| Did a friend forward this to you? Sign up here. Thinking of Ukraine My heart has been heavy with thoughts of Ukraine. Last week, my colleague Kanyakrit Vongkiatkajorn interviewed three of our colleagues who are on the ground in Ukraine now, including reporter Isabelle Khurshudyan, who celebrated her 30th birthday in a bomb shelter in Kharkiv. They discuss narrowly missing a bombing, packing into a subway station with local residents, sifting through social media information (and misinformation), and the way civilians are mobilizing in any way they can to help defend their country. If there's even the tiniest glimmer of hope in this ongoing tragedy, it's the almost instinctual grit among Ukrainians. As Khurshudyan said of what's surprised her so far: "I think it would be the resilience and chutzpah of Ukrainians. Whether it's older women who are spending their time weaving camouflage nets for military equipment or all of these people who are volunteering for the Civilian Defense Force. You see lines to the blood bank of 3,000 people, and they're waiting in line while there's shelling ongoing. People are finding their own ways to mobilize. And I think that's something Russia underestimated — what the civilian resistance would really look like." I wonder to myself: Would I be so brave? Would I stay and fight for my home? Our colleague Salwan Georges is a photojournalist who grew up during the 1991 Gulf War. He remembers what it's like to be a refugee, and told Vongkiatkajorn, "I never wish it on anyone." "In every war, people are the victims, not the politicians or politics … What I look for as a photographer is really showing the impact on humans. This is what breaks my heart. We were in Kharkiv a couple of days before the war started, and it made me speechless to see how it went from such a vibrant city to no one standing outside at 8 p.m." Well, there's no easy way to transition from discussing war to discussing food. But we've got to eat. This recipe for pizza salad is the kind of easy, comforting meal I think I'd like to make tonight. What's a pizza salad? Like pizza, it can be anything you want it to be: You could top a large triangle of pizza with a pile of arugula or you could make a salad of lettuces and thinly sliced red onion and toss in a freshly baked frozen pizza cut into croutons. Or, you could combine fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, Parmesan and basil with lettuce and beans marinated in an herby Italian dressing, as we're doing here. This version of pizza salad is a recipe my editor Joe Yonan adapted last year, from "The Weekday Vegetarians," by Jenny Rosenstrach. The recipe involves a smart, simple and stealth technique: Marinating beans. "If you're a fan of the convenience and versatility of canned beans but you've thought they could use a flavor boost, I've got two words for you: Marinate them. … Beans can soak up the flavors in a simple combination of vinegar, olive oil, garlic, basil and red-pepper flakes — and they can do it even more quickly with the application of a little heat," Joe wrote. Warm up that mixture for just a few minutes to jump-start the marinating process. Then, use the beans and their marinade to dress the salad. Brilliant.  | Today's recipe |  Photos by Scott Suchman for The Washington Post; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky for The Washington Post | Pizza Salad With Marinated White Beans - This recipe serves six, and I know a lot of you are looking for recipes that serve fewer people >> but it's an easy one to cut in half — and the marinated beans can stay in your refrigerator for up to 5 days, so you could use some of them for a smaller portion of this salad, and the rest could get tossed into a pasta salad, or eaten over a piece of toast, or even pureed with broth into a soup.
- Not into beans? >> Marinate cubes of toasted, stale bread, cubed tofu or roasted cauliflower florets instead.
- The fresh basil is worth going to the store for, in my opinion >> but if you're out, use dried, or substitute fresh parsley or dried marjoram.
- To make this vegan >> skip the cheese or use vegan mozzarella.
Make Ahead: The beans can be refrigerated for up to 5 days before assembling the salad. Want to save this recipe? View it on Voraciously here and click the bookmark icon below the serving size at the top of the page to add it to your Reading List. For easy printing and scaling, view this recipe in our Recipe Finder. Servings: 6
Active time: 15 mins
Total time: 45 mins IngredientsFor the marinated beans - 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 garlic clove, halved
- Fine salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 8 fresh basil leaves, chopped, or 1 rosemary sprig, left whole
- Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 3 cups cooked white beans, such as cranberry, cannellini, or great northern, or two (15-ounce) cans, rinsed and drained
For the salad - 5 ounces lettuce, such as bibb, little gem or baby greens of your choice (about 8 cups)
- 1 pint quartered or sliced tomatoes, preferably grape or ripe heirlooms
- 1 large shallot (3 ounces), thinly sliced
- 6 ounces bocconcini (small mozzarella balls) or 1/2-inch cubes fresh mozzarella
- 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shaved Parmesan cheese
- 8 large fresh basil leaves, chopped
Steps1. Make the marinated beans: In a small skillet over medium heat, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, salt, black pepper, basil and red pepper flakes. Toss in the beans, bring the mixture to a simmer, then remove from the heat, transfer to a bowl, and let come to room temperature, about 30 minutes. (If desired, cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 5 days.) 2. Make the salad: In a large shallow bowl, toss together the lettuce, tomatoes, shallot, mozzarella, Parmesan and basil. Toss in the beans with their marinade and serve. Adapted from "The Weekday Vegetarians" by Jenny Rosenstrach (Clarkson Potter, 2021). Tested by Joe Yonan. Nutrition information per serving (generous 1 3/4 cup): Calories: 357; Total Fat: 21 g; Saturated Fat: 7 g; Cholesterol: 23 mg; Sodium: 226 mg; Carbohydrates: 28 g; Dietary Fiber: 7 g; Sugars: 3 g; Protein: 18 g.  | Dessert | 🎧 "Neverland" by Zendaya.
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