Description
This White Bean and Pesto Bake is a hearty, flavorful casserole made with rice, creamy beans, pesto, and juicy cherry tomatoes. Topped with a golden panko-Parmesan crust, it’s the perfect weeknight comfort food.
Ingredients
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1 cup long grain brown rice (or white rice, see notes)
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2 cups vegetable broth, hot
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1 can (15 oz) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
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½ cup pesto (store-bought or homemade; use dairy-free for vegan)
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1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved
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½ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
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½ cup panko breadcrumbs
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½ cup grated Parmesan cheese (or nutritional yeast for dairy-free)
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 375°F.
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Heat the vegetable broth in the microwave for 2–3 minutes until boiling.
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In an 8×8 baking dish, combine rice, beans, pesto, salt, and tomatoes. Stir well.
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Pour the hot broth over the mixture and stir to combine.
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Cover tightly with foil and bake for 60–65 minutes.
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Remove foil carefully (watch out for steam). If excess liquid remains, bake uncovered for 3–4 minutes.
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Sprinkle panko crumbs and Parmesan cheese on top. Broil 2–3 minutes until golden brown.
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Optional: drizzle with extra pesto before serving.
Notes
If using long grain white rice, reduce broth to 1 ½ cups and bake for only 45–50 minutes.
To keep this dish vegan, use a dairy-free pesto and nutritional yeast instead of Parmesan.
Great for meal prep—refrigerate leftovers up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 65 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Casserole
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 365 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 540 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 48 g
- Fiber: 6 g
- Protein: 12 g
- Cholesterol: 10 mg