To the Surprise of No One, Goya Reports a 400% Increase in Sales for Some Canned Beans

As Americans hunker down at home to wait out the pandemic, one question that’s been on everyone’s minds has been: what’s up with all the toilet-paper hoarding? Well, one place you might find the answer is the other empty shelf at grocery stores: the bean shelf.

The CEO of the American Pulse Association told the New York Times that canners and packagers had seen a 40% increase in sales in recent weeks, while major bean player Goya reports a 400% increase in the sales of various canned beans (including black beans and pinto beans). And heirloom-bean cult-favorite Rancho Gordo went from receiving 150-200 orders each day to about 1500. It’s become increasingly clear that when it comes to staying home and feeding ourselves, everybody seems to have realized that beans are the food that will see them through.

Beans were already having a good couple of years, reports Grub Street, having seen sales rise 75% over the last five years, but this has sent the sales absolutely through the roof. But beans as the food of dire times makes a lot of sense: they’re nutritious, affordable, and don’t go bad. Also, despite a very unearned reputation, they are delicious and versatile.

Beans often seem like a better idea in the store than when you get home and remember that you still have to do something with them. Lucky for you, we’ve rounded up a few good recipes, tips, and inspiration for what you should do with them.

If you want to start with the basics, hit up our lesson on how to be a cook who makes beans (and grains and rice) without a recipe. But you could also start with some simple but brilliant recipes like the Hungry Hutch’s Southern pinto beans with ham, Yasmin Khan’s Palestinian red lentil and squash soup with za’atar croutons, or Sheela Prakash’s Mediterranean white bean soup.

The pandemic has also encouraged a lot of people to dive into major project cooking, so if you’re feeling ambitious and also bean-wealthy, there’s no better dish to make a massive mess for than traditional French cassoulet. 

If, on the other hand, you’re trying to balance actually getting some work done with a gaggle of small children lacking any type of structure, get dinner on the table in a hurry with Instant Pot pasta e fagioli. Need more? Here’s 13 must-make slow cooker chili recipes from classic to vegan, 10 of our very best lentil recipes, 10 ways that can of chickpeas can be dinner tonight, and 10 bean recipes that are meal prep miracles.