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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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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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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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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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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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

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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

What can I add to canned beans to make them better? ›

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.

Should you rinse canned beans? ›

Do You Need To Rinse Canned Beans? According to The Bean Institute, you can reduce up to 41 percent of the sodium in canned beans by rinsing them. "It's fine to add the bean liquid to many recipes, but if you want to reduce the amount of sodium, it's best to drain and rinse canned beans," the website states.

How many canned beans for 100 people? ›

100 Servings

OR 20 lb 4 gal (4 ⅔ No. 10 cans) OR 3 gal 1. Heat canned pinto beans.

What to do with leftover canned beans? ›

If you have leftovers, you can mash them and serve them as a dip or spread for toasts.

How to jazz 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.

How to make canned beans taste like restaurants? ›

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.

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.

What beans are good for kidneys? ›

It would depend on the kidney problems you are having. If you need to avoid foods high in phosphorus, then wax beans, peas and green beans would be the safest to eat. If you are having problems with kidney stones, then all legumes would be beneficial.

What happens if you don't drain and 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.

How many people will 2 lb of beans feed? ›

A 2-pound bag of dry pinto beans is about 24 servings (½ cup) after cooking.

How many cans is 1lb of beans? ›

If you don't have dried beans, you can substitute canned. For every pound of dried beans called for... ...you'll need 58 ounces of canned beans (3 or 4 cans, depending on size).

How many cups of beans do I need for 20 people? ›

You'll need 20 servings or 10 cups of beans. This means you'll need to cook about two pounds of dry beans this weekend or buy 6 15-oz. cans of beans.

Can I save half a can of beans? ›

Low-acid canned goods, such as meat, poultry, fish, gravy, stew, soups, beans, carrots, corn, pasta, peas, potatoes and spinach) can be stored three to four days. Although it's safe to store the food in the can, it will retain better flavor if transferred to a glass or plastic storage container.

What do farmers do with beans? ›

Farmers will either swath (cut the plant) or directly harvest the bean with a combine. Allowing beans to dry before harvest allows beans to be minimally processed, require no refrigeration or freezing, and to be shipped all over the world. Want to learn more about bean production in Northarvest country?

Are canned beans healthy? ›

They are an excellent source of fiber, plant-based protein, and other essential nutrients, such as folate and potassium. Despite the potential for contamination, canned beans are generally safe to consume and prove to be a convenient and nutritious alternative to dried beans.

How do you make canned beans taste like fresh beans? ›

I also like to add a peeled, smashed clove of garlic, or maybe a bay leaf or a few sprigs of thyme. After 10 to 15 minutes, the beans will be warm and fragrant, ready to be spooned over a piece of garlicky toast, or served alongside grilled sausages and sautéed greens.

What can I add to beans for taste? ›

Those aromatics in the pot will revolutionize the beans' final flavor. The aromatics I tend to use are onions, carrots, garlic, and celery, and then heartier, woodsy herbs, like rosemary, sage, and thyme, which marry beautifully with the earthy-sweet flavor of beans.

How can I improve cheap beans? ›

Firstly, lets kick off with how to upgrade your current beans on toast game. One idea is to add marmite (trust me, it's lovely if you like marmite). You can also spice up you're your baked beans by adding a teaspoon of your favourite spice, for example smoked paprika, cumin or chilli powder if your feeling adventurous.

How do you fix bland beans? ›

Cooking dried beans with just salt and water is fine, but they are going to taste rather plain. The Bean Institute recommends cooking beans with aromatics to get the most flavor out of them. They advise adding onion, garlic, and fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, or bay leaf.

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