Skillet Tomato Casserole with White Beans and Parmesan Croutons

Happy exam season! Dave and I have finals for the next week and a half. We'll be spending a lot of time studying, but the end of this semester is in sight.

Recipe from The Law Student's Wife.

Ingredients:

-5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

-3 cups, 1/2-inch-diced bread 

-2 1/2 pounds fresh tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice

-3 garlic cloves, minced

-2 teaspoons sugar

-2 teaspoons kosher salt

-1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

-1 can Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained

-10 ounce package frozen spinach, thawed with excess moisture pressed out

-1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, julienned

-1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the bread cubes and stir to coat them with the oil. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the cubes are evenly browned.

Add the tomatoes, garlic, sugar, salt, and pepper. Continue to cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes, until the tomatoes break down.

Remove the cast iron skillet from the heat and stir in the beans, spinach, and basil. Mix well. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the top is browned and the tomatoes are bubbly.

Dave and I really enjoyed this recipe, it's best to have everything in one bite. The bread, tomato and spinach all together had great flavor. We had thought the bread would get crispy, but it didn't get crispy -- except a little on the edges. I wasn't bothered by the lack of crunch -- there was plenty for dinner and lunch the next day for us and I thought the leftovers might have been better than the initial recipe.