Great Recipes for Canned or Dry Beans

By The editors of MidwestLiving.com
Updated September 02, 2020
Blaine Moats

You probably have a stash of canned or dry beans in your pantry—now what? Our recipes show you how to use those as the base for delicious soups, skillet dishes, salads, burrito bowls and more.

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Sweet Potato with Moroccan Chickpeas

Blaine Moats
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Like chili on a baked potato—except so much more alluring, with caramelized roasted sweet potato and spiced chickpeas. Tie it all together with lemon-tahini dressing, fresh mint and dreams of far-off places.

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2 of 26

Smoky Beef, Black Bean and Corn Chili

Blaine Moats
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This hands-off, slow-cooker recipe has just a pound of ground beef and a can of stock. All the rest of the heft and taste comes from black beans, fire-roasted tomatoes, smoked paprika, chipotle peppers and corn tortillas.

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Roasted Butternut Burrito Bowls

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You can have this deliciously nutritious Mexican-inspired meal on the table in under an hour—or even less if you cheat and use precooked brown rice!

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Calico Chowder

Blaine Moats
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If you have partial bags of dried beans loitering in the pantry, throw them all in the pot to make this anything-goes fall soup. Perfumed with thyme and sage, it's creamy, homey and gratifyingly resourceful.

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Shortcut Cassoulet

Blaine Moats
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This classic country French dish is a meat-lovers' fantasy that's heavy on the beans—because why not use all the proteins? Add a blanket of crispy breadcrumbs and serve with both red wine and an elastic waistband.

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Red Lentil Dal with Zucchini

Blaine Moats
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A staple on the Indian subcontinent, dal spans a whole category of bean dishes. It sometimes has a loose texture, but this version—thick like a stew and bolstered with zucchini—satisfies as a meat-free meal.

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7 of 26

Beans on Toast with Fried Egg

Blaine Moats
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Inspired by British pub fare, this breakfast-for-dinner (or brunch!) dish tops buttered toast with bacony stovetop baked beans, tomatoes and a fried egg.

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Halibut with Garlicky Beans

Blaine Moats
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For deep garlic flavor without turning on the oven to roast, this recipe uses a technique called confit, which translates as simmering slowly in fat or oil. Result: evenly soft, mellow cloves and a bonus gift of flavorful olive oil you can elsewhere.

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Chili-Ginger Mung Bean Soup

Blaine Moats
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Mung beans are petite beans with a toothsome texture and earthy flavor. They're sold dry and simmer right in the broth of this deliciously sinus-clearing soup.

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10 of 26

Chipotle Black Bean Chili

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We used ground beef, jarred salsa, beans, and potatoes to make this soup extra satisfying. Omit the meat to create a hearty vegetarian dish.

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Bean-Mushroom Sloppy Joes

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Canned beans supply fill-you-up protein at a fraction of the cost, fat and calories of ground beef or turkey. In our sloppy joes, we dress navy beans in mustardy tomato sauce that has all the familiar flavor of the meaty original.

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Simple Salsa Skillet

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Pantry ingredients like black beans, corn, and salsa go together quickly with potatoes, sweet peppers and chicken for a simple, satisfying meal.

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13 of 26

Greens, Beans and Ham

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This 5-ingredient recipe combines makes Great Northern beans the base for a very simple main dish or side. Substitute another protein for the ham or a different green for the spinach if you’ve got other ingredients around the house.

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Red Bean, Chicken and Sweet Potato Stew

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Vitamin-rich sweet potatoes and creamy peanut butter complement spicy Cajun seasoning in this easy chicken slow-cooker stew.

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Tuscan Bean Soup

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Flecked with a grab bag of hearty vegetables, this healthy soup hums with garlic and crushed red pepper. The recipe comes from La Soupe, a nonprofit cafe in Cincinnati.

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Braised Green Beans with Tomatoes and Lentils

Brie Passano
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This recipe comes from chef Abra Berens' book Ruffage: A Practical Guide to Vegetables. Don't be alarmed by cooking beans this long. Make it vegetarian by using vegetable broth and skipping the Parmesan.

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Lentil and Rice Summer Salad

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Try this topped with a salmon fillet or, for a vegetarian entree, served over spinach or other salad greens. (A word of warning: Don't substitute a different rice. Arborio, the type used in risotto, definitely works best.) The recipe comes from the blog A Couple Cooks.

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Roasted Kale, Tomato and Chickpea Salad with Wheat Berries

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Our hearty salad tastes equally good warm from the pan, cold from the fridge or even at room temperature, so it's perfect for make-ahead meals and leftover lunches. Other grains, such as barley, faro or wild rice, also work well in this salad

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Bean and Sweet Potato Patties with Lime-Jalapeno Cream

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Because canned beans can be mushy, pair them with crunchy ingredients. Our sweet potato, quinoa and pinto bean patties had plenty of smoky, garlicky flavor. But when we added walnuts and served them over crisp romaine, they soared.

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Chicken With Black Beans and Rice

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Add some kick to this chicken dish by stirring in a few dashes of Louisiana hot sauce.

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Skillet White Beans

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Eating gluten-free? Gluten can sneak into a lot of baked bean recipes, but not this one. Maple syrup adds a sweet finish. (While beans are naturally gluten-free, other ingredients can be introduced in canning, so be sure to purchase only canned beans clearly labeled gluten-free.)

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Mediterranean Lentil Skillet With Pita Chips

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This healthy, veggie-based dinner draws on the flavors of carrots, celery, lentils, kale and tomatoes, with crunch in the form of chopped walnuts and pita chips.

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Chili-Pasta Skillet

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No need to boil hot water in a separate pot! The macaroni cooks along with the rest of the dish, including canned beans, so you'll have this meal on the table in 25 minutes.

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Chickpea Sandwich Filling

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This nifty mayo-dressed salad uses healthy and budget-friendly chickpeas instead of the traditional tuna, hard-cooked eggs or chicken. Try it in a sandwich or wrap or over a bed of greens.

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Chili Bean Stuffed Peppers

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Beans, tomato, onion: it's a hearty vegetarian chili stuffed inside a bell pepper. If you're looking for extra kick, try topping with pepper jack instead of mozzarella.

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Dilly Chickpea and Radish Salad

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Think of this as a welcome update on three-bean salad, with radishes and celery adding color and crunch to wholesome garbanzo beans. 

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By The editors of MidwestLiving.com