27 Canned Beans Recipes We Love (2024)

As far as pantry staples go, canned beans can really come in handy. We're talking black beans, chickpeas, kidney beans, and more — if you have a few cans stocked in your cabinets, you can use them to bolster all kinds of meals, ranging from beef chili to a quick cassoulet. Read on for some of our favorite dishes with convenient canned beans.

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Smoky Beans and Greens in Tomato Broth

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This soul-satisfying bowl of beans and greens hits the spot on a night when you're low on time and energy and the fridge seems a bit bare. Smoked paprika adds a welcome hint of smokiness, while the combination of tomato paste and sun-dried tomatoes delivers an aromatic broth in record time. Feel free to use your favorite canned or home-cooked beans.

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02of 27

Tuna and White Bean Salad

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This simple salad has fewer than 10 ingredients, with canned white beans (cannellini is preferable) and canned tuna as the stars.

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03of 27

Rajma (Kidney Bean Curry) Tacos

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This creamy, richly spiced vegetarian kidney bean curry is usually served over rice with roti or naan, but it also makes a surprisingly delicious filling for corn tortillas. You can assemble the tacos before serving them, or make a giant taco platter with the rajma, toasted tortillas, and all of the toppings, and let your guests build their own to their liking.

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04of 27

Spring Minestrone with Grated Egg Pasta

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Multiple ingredients in this bountiful spring vegetable soup give it a deep, satisfying flavor. The Parmigiano-Reggiano rind and vegetable umami both contribute a delicious, salty richness, while curly leaf spinach maintains a fresh, vegetal taste that you can’t get from baby spinach.

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05of 27

Warm Spinach Salad with Cannellini Beans and Shrimp

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The combination of sweet shrimp and meaty little cannellini beans here transforms a simple warm spinach salad.

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06of 27

Mushroom-Chickpea Pozole

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Celebrity chef Marcela Valladolid’s quick, vegetable-packed version of pozole features baby portobello and shiitake mushrooms. It uses canned chickpeas in place of dried hominy.

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07of 27

Cacio e Pepe Broccolini with Crispy White Beans and Burrata

This dish captures the rich, elegant, simple flavors of the classic Italian pasta and rounds them out with charred Broccolini and crispy, creamy, flash-fried white beans. No burrata? Fresh mozzarella will work here, too.

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08of 27

"Steak Bomb" Rice and Beans

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Chef Jamie Bissonnette of Toro in Boston describes a steak bomb as a sub sandwich stuffed with a delicious mess of shaved beef, onions, peppers, and cheese: “It’s New England’s answer to Philly cheesesteak.” He upgrades this pizza parlor staple by simmering thicker strips of beef with black beans and fresh tomatoes to serve over rice.

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09of 27

White Bean and Ham Soup

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When former F&W editor Grace Parisi was growing up, her mother made white bean and escarole soup every Friday. To transform the soup into a main course, Parisi substitutes ham and spiced croutons for the greens.

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10of 27

Classic Beef Chili

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This chili recipe uses two different kinds of canned beans — dark red kidney and black (make sure you drain and rinse them). A hearty batch is ready in just under an hour.

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11of 27

Blackened Skillet Pork Chops with Beans and Spinach

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Cannellini beans are simmered with chicken stock, shallots, and spinach for a tasty side to accompany pork chops.

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12of 27

Kidney Bean Soup

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Warm, hearty, and deeply comforting, this kidney bean soup gets a nice kick from crushed red pepper and brightness from a bit of mustard.

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13of 27

Lazy Chicken and Sausage Cassoulet

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You can use canned or home-cooked white beans in this fast version of cassoulet, a hearty French casserole of beans, various meats, sausages, and poultry.

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Crispy Cheese Burritos with Chorizo and Eggs

27 Canned Beans Recipes We Love (14)

When Richard Chang was chef and owner of Tacos La Tehuanita truck in Los Angeles, he wowed crowds with his burnt-cheese-roll taco, made by griddling cheese until crisp and rolling it up around various fillings. This version pairs chorizo-studded black beans and scrambled eggs with creamy avocado for richness.

