Every time this year, we seem to fall in love with beans all over again. Creamy cannellini beans, rich and hearty pinto beans, delicate flageolets: they turn any dish into a satisfying meal. Here are some of our favorite recipes, perfect for right now.
We highly recommend buying bags of dried beans and making them yourself. It's easy to do in the oven or the slow-cooker. We love Rancho Gordo's heirloom beans, but even a basic bag of dried beans from the grocery store will taste fantastic.
1. Borlotti Beans in Tomato Sauce with Creamy Polenta
2. Florida Butter Beans with Caramelized Onions and Bacon
3. Slow Cooker Black Bean Enchiladas
4. Basil Parmesan Pot Beans
5. Tomato and White Bean Panade
6. Spinach, White Bean, and Taleggio Pizza
7. Cauliflower, Fennel, and White Bean Winter Salad
8. Cuban Black Bean Soup
9. Vegetarian Espresso Chili
10. Vegetarian Bean Burgers
What are your favorite dishes with beans?
Related: Good Question: How Can I Make Beans More Digestible?
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Rice and Beans and Beans and Rice. There are variations on this in so many cultures. From Cuban black beans and rice to Indian dal and rice and everything in between. Seems I have read that this combination is good from a nutrition standpoint as well.
Lentil salad with French Puy lentils, roast peppers, shredded carrots, sundried tomatoes and either feta or goat cheese. Dressed with a simple vinaigrette.
I second beans & rice! So many beans; so many grains; so many possibilities. On Sunday I made a batch of traditional-ish red beans & rice using liquid smoke in lieu of ham hocks & seitan instead of sausage. Delicious.
I make my own version of black "refried-ish" beans practically once a week. Dice 1 onion and sauté in a bit of olive oil. Add 3-4 cloves of minced garlic, 2 minced jalapeños (I do not seed them), and a couple shakes of cumin, then sauté for another minute or so. Dump in 3 cans of rinsed back beans, cover with about 1 inch of chicken stock and simmer until stock is absorbed. Add about 1/2-3/4 cup more stock, and mash beans with the back of a wooden spoon once that is absorbed, until you reach a nice and creamy consistency. Remove from heat, add about 1/4 cup of chopped cilantro and served. They're great as a side dish, as a component of a quesadilla or a burrito, or even just wrapped up in a homemade flour tortilla, and they keep for at least a week in the fridge if you don't eat them all in one sitting!
Admittedly, my favorite bean dish is simple refried beans. Good alone, in a tortilla, on chips, with meat, without...
I dream of making another cassoulet this year. Something simpler than the 2 day process of Julia Child's recipe but just as creamy and delicious.