20 Recipes You Can Make with a Can of Beans | foodiecrush.com (2024)

Canned beans are one of those pantry staples we always have on hand. They’re cheap, easy, fuss-free, and filling, and their versatility makes them an awesome standby for tacos, salads, soups, enchiladas, and more. To get more meal prep inspiration from your pantry, check out this list of favorite dinners made with all different types of beans.

No matter how depressingly barren our pantries may get, we can always find at least one can of beans lurking in there somewhere. Beans are the cornerstone of a well-stocked pantry.

Canned beans have saved our meal making when we’ve lapsed on the grocery shopping, meal planning, and budgeting. They’re inexpensive and efficient, and they give us protein and fiber. And beans are the building block to so many recipes, where you can get a lot of mileage out of beans as a main or co-starring ingredients, incorporating them into soups and chilis, enchiladas and burritos, stuffed peppers, casseroles, salads, and more.

Check out this of meals to make with a can of beans below, and use your bean!

This easy Mediterranean chickpea salad is infused with flavor thanks to a heaping helping of fresh herbs with a garlicky lemon dressing that ups the crunch from red bell pepper, celery and red onion for a simple side dish or topping for greens from FoodieCrush.

Soups are the star of most of our cooler weather meals, though this one’s good enough to eat all year-round. With roasted cauliflower and chickpeas, it’s deliciously velvety, nutty, and hearty from Floating Kitchen.

Roasted veggies, black beans, and a homemade chipotle-spiked enchilada sauce make this incredibly easy, healthy vegetarian casserolea weeknight winner from Ambitious Kitchen.

Mac and cheese + chili = comfort food bliss in this ridiculously easy one pot meal that also comes together in just 20 minutes from RecipeTin Eats. Seriously, what’s not to love?

Classic Southwestern flavors, corn, rice, black beans, and lean ground beef make these rainbows of stuffed bell peppers a favorite, healthy dinner that comes mostly from the pantry that your whole family will enjoy.

Confession: We’re obsessed with soups that have pasta in themand this one boasts chickpeas and whole wheat shells in a garlicky, tomato broth with lots of Parmesan (fuhgettaboutit) from How Sweet Eats.

This Tuscan tuna salad with white beans makes a quick and easy-to-make lunch or even a light dinner, and puts high protein front and center with chunks of albacore tuna and white beans tossed with arugula and more Mediterranean flavors coming from FoodieCrush.

Fragrant spices, butternut squash, and chickpeas make up this Moroccan stewmade easy in the slow cooker from Simply Quinoa.

Skillet meals are our saving grace on weeknights when we don’t feel like cooking. This onefeatures cannellini beans, salmon, and cherry tomatoes, and gets a boost of of smoky flavor from charred lemons from Bev Cooks.

Whether you’re vegetarian or just taking a night off from meat, these sweet potato taco bowlshit the spot. They’re loaded up with spicy roasted sweet potatoes, black beans, fire-roasted corn, cilantro lime quinoa, and are full of awesome flavor from Chelsea’s Messy Apron.

They say chicken soup soothes the soul, but we’re pretty sure this rustic Italian soup made with leafy kale, cannellini beans, lots of veggies, and chunks of sourdough bread gives it a run for its money from A Couple Cooks.

All you need are 5 ingredients to make this comforting sweet potato turkey chili studded with black beans from Pinch of Yum.

Using a store-bought rotisserie chicken makes these creamy white bean and salsa verde enchiladas a breeze any night of the week from Skinnytaste.

Coconut milk, chickpeas, and tons of aromatic spices make for an irresistible vegan curry that easily beats any takeout version from Jessica in the Kitchen.

Chicken breasts, butternut squash, and red onion all get roasted on one sheet pan and then served up in a bowl, with black beans, rice, and guacamole in this healthy, easy weeknight dinner from FoodieCrush.

More Building Block Ingredient Recipes to Try Now

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  • 21 Recipes to Make with Leftover Ham

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20 Recipes You Can Make with a Can of Beans | foodiecrush.com (2024)

FAQs

How to fancy up canned beans? ›

You can add crushed whole seeds (coriander, cumin, fennel, mustard, etc.), woodsy herbs (thyme, oregano, rosemary, sage), red pepper flakes, crushed garlic cloves, and of course salt and pepper.

What can you do with beans? ›

Try some of our favorite bean-based recipes:
  • Easy Bean Salad.
  • Mango Bean Salad.
  • Minestrone.
  • Greek Lentil and White Bean Soup With Olive and Tomato Gremolata.
  • Roasted Bell Pepper and Bean Hummus.
  • Spiced Sweet Potato Hummus.
  • Hummus and Sun-Dried Tomato Wrap.
  • Creamy White Bean and Artichoke Dip.
Mar 26, 2020

How to cook with more beans? ›

Here are some suggestions for how to incorporate more beans into your diet:
  1. Batch cook beans. ...
  2. Make big one-pot meals. ...
  3. Roast them as snacks. ...
  4. Toss them in a salad. ...
  5. Make bean dips. ...
  6. Think breakfast! ...
  7. And dessert!

