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

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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

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

How to make a can of beans good? ›

Be sure to add some seasonings

In order to wake up the flavor of canned beans, you'll want to season them with the spices of your choice. Don't fall into the common trap of over-salting your beans—since most beans already contain a good amount of sodium, they actually don't require too much extra salt.

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

"If you rinse your beans thoroughly, you will have a consistently flavored product, but if you do not rinse them, different amounts of salt will remain in the dish each time you cook it, and it will be hard to cook consistently," he says.

What can I add to 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.

How to make canned beans tastier? ›

I like to sprinkle in some taco seasoning, but you could add whatever spices you like — garlic powder, cumin, and chili powder are all good calls. Then, you mash the beans up directly in the pan and add just a little bit of vinegar at the end to really make the beans sing.

How to make your beans tastier? ›

Brine your beans while soaking them by adding a tablespoon or two of salt to the soaking liquid, a trick from Cool Beans author and bean guru Joe Yonan. It effectively brines the beans, making them both tastier and more evenly cooked as it helps to soften the beans' skins, improving the final texture.

How do you make beans taste meaty? ›

Traditional seasoning meats such as salt pork, bacon, and ham are what provide that savory, meaty flavor in a pot of simmering beans.

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

Should you drain canned beans? ›

"Draining and rinsing canned beans can reduce their sodium content by more than 40 percent. But taking just a few extra minutes is key to getting the most benefit," The Bean Institute website states.

How do you cut gas out of canned beans? ›

But most people can enjoy more beans with less gas with the help of these tips: Soak beans overnight in water, then drain, rinse and cook in fresh water. This decreases the oligosaccharide content. Cooking the beans in a pressure cooker may reduce the oligosaccharides even further.

How to make can beans taste like homemade? ›

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 to make canned beans taste like restaurant? ›

Only put in water, beans—I use pinto beans, lard, & salt in them. Simmered them on low for quite a while, but I think you can boil them too and it's faster. You can add onion, but I don't usually. You MUST use LARD tho—it's the ingredients that gives it that taste like the beans you're used to at a restaurant.

Why can't you boil canned beans? ›

2 Answers. Beans in the can are already well cooked--they are essentially pressure cooked as part of the canning process. While only a speculation, it is highly likely that they are now fragile and bringing them to a full boil would mar their appearance--fewer whole beans--from the agitation.

Can you freeze leftover canned beans? ›

Freezing your extra canned beans should be fine. In fact, I often make a big batch of chili (using canned beans), and then freeze some of it with no change in quality. Simply store your extra beans in a heavy plastic container or plastic freezer bag and use within 6 months.

Can you save beans from a can? ›

Open beans can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days; while it may be tempting to store them right in the can, the USDA recommends transferring them to plastic or glass containers.

Can you reuse canned beans? ›

Yes. Unused portions of canned food may be refrigerated in the can, but to preserve optimum quality and flavor, place the unused portion in a food-grade glass or plastic container. Use within 4 days.

Should you throw away liquid from canned beans? ›

When I use canned beans and canned tomatoes, I always drain them (and save the liquid). Not because there's anything wrong with the liquid. As a matter of fact, the liquid is that secret gift. The liquid in good canned beans is just the water and salt the beans were cooked in…

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