Vegan Pane Cotto (AKA Bread and Bean Casserole)
There’s nothing worse than buying a loaf of beautiful, hearty bread, and not eating it in time so you’re left with a stale, hard, inedible loaf. This is a recipe that seeks to salvage that stale bread- the Italian classic of pane cotto. With a soft, stuffing-like inside, white beans, wilted arugula or spinach and the bright pops of fresh parsley are topped with crunchy, cheesy bread. A little bit of spice, creamy beans, crunchy bread, this casserole is a wonderful weeknight recipe. Pane cotto may not be terribly fancy, but it’s incredibly satisfying and filling.
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All About Pane Cotto
Pane cotto is an Italian peasant’s dish, that comes from a people who couldn’t afford to waste bread just because it had gone stale. It’s not to be confused with panna cotta, the sweet thickened cream and gelatin dessert, although the names to sound similar. Pane cotto translates to “cooked bread”, and has tons of regional variation. Some versions are cheesy, some filled with tomatoes. Some are dry and crunchy, others are more of a soup. Some think of it more as an appetizer, others as a main course.
Pane cotto is often made with escarole as the green of choice, however I mixed things up and did some arugula and spinach instead. Feel free to use any delicate green you like, although I vouch for arugula as a great option. For the bread, just make sure it’s something hearty. I’ve used both rye and sourdough loaves, but would be hesitant towards using a soft white bread, as it might just dissolve away in the broth.
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Don’t Waste Stale Bread!
My boyfriend actually works at a bakery and is able to bring home free, high-quality, freshly baked bread all the time. Needless to say there is always a lot of bread around my house, and though we eat a lot of bread there is sometimes a loaf that gets forgotten. Sometimes, I’ll make croutons or something similar, but there are only so many croutons one needs. My sister has been telling me for years to try a bread salad, but I have yet to really discover what a bread salad is. In addition to needing to use stale bread, I’m always on the search for a good bean recipe, so this pane cotto seemed to be a match made in heaven- stale bread and beans! Plus an addition of some greens!
How to Make Pane Cotto
Making pane cotto starts in a skillet, and ends in the oven. The vegetables, beans, and greens are all sautéed together, along with herbs and broth to create the bulk of the meal. About half the bread is mixed right in with the filling, while the other half is tossed in olive oil and nutritional yeast and placed on top, to create a crunchy, crispy shell. It is baked, and while it bakes the broth comes up, steaming the bread to return some of it’s moisture, and the top bits crisp up. From there, a little added parsley to garnish, and it’s ready to be served. Buon appetite!
Vegan Pane Cotto (AKA Italian Bread and Bean Casserole)
Ingredients
- 4 TBSP. olive oil, separated
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 stalks of celery, chopped
- 1 tsp. dried basil
- 1 tsp. red chili flakes
- ½ tsp. dried thyme
- 1 tsp. better than bouillon (or one cup vegetables broth)
- 1 tbsp. soy sauce
- 5 oz. arugula, spinach, or mix
- 15 oz can (about 1 ¾ cup) white beans
- 4-5 cups of stale hearty bread, cubed (divided)
- Fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tbsp. nutritional yeast
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- On the stovetop, heat 2 tbsp. olive oil. Add garlic and onions, and stir, cooking until fragrant. Next add the celery, and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Add the basil, red chili, thyme, bouillon, soy sauce, and 1 cup of water (if using vegetable broth, don’t include water). Bring to a simmer, and then add the greens and beans, cooking until the greens have wilted. Take off the heat, and mix about half of the bread in, to absorb the broth and stir in a little fresh parsley.
- Toss the remaining bread with 2 tbsp. olive oil, and the one tbsp. nutritional yeast, until they are well coated. Transfer the beans and green mixture into a glass baking dish, and lay the bread with nutritional yeast on top. Transfer to the preheated oven for about 20 minutes, until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the top bread is crispy. Garnish with fresh parsley, and serve.
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Let’s hear from you…
- What recipes do you make with stale bread?
- Although some recipes for pane cotto exist, this dish has been somewhat forgotten. What other long forgotten recipes should we try and bring back?
Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
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