What to eat with beans for dinner? ›

Side Dishes
  • Cornbread Muffins. What side dish pairs perfectly with American classic baked beans? ...
  • Homemade Coleslaw. For a truly heavenly side dish to your baked beans, go for a rich and hearty serving of coleslaw! ...
  • Mac and Cheese. Mac and cheese? ...
  • Sweet Potato Fries. ...
  • Quinoa Salad. ...
  • Potato Salad. ...
  • Grilled Zucchini.
Jul 9, 2023

How to make beans more interesting? ›

Stir through your favourite chilli sauce, crushed chilli flakes or sliced red chilli for a spicy kick, add a few spoonfuls of barbecue sauce for a sweet, smoky finish, or try a little bit of Worcestershire sauce and horseradish for some bloody Mary flavour.

How to cook canned beans well? ›

Pour the beans directly into the pot and season for how you plan to use them. Allow it to simmer, stirring occasionally. Continue to stir and heat beans until they reach the desired temperature and consistency, about 5-10 minutes.

What are canned beans good for? ›

Put canned beans — a healthy pantry staple — in the spotlight. Beans boast protein, fiber, folate and lots of minerals, like iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc. If you're worried about sodium, rinse and drain beans before using to cut back on the salt by as much as 40 percent.

What is the most delicious bean? ›

What Are The Best Beans To Eat
  • Kidney Beans.
  • Chickpeas Or Garbanzo Beans.
  • Black Beans.
  • Pinto Beans.
  • Navy Beans.
  • Lentils.
  • Peas.
  • Soybeans.
Jun 25, 2020

What to do with whole beans? ›

7 Creative & Fun Ways to Use Old Coffee Beans
  1. Make Cold Brew Concentrate. Cold brew is one of the simplest ways to brew coffee. ...
  2. Create Coffee Artwork and Decor. ...
  3. Compost Your Coffee Beans. ...
  4. Whip Up a Coffee Body Scrub. ...
  5. Bake a Delicious Coffee Dessert. ...
  6. Try a New Brew Method. ...
  7. Create a Coffee Blend.

How to make your beans tastier? ›

Switch up your bean cooking liquid

Water is perfectly good for cooking beans, but if you want extra flavor, why not add another liquid? You can cook beans in any kind of stock, for example, or any kind of combination of stock and water that you want. You can also add some wine or beer for more flavor.

Is 1 cup of beans a day too much? ›

The U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommends eating about 3 cups of legumes—like pinto, kidney, or black beans—per week. If you eat about ½ cup of beans every day, you'll meet the weekly Dietary Guidelines for beans.

How many cans of beans to feed 100 people? ›

Baked Beans (Canned)
INGREDIENTMEASURE (FOR 100 SERVINGS)
Beans, Baked, Vegetarian, Low Sodium, #10 Can, #28064 #10 cans + 6 1/2 cups
Pan Release Spray, Vegetable Oil, #251410 second spray
Onions, Chopped, Dehydrated, #27382 cups
Mustard, Powder, Dry, #27121/4 cup
5 more rows
Mar 8, 2024

What meat goes with beans? ›

The combination of sweet and savory flavor makes it the perfect side dish to serve with hamburgers, hot dogs, sausages, or BBQ meats. Find infinite possibilities and pairings for what to serve with baked beans all in this complete resource.

Can beans and rice be a meal? ›

Can Rice and Beans be a Meal? Rice and beans is as complete of a meal on it's own as you can get. This is because the rice and beans provide complementary amino acids. On their own, beans and rice are incomplete proteins, meaning they lack some of the essential amino acids.

How do you elevate a can of baked beans? ›

Caramelized Onion + Bacon + Espresso Powder

Mimic the flavor of barbecue-style beans by adding nice caramel undertones to the can. Slowly caramelize a chopped onion in a bit of oil, then add bacon and cook until crispy. Add the can of beans and stir, making sure to scrape up any tasty bits that have stuck to the pan.

How do you doctor up black beans in a can? ›

Add onion and jalapeño as oil begins to warm. Add oregano and cumin and sauté, stirring frequently, until vegetables are tender, adding a few drops of water if they begin to stick. Add contents of cans of black beans and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes, to allow flavors to blend.

How to make beans fancier? ›

Fry some onion until browned a bit, add bell pepper(or a hotter kind) and fry til softened, add some garlic, cumin, chili powder and black pepper. Add your beans and heat them through. Then season, beans especially need salt to go from terrible to pretty good/great.

What adds flavor to beans? ›

In general, most beans go well with herbs like parsley, rosemary, sage, savory, and thyme. You usually can't go wrong with garlic and onions, either. Specific kinds of beans, like fava beans or mung beans, have other affinities with particular herbs and spices.

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