Skip to Content

Cheesy Italian Canned Baked Beans


These Cheesy Italian Canned Baked Beans are a delicious spin on a Southern classic.  Traditional Italian flavors like onion, garlic, tomatoes, and real Parmesan transform boring pantry staples into a comforting new dish.  This is a sponsored post, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

scooping baked beans with a wooden spoon

When it comes to grocery shopping, I fall in to one of two extremes: either I order online and pickup (usually if I have my kiddos with me) or I shop alone wandering aimlessly for hours (only when I’m all alone).  We joke that I will do almost anything to not have to take all three of my kiddos out to the store with me, especially when James is at the Fire Station.  As a result, I’ve learned to get creative with my pantry staples!

Cheesy Italian Canned Baked Beans

These Cheesy Italian Canned Baked Beans were born from one such occasion.  Fresh ingredients like onion, garlic, and rosemary brighten up canned beans and tomatoes from my pantry.  Real Parmesan and fontina cheese send this comforting dish over the top.

white beans being washed under running water

Canned Beans

I always stock my pantry with several different kinds of canned beans.  I keep black beans on hand for my Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup and Great Northern Beans for my White Chicken Chili Soup.  This Cheesy Italian Canned Baked Beans recipe uses cannellini beans, which I also use for this Tuscan Bean Soup.

More recipes that use canned beans:

Why wash canned beans?

Most recipes that use canned beans will instruct you to drain and rinse the beans before adding them into the dish.  It’s important to do this step because the cloudy liquid (mostly starch and salt) may change the texture or taste of the dish if not discarded.  Draining and rinsing also removes the metallic flavor sometimes found in canned beans.

adding sauce to a pan, sauce in a pan, stirring in beans

In addition to canned beans, I also always have several different types of canned tomatoes.  Crushed (for my Restaurant Style Salsa), petite diced (for my Linguine Arrabbiata), and fire-roasted (also used for my Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup) are among my favorites.

Parmigiano Reggiano in the package

Good cheese is another pantry (refrigerator) staple in our house — it’s one of my favorite, go-to snacks and used in tons of my recipes.  Real Parmigiano Reggiano is one of my favorites because is naturally lactose-free.  (My husband and my son are both lactose-intolerant.)  It is easily digestible and a great source of both protein and calcium.

grating Parmesan

For rich flavor don’t buy pre-grated parmesan, buy a wedge of Parmigiano Reggiano and freshly grate your own for the most intense flavor.  Parmigiano Reggiano is the perfect addition to a cheese board or as a topping to a simple salad.  And never toss that beautiful rind!  Use it to flavor a delicious homemade broth.

Love Parmesan?  Try my:

Italian style baked beans

Serve this Cheesy Italian Canned Baked Beans dish with homemade cornbread or a loaf of crusty French bread.  If you don’t have fontina cheese on hand, try provolone or Gruyere.  Don’t skimp on the Parmesan though, you want that buttery, nutty flavor!

cheesy Italian canned baked beans in a white rectangular dish

cheesy Italian canned baked beans in a white rectangular dish

Cheesy Italian Style Baked Beans

4.80 from 5 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 424kcal
Author: Emily Grace

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup coarsely chopped yellow onion
  • 3 cloves garlic, sliced
  • 28 oz fire-roasted crushed tomatoes, undrained
  • 1/4 cup fresh rosemary leaves, coarsely chopped + extra for garnish
  • 3 15 oz cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
  • 3/4 cup shredded Parmigiano Reggiano
  • 1/2 cup shredded fontina cheese
  • crushed red pepper

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  • Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet.  Add onion, garlic, and 1/8 tsp salt.  
  • Cook, stirring constantly, for five minutes of until tender.  
  • Stir in tomatoes and rosemary.  Bring to boiling; boil gently, uncovered, 5 minutes or until slightly thickened.
  • Stir in beans and half the Parmesan.  Season to taste with crushed red pepper, salt, and black pepper.
  • Transfer to a 2-qt. baking dish and top with remaining Parmesan and the Fontina. 
  • Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until beginning to lightly brown around the edges. Sprinkle with additional rosemary before serving.

Notes

Adapted from BH&G.

Nutrition

Calories: 424kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 474mg | Potassium: 1394mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 515IU | Vitamin C: 13.4mg | Calcium: 415mg | Iron: 8.3mg
Did you make this recipe? Mention @GraceGoodEats or tag #graceandgoodeats!
Recipe Rating




Kym Ramsay

Friday 7th of June 2019

I haven't tried it yet, but it looks delicious! My fussy kids only seem to like red kidney or black beans though, do you think this recipe would work with red kidney beans?

Thanks, Kym

Tawnie

Saturday 12th of January 2019

Cannot wait to make these!!

Susie

Friday 11th of January 2019

This looks fantastic! It's like bean lasagna.

Sharing is Caring

Help spread the word. You're awesome for doing it!