If you’re craving pizza but you want to keep it healthy (and filling), then you need to try Pizza Beans. It combines fiber-packed white beans with ooey gooey cheese, high protein ground beef and all your favorite pizza seasonings. And it’s ready in 30 minutes or less!
Beans are one of the biggest, most underused fat loss hacks that I’ve ever seen, as a Clinical Nutritionist.
Why? Because they’re so dang filling. Beans naturally contain between 13-19 grams of fiber per cup. This massive amount of quality fiber stretches the stomach and signals to your brain that you’re full and need to stop eating.
Beans also reduce visceral fat (the dangerous fat stored around the organs in the belly), feed good gut bacteria, and improve cholesterol levels. This is why people like Pat are able to lose 40+ pounds and over 60% of visceral fat (read his story here, it’s truly inspiring).
All of this sounds great, but just opening up a can of beans and dumping it on a plate isn’t very… appetizing. And if you don’t love what you’re eating, you’re not going to stick with it.
Here’s where Pizza Beans come into the picture.
Pizza Beans take your common unhealthy craving and transforms it into something that’s high in fiber and protein, while still being absolutely drool-worthy and utterly satisfying.
It’s quick and easy to throw together, family approved, and makes sticking with your healthy lifestyle feel almost too easy.
Recipe Highlights
- High Protein: 42 grams per serving!
- High Fiber: 8 grams per serving!
- Supports a fat loss journey: Ultra filling while still satisfying “unhealthy” cravings.
- Quick + easy: Less than 30 minutes from start to finish.
Key Ingredients
Cannellini Beans
Like all beans, Cannellini are very supportive of a fat loss goal. Studies show that those who eat beans tend to weigh 6.6 pounds less than those who don’t. They also have smaller waist circumferences and are much less likely to be obese. That’s thanks to all the filling fiber in beans!
Related: 22 High Protein High Fiber Foods For Fat Loss
These white beans are very mild in flavor, making it an excellent base for taking on the pizza flavor goodness. You can also use other white beans like Great Northern or Navy Beans.
Ground Beef and Spicy Italian Sausage
Most pizza bean recipes you’ll find online are severely lacking in protein. Eating enough protein is required for sustainable fat loss progress. It makes you full, protects your muscles, and naturally makes you eat about 441 calories less per day (that’s the equivalent of running 4.5 miles every day!)… and that’s without even trying to “eat less”.
So of course, I had to make my version of Pizza Beans actually high in protein.
By adding ground beef and spicy italian sausage, we get 42 grams of protein per serving plus additional pizza-flavored goodness. Oooooh boy, it’s tasty.
Mushrooms, Bell Pepper and Onions
What’s a pizza without the toppings? These are some of my favorites, so I added it into the Pizza Beans. But if you’re not a fan, you can leave it out. Although, I highly recommend at least keeping the onions in… and bell pepper. Honestly all of it tastes so good, so at least give it a try as is!
Equipment Needed
- Broil safe dutch oven or large pan (ideally cast iron)
How To Make This Recipe
Cook the sausage and meat.
Add the veggies.
Dump in the sauce and seasonings and simmer for a few minutes.
Add the cheese and broil until melted and bubbly!
Ingredient Swaps
- Mushrooms: Leave it out if you’re not a fan.
- Mozzarella cheese: This really is the best option. But if you’re dairy-free you can opt for a cashew-based cheese. Just dollop it on at the end and skip the broil step.
- Ground beef: Any ground meat will work here. Turkey, chicken, etc. Even crumbled tempeh works as a plant-based swap.
Meal Prep and Reheating
This meal is so fast, you don’t need to prep it. But if you do choose to batch it out, make the entire recipe but don’t add the cheese and broil it until you’re ready to eat. Dump the prepped beans into a dutch oven or oven-safe skillet, heat it for a few minutes, then top with cheese and broil.
Prepped beans (before adding the cheese) should last up to 5 days in the fridge.
Additional Pizza Bean Topping Recommendations
- Olives: Any type will do, but green olives will give you the best pizza vibes. Add at the end just before serving.
- Jarred artichoke hearts: Pat dry and roughly chop up. Then stir in when you add the sauce.
- Fresh basil: Sprinkle on at the end just before serving.
- Pepperoni: Throw a few slices on top with the cheese just before broiling.
- Arugula: Top at the end just before serving for a fresh, peppery hit.
Tips From The Nutritionist
Autumn Bates, CCN, MS, BS, CPT
Have a “pizza party”! Let everyone choose which toppings they want and throw it on themselves just before popping it into the broiler. You can divvy the servings up into individual 4×7 ceramic baking dishes before adding the toppings to keep it truly individual.
FAQ’s
My favorite healthy, high fiber side dish for Pizza Beans is steamed artichoke served with melted butter. It’s shockingly high in fiber (13g per artichoke) and feels fun and fancy to eat with this meal.
You can, but the cheese will lose its melty goodness. If you plan on meal prepping Pizza Beans, make the entire base up until the cheese. Then when you’re ready to eat it, top it with cheese and toss it in the broiler.
I like to serve it on a plate or a bowl, similar to chili. Then just eat with a spoon!
Other Recipes You May Love
- Viral Dirty Cabbage with Ground Beef; Super high in protein, easy to make, and inspired by cajun flavors.
- The Best Healthy Chicken Enchiladas; Made into a “pie” so that it’s super easy to whip up during the week.
- Healthy Pumpkin Sausage “Pasta”; Rich, creamy and decadent… but actually supports health and fat loss goals.
Did you love this recipe? Let me know in the comments below!
The Best Pizza Beans (High Protein)
Ingredients
- 1 link spicy Italian sausage uncooked and removed from the casing
- 1 pound ground beef ideally 93/7
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 1/2 medium yellow onion diced
- 1 cup cremini or white mushrooms sliced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 15-ounce can cannellini beans drained and rinsed
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes or more to taste
- salt
- 4 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese low moisture
- shredded parmesan cheese for topping
Instructions
- Arrange a rack in the top third of the oven and heat the broiler.
- In a dutch oven over medium high heat, add the sausage. Break it up with a rubber spatula. Once it has released enough oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pot (about 1 minute), add the ground beef. Sauté both until browned and cooked through — about 8 minutes.
- Add the bell pepper, onion, mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Sauté for 3-5 minutes or until veggies have started to soften.
- Stir in the garlic and sauté for 30 more seconds.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, beans, oregano, basil, chili flakes, and another pinch of salt. Stir to combine, then simmer for 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle on the mozzarella and put the whole pot into the oven set to the broil setting. Broil until the cheese is melted and has a couple brown spots — about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and top with a sprinkle of fresh parmesan. Serve it up and eat it like chili!
Notes
Equipment
Nutrition
Did you try this recipe?
Don’t forget to leave a comment below and share your thoughts!
