Baked Chipotle Cannellini Beans with Spinach and Cotija Cheese

By ClaudiaJan

The Kitchy Kitchen

Ingredients

• 4 or 5 15 oz cans of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained (or cooked yourself)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves, finely chopped
• 1-2 tablespoons adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers
• 2/3 cup spinach
• 1/2 cup Cotija Cheese (or crumbled feta if you can't find Cotija)
• 1 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 425F degrees. Bring the olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt, and minced garlic up to heat over a medium flame for about a minute. Stir in the tomatoes and the fresh oregano and bring to a gentle simmer. Off the heat, add the adobo sauce and taste. I added a little too much the first time I made this, so beware, adobo is powerful stuff. Salt and pepper to taste, but go easy on the salt, because I find that canned beans can be a touch salty. Add the beans and spinach, and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into a 9x13 baking pan and sprinkle with the cheese and breadcrumbs and bake in the top-third of the oven for roughly twenty-five minutes, or until it is browned and bubbly on top. Enjoy!