Pizza Beans (High-Protein Skillet!)

pizza beans with ground turkey sausage served in a white bowl.

Pizza Beans (High-Protein Skillet!)

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: pizza beans

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 20

Servings:

Calories: 343kcal

Author: Megan Gilmore

If you're trying to eat more fiber and protein, you're going to love this pizza beans recipe. It has up to 40 grams of protein per serving, 8 grams of fiber, and tastes like comfort food in a bowl. (All for less than 350 calories.) Plus, you can make it in about 20 minutes! The hardest part is cooking the ground turkey from scratch, but it's worth it, because you'll get a sausage-like flavor without any weird ingredients.

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Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 shallot , thinly sliced
1 pound ground turkey
fine sea salt
1 teaspoon ground sage
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional for heat)
3 to 5 ounces fresh baby spinach , to your liking
15 ounces Cannellini or Great Northern beans , drained and rinsed
2 cups marinara sauce
3 ounces shredded mozzarella (optional)

Instructions

In a large, deep skillet (ideally with a lid) over medium high heat, add a drizzle of olive oil and start sauteing the shallot. Stir often, just until it starts to turn translucent, about 2 minutes.
Next, add the ground turkey and season with ½ teaspoon of salt. Use a sturdy spatula to break up the meat, stirring often, until it looks crumbly and fully browned. It should take about 8 minutes to no longer see any pink pieces.
Season the turkey with the ground sage, garlic powder, ground black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes (if using). You may also want to season it with another ¼ to ½ teaspoon of salt, to really boost the "sausage" flavor. Sausage is salty!
Next, add the spinach and stir until it's wilted. I like to speed things up by placing a lid on the pan for 2-3 minutes. Then remove the lid and stir well. Once the spinach has wilted down, add the drained beans and tomato sauce. Bring the sauce to a simmer and let the ingredients marinate for about 5 minutes on medium heat. As soon as everything is heated through, taste it and adjust any seasoning as needed. You can serve it right away for a dairy-free dish, or top it with optional cheese using the next step.
For a cheesy topping, turn on your oven's broiler. Sprinkle 3 ounces of mozzarella cheese over the top, then place the pan (make sure it's oven safe) on the top shelf near the broiler. Watch this closely! The cheese is usually brown and bubbly in about 60-90 seconds. Carefully remove it and serve warm.

Notes

Nutrition information is for a quarter of this skillet including the cheesy topping. This information is automatically calculated using an online ingredient database, so it's just an estimate and not a guarantee. (For example, I have no idea if the marinara sauce used in this calculation has added oil or sugar, so check the label on your ingredients for more accurate nutrition.)

Nutrition