Whether you’re looking to add in more fiber-rich recipes to your cookbooks or you just need a substitute for your cheesy gnocchi recipe, these white beans with mushrooms and marina live up to everything it ought to be and even beyond your expectations.

This recipe was made to seduce your taste buds and leave you awestruck on the goodness it’s filled with – so yes, it’s intentional. White beans with mushrooms and marina are so good the chances of you craving a second serving are pretty high – so good you might start to wonder what happened to your previously filled plate just to realize moments later you had rushed it and it was your third.

This vegetarian recipe uses large butter beans in place of gnocchi. Cannellini beans are a great substitute if you don’t like butter beans or can’t find them – they are large, creamy and retain their shape well. Navy beans can be used as well but are not that great for this recipe, and that's why they come in as the last choice.

If you like your veggies plenty and you need other options to add in this recipe, zucchini and spinach are perfect options and would blend well with the flavors. Should you decide to go with zucchini, we recommend you slice and sauté after the mushrooms, and if you choose spinach, make sure to stir in after the sauce has heated.

While this is a vegetarian dish, you can still add some meat in – pepperoni and Italian sausage are perfect options. Serve this scrumptious dish with a side of garlic bread or spoon over roasted eggplant, zoodles, or over a bowl of your favorite pasta.

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Wash the mushrooms well and slice them. Place the mushrooms, salt, pepper, and olive oil in a deep skillet. Sauté the mushrooms until there’s no longer moisture in the skillet and the mushrooms are wilted.
2. As you wait for the mushrooms to sauté, mince the garlic. Strain and rinse the butter beans. Put the garlic in the skillet with the mushrooms and sauté for an additional 2 minutes.
3. Combine the marinara, rinsed butter beans, red pepper and, basil in the skillet and allow to heat through, stirring frequently.
4. Cut the mozzarella while the skillet continues to heat. Top the skillet with the mozzarella. Using a foil, cover the skillet and transfer to the oven. Bake until the cheese is melted (that should take 5-7 minutes)
5. Immediately the cheese melts, remove the foil and switch the oven to broil. Broil the skillet for a few minutes more to brown the cheese – make sure to watch closely, as browning can happen quickly with the broiler.
6. Serve immediately while hot, with garlic bread for dipping!