Bean Recipes

The musical fruit

From different types of beans, cooking methods, and bean recipes to try, here’s what you need to know about cooking dry beans!

We all know the grade school ditty about beans, right? Well, they may make you toot, but beans are something to toot about, too!

Dried beans are cheap, they’re easy to store for long-term use, and they’re high in protein.

High protein beans

Beans are an excellent source of protein and fiber, making them an especially good choice for vegetarians. While the protein content varies a bit depending on the types of beans, they provide about 40 grams of protein per cup.

Get to know beans

Beans are part of the legume family. The dried beans you cook with grew on a plant very similar to the green beans you grow in your garden. Instead of harvesting the pod while it’s young and tender, though, the bean pods are allowed to mature, then the seeds (beans) are removed and dried.

You can grow and dry your own beans for storage right in your backyard, though it requires a substantial amount of room to generate a good harvest.

Types of beans

There are numerous types of common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), including white, purple, green, black, brown, and speckled varieties.

Kidney beans: Shaped like a kidney (thus their moniker), kidney beans can be light or dark red in color.  Kidney beans tend to have a somewhat tough skin and retain their shape well when cooked. Toss them into a green salad to boost the nutrient level, use them in chili, make traditional red beans and rice, or add them to bean recipes where a firm bean is desired.

Pinto beans: Our favorite refried beans are made with pinto beans. Commonly used in Mexican dishes, dry pinto beans are a mottled pinkish brown in color and soften substantially when cooked.

Black beans: Smaller than both kidney beans and pinto beans, black beans — frijoles negros — are commonly used in Hispanic dishes. I like them in this chunky corn and black bean salsa.

White beans: Roughly the same size as black beans, we use these small beans to make ham hocks and beans. There are a number of white bean varieties commonly available. I like the smaller ones we call Navy beans.

Garbanzo beans (Cicer arietinum): Also called chickpeas, garbanzo beans are from a different genus than the common bean. Garbanzo beans are the base for one of our favorite snacks: hummus! These legumes are much more round in shape than kidney beans, pinto beans, or black beans. A light brown in color, garbanzo beans are often purchased in cans, but they’re available as a dried bean, too.

Lentils (Lens culinaris): These legumes are, again, different from common types of beans, but I use them similarly for cooking. Lentils are much smaller than beans and shaped like a small, round disk, about an 1/8″ in diameter. Like beans, lentils need to be cooked, but the cooking time required is substantially less than most beans.

Admittedly, the biggest drawback to cooking dry beans is the length of time it takes. Cooking dried beans is not difficult; it just requires a bit of forethought.

Soaking dried beans

Soaking beans for eight hours or overnight is a good idea when making most bean recipes. It can cut cooking time, plus soaking beans helps eliminate some of the phytic acid in beans. Phytic acid is considered an “anti-nutrient.” You can read more about that here.

Cooking dried beans on the stove top

To cook dry beans on the stove top, put beans in a large pot. Add enough water to cover the beans by 4-5″ or so. Soak eight hours or overnight. Drain beans and add fresh water to cover beans by about three inches. Cover the pot, but tilt the lid so that air can escape to prevent boil overs. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about an hour and a half until beans are tender.

Drain beans, and then use in one of the bean recipes below.

Cooking dried beans in an Instant Pot

The Instant Pot makes quick work of dried beans. This electric pressure cooker can fully cook dry beans in about an hour, even if you opt not to soak them.

DIY canned beans

Bean recipes to try (you’ll be glad you did!)

The bean recipes below are a great place to start! Calling for various types of beans, try them as snacks or as a main course meal.