Meet pizza salad, a family-friendly plate of tomatoes, mozzarella and marinated beans

If you’re a fan of the convenience and versatility of canned beans but you’ve thought they could use a flavor boost, I’ve got two words for you: marinate them.

Beans can soak up the flavors in a simple combination of vinegar, olive oil, garlic, basil, and red-pepper flakes - and they can do it even more quickly with the application of a little heat. The following use of this idea comes from Jenny Rosenstrach’s new book, The Weekday Vegetarians (Clarkson Potter, 2021), which is full of her ideas for eating meatless five days a week and then being free for carnivorous splurges on two. Rosenstrach calls for marinating the beans in the refrigerator for as little as 15 minutes and as long as five days. She doesn’t call for warming, but I knew — and verified in testing — that it jump-starts the whole affair so effectively it’s worth incorporating into the method.

Marinated beans have all sorts of uses, from simple side dish to grain-bowl topping, but Rosenstrach tosses them into what she calls “pizza salad.” The brilliant thing about it is that the beans’ marinade becomes the salad dressing; unlike with meat marinades, there’s no need to worry about any food-safety issues in the reusing.

By the way, you can interpret the “pizza salad” name any way you like here. Rosenstrach calls it that because it reminds her of her family’s tradition of topping tomato pizza with salad. And this would work beautifully for that - or on the side. I like the name because with tomatoes, mozzarella, and Parmesan, you’ve got many of the elements of a simple pizza, except the crust. Add some croutons, if you like, and you’d get even closer.

Active time: 15 mins | Total time: 45 mins (or up to overnight for marinating beans)

6 servings

This recipe proves that even canned beans can take on a ton of flavor from a marinade, which does double duty as the dressing. To make it vegan, substitute baked tofu for the mozzarella and leave out the Parmesan, or choose a vegan version such as the Violife brand.

Make Ahead: The beans can be refrigerated for up to 5 days before assembling the salad.

Ingredients:

FOR THE MARINATED BEANS

⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil

¼ cup red wine vinegar

1 garlic clove, halved

Fine sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

8 fresh basil leaves, chopped, or 1 rosemary sprig, left whole

Pinch crushed red pepper flakes

3 cups cooked white beans, such as cranberry, cannellini, or great northern, or two 15-ounce cans, rinsed and drained

FOR THE SALAD

5 ounces lettuce, such as bibb, little gem, or baby greens of your choice (about 8 cups)

1 pint quartered or sliced tomatoes, preferably grape or ripe heirlooms

1 large shallot (3 ounces), thinly sliced

6 ounces bocconcini (small mozzarella balls) or 1/2-inch cubes fresh mozzarella

1/2 cup (2 ounces) shaved Parmesan cheese

8 large fresh basil leaves, chopped

DIRECTIONS

Make the marinated beans: In a small skillet over medium heat, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, salt, black pepper, basil, and red pepper flakes. Toss in the beans, bring the mixture to a simmer, then remove from the heat, transfer to a bowl, and let come to room temperature, about 30 minutes. (If desired, cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 5 days.)

Make the salad: In a large shallow bowl, toss together the lettuce, tomatoes, shallot, mozzarella, Parmesan, and basil. Toss in the beans with their marinade and serve.

Adapted from “The Weekday Vegetarians” by Jenny Rosenstrach (Clarkson Potter, 2021).

— Joe Yonan is the Food and Dining editor of The Washington Post and writes the Weeknight Vegetarian column. He is the author of “Cool Beans,” a cookbook about his favorite ingredient.