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Ribollita

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This savory and cozy Tuscan soup is simmered with a sofrito cooked in peppery olive oil; earthy, rustic bread; and small, thin-skinned white beans.

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16of 27

Marinated Chickpea Salad with Radishes, Cucumber, and Queso de Freir

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This quick chickpea salad from pastry chef Paola Velez is packed with vegetables and tossed with a simple, flavorful lemon-garlic and cumin dressing. Crispy, melty strips of fried queso de freir — a favorite cheese from Velez's childhood — take the dish over the top. The salad comes together in 30 minutes, making it ideal for busy nights.

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17of 27

Gina Mae's Baked Beans

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For this summer-perfect side, scholar Regina Bradley dresses up store-bought barbecue sauce and canned baked beans with extra brown sugar; apple cider vinegar cuts through the smoky sweetness.

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18of 27

Bean and Cheese Vegetarian Enchiladas

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Sweet bell peppers and two kinds of beans are the stars of this meatless meal. They're held together with melty Monterey Jack cheese.

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19of 27

Kale and White Bean Stew

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Combining two Portuguese favorites — kale-sausage soup and a bean, sausage, and tomato stew — makes a simple, sensational one-pot meal. To keep the focus on the vegetables, we've used just a tiny amount of fresh sausage; you can add more, if you like, or substitute dried chorizo or pepperoni.

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20of 27

Roasted Leek and White Bean Gratin

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Leeks, canned cannellini beans, garlic, chicken broth, and Gruyère cheese come together in this comforting gratin. If you have leftovers, you can mash them and serve them as a dip or spread for toasts.

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21of 27

Black Bean Tlacoyos

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These tlacoyos are filled with seasoned black bean and topped with nopales, cheese, cilantro, salsa, and chopped onion. No nopales on hand? No worries.

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22of 27

Mustard Salmon with Cannellini Bean Ragù

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The cannellini beans don't cook for very long in this recipe, but they have a rich, rustic flavor since they're simmered with prosciutto and escarole.

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23of 27

Skirt Steak with Pinto Beans and Pasilla Chile Vinaigrette

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Instead of serving juicy skirt steak with steak sauce, chef Hugh Acheson makes a flavorful vinaigrette with pasilla chile and adds it to pinto beans as a very tasty, hearty accompaniment to the meat.

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24of 27

Smashed Cucumber Salad with Butter Beans and Tarragon

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Gently crushing the cucumbers for this salad releases their aroma and creates nooks and crannies for soaking up the dressing. They still retain plenty of crunch, a great contrast to the rich, creamy butter beans.

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25of 27

Beans and Bacon on Buttered Toasts

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This hearty fork-and-knife dish from chef Hugh Acheson, which features navy beans, is perfect for a quick, easy dinner for two.

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Chickpeas and Kale in Spicy Pomodoro Sauce

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This recipe from chef Missy Robbins of Brooklyn's Lilia was named one of Food & Wine's best in 2018. Here, Robbins swaps tangles of kale and chickpeas for pasta in her riff on spicy pomodoro. She finishes the dish with a shower of fresh herbs and salty pecorino cheese.

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White Bean Huevos Rancheros

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Chef Neal Fraser’s take on huevos rancheros uses simmered whole white beans; here, the beans are mashed with ham to form the base of the dish, then piled with corn tortillas, fried eggs, and queso fresco before broiling. A warm tomato salsa tops it all off.

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27 Canned Beans Recipes We Love (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 I do with too many canned beans? ›

Here are a few delicious recipes you can try using leftover canned beans:
  1. Bean Salad: Simply mix drained and rinsed beans with diced vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, and red onions. ...
  2. Bean Tacos: Mash the beans with spices and sautéed onions and garlic, then use as a filling for tacos.
Feb 4, 2023

Why you should always rinse canned beans? ›

It impacts the flavor of your food: "[Rinsing] gives the bean a cleaner mouthfeel and prevents the gel-like coating from altering the flavors of the surrounding ingredients." This is why you might want to rinse canned beans even if you are making a dish that calls for additional liquid, as tempting as it might be to ...

