-sodium broth
- 2 (15 ounce) white beans (navy beans, cannellini beans, great northern beans)
- 1/2 cup chopped kalamata olives
- 2 tablespoons capers
- 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice or red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese (or vegan parmesan cheese)
- Garlic bread, for serving*
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic until just fragrant.
- Add in the tomato pasta, red pepper flakes and cook until slightly darkened, about 1 minute, and then add in the broth, tomatoes, white beans, olives and capers. Simmer over low heat and cook until thickened, about 10-15 minutes, stirring often.
- Remove from heat and stir in the parsley, lemon juice and parmesan cheese. Stir and taste. You may likely not need additional salt because of the olives, capers and cheese.
- *Serve as is, with crusty garlic bread (my favorite!) or even spooned over polenta.
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Meet Alex Caspero
Alex Caspero is a Registered Dietitian, New York Times Bestselling Chef, and mom of two. She aims to cut through the nutrition noise by providing real-life, nourishing tips for body and mind. Learn more about Alex.
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This was an instant hit. Put over polenta every bite was rich and smooth. This will be made again and again.
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