Alison Roman's Caramelized Beans with Tomato & Cabbage

This is baked beans, but not as you know them. Alison Roman's Caramelized Beans with Tomato & Cabbage skips the brown sugar and molasses in favor of something better: jammy tomatoes and deeply browned cabbage that become perceptibly sweeter and tangier as they roast, approximating that baked-bean feeling through pure caramelization. Butter beans, shallot, a splash of vinegar, and an hour in a hot oven is all it takes. Serve with a hunk of sour, rustic bread and that's dinner.

Ingredients (serves 4):

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 small head (about 1.5 lbs) cabbage, cut into 1-inch wedges
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
  • 2 (15-ounce) cans large white beans such as butter beans, gigante, or cannellini, drained and rinsed
  • 8 ounces tomatoes, preferably small, halved or quartered
  • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar, sherry vinegar, or white distilled vinegar
  • Parmesan for grating, ricotta for spooning, or feta for crumbling (optional)

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
  2. Heat butter and olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add cabbage cut-side down, season with salt and pepper. Cook, without disturbing, until deeply golden brown on one side, 8-10 minutes. Flip and repeat on the other side, another 8-10 minutes.
  3. Add shallots to the pan, season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until nicely browned and tender, 5-7 minutes.
  4. Place beans in a 1.5- to 2-quart baking dish. Add the browned cabbage and shallots, along with tomatoes, vinegar, and 1 cup water. Season well with salt and pepper and rearrange so some cabbage and tomato pieces make their way to the top.
  5. Bake until liquid has reduced significantly, everything is bubbling and sticky, and the top is browned, bordering on crisp, 50-60 minutes.
  6. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Serve with or without cheese.

Tip: The beans can be made 2 days ahead, wrapped, and refrigerated. Reheat uncovered at 425 degrees F for 20-30 minutes until warmed through and bubbling.

Alison Roman's new cookbook, Something from Nothing, is a love letter to the pantry and we're here for it. We've stocked Martie with some of her favorite pantry staples: the essentials for cooking something from nothing. Shop all of it, and score more FREE recipes, here. 

Recipe Source: Something from Nothing by Alison Roman

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