Is it OK to eat canned beans everyday? ›

Yes! "Eating beans, including canned beans, every day is one of the best things you can do to help increase nutrients [that you may fall short on] and substantially improve the quality of your diet," says Papanikolaou.

How to jazz up canned beans? ›

How To Make Doctored Up Baked Beans
  1. Preheat oven to 375F.
  2. Drain one-third to one-half of the juice from the baked bean cans. ...
  3. Season to taste with kosher salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and garlic powder.
  4. Bake for 45 minutes - 1 hour; the beans will be bubbly + caramelized on the top.
Jun 6, 2022

How to make beans out of a can taste good? ›

Hit the beans with a little chicken broth and simmer them until slightly thickened and heated through. Season with a drop of liquid smoke, a little brown sugar, a squeeze of lime and more cilantro. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. How do I make pinto beans taste good?

What happens if you don't rinse canned beans? ›

Canned beans are packed in a solution of water, salt, and starch. That solution can leave a glossy film on the beans, interfering with not only mouthfeel (slimy beans are a little off-putting), but also the ability of the beans to cling to other ingredients in the dish and absorb those flavors.

Should you throw away liquid from canned beans? ›

The liquid in good canned beans is just the water and salt the beans were cooked in… filled with delicious bean flavor. And this liquid is a great thickener for not only the specific dish you're making at the moment, but for any dish that could use some thickening, some salt, and some bean flavor.

What are the disadvantages of canned beans? ›

Disadvantages of canned foods include:
  • High salt content: Dissolved salt is often used in the canning process, resulting to be a major source of dietary salt. ...
  • May contain added sugar: ...
  • May cause botulism: ...
  • May cause tissue damage: ...
  • Preservatives may be added: ...
  • May contain Bisphenol-A (BPA): ...
  • Metallic taste:
Aug 17, 2022

What is the liquid in canned beans called? ›

Liquid from canned or cooked dried beans

You probably never knew it had a name, but that thick liquid in cans of beans and legumes like chickpeas is called aquafaba, a term coined by vegan baker Goose Wohlt. It can also be produced by home-cooking dried beans in water until it thickens.

Can you eat beans straight from the can? ›

Canned beans are the good kind of fast food because they're already cooked, which is a great time-saver for participants. They're convenient, ready-to-eat and can be served straight from the can (though rinsing and draining first is recommended) or quickly warmed in the microwave or on the stovetop.

Are canned beans healthy? ›

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.

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.

What is the bean only diet? ›

The bean protocol diet is based on the premise that beans are a highly nutritious food that can help promote weight loss. The bean protocol diet requires eating beans at every meal, as well as drinking eight glasses of water each day. The diet also prohibits the consumption of caffeine, alcohol, and processed foods.

How do you enhance the flavor of canned beans? ›

My technique, typically, was to caramelize the onions and garlic a bit, then add the drained cannellini beans, finishing with salt, lemon zest, sherry vinegar or lemon juice, red pepper flakes, and fresh herbs.

How do you elevate a can of baked beans? ›

A few ideas:
  1. Rinse the beans.
  2. Spice (cumin, paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder) and warm them up.
  3. Mix with other ingredients (add vegetables, cooked rice, pasta, or use them as a filling for wraps or tacos)
  4. Mix with your own sauce (onion+bell pepper+carrot+canned tomatoes)
Aug 3, 2023

How do you make beans more interesting? ›

Maple syrup, molasses, ketchup, vinegar, mustard—basically throw every sweet, salty, tangy condiment you've got at those canned baked beans and you know they're going to taste delicious. Upgrade #4: Heat.

What can I add to pinto beans for flavor without? ›

What is Good To Season Pinto Beans? You can use so many different herbs and spices to season pinto beans. I like the combination of cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, and thyme, but other great options include adding herbs like sage, rosemary, marjoram.

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