Beans and Grain Recipes

Cold pasta shell salad with chunky tuna, red kidney beans, olives, red onion, and red wine vinaigrette finished with grated Asiago. Protein-packed make-ahead lunch or potluck side.

Homemade coffee liqueur with vodka, instant coffee, sugar, and real vanilla bean. A DIY Kahlua-style drink that steeps for two weeks in the bottle.

Flaky pastry tart crust made with grapefruit soda instead of water. A 4-ingredient shortening crust that blind bakes golden in 20 minutes. The carbonation keeps the dough light and tender.

Easy crockpot Brunswick stew simmers chicken, ham, potatoes, lima beans, corn, and tomatoes into a hearty Southern slow cooker meal. Set-and-forget classic, feeds a crowd.

A from-scratch black bean soup: dried beans simmered with smoky ham hocks, then a cumin-scented sofrito of peppers and onions, tomatoes, and a bright splash of red wine vinegar. Deep, hearty, and soulful.

Provencal soup au pistou loaded with kidney beans, white beans, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, green beans, and macaroni. A hearty, rustic French vegetable soup.

A two-meat chili with cubed pork and beef, pinto beans, green chiles, jalapenos, cumin, and red wine. Simmered low and slow in a Dutch oven, thickened with tortilla flour for serious body.

Three bean salad with pinto beans, chickpeas, and steamed green beans in a rice vinegar and lemon dressing with pimentos. Diabetic-friendly, vegan, and served chilled on lettuce.

Persian lentil and greens khoreshe with spinach, parsley, cilantro, scallions, and turmeric simmered until tender. A fragrant Iranian stew served over basmati rice.

Moroccan chickpeas with raisins, butternut squash, and warm spices like turmeric, cinnamon, and ginger. A one-pot North African stew served over rice in just 30 minutes.

Slow cooker one-dish meal with ground beef, bacon, smoked sausage, and four kinds of beans in a sweet-smoky ketchup and honey sauce. A hearty crowd-feeder for 10.

Southwestern white chicken chili with cannellini beans, green chiles, cumin, and oregano. A lighter no-tomato chili topped with melted Monterey Jack.

Bean, okra, and tomato soup simmered with a ham bone for deep smoky flavor. A Southern classic that turns leftover ham into a hearty, satisfying soup.

Pinto bean burgers made from scratch with dried beans, oats, green chiles, and ketchup, dredged in cornmeal and pan-fried crispy. A Southwestern-style vegetarian burger that holds together.

Vegan chili with kidney beans, bulgur wheat, fresh tomatoes, and a heavy hand of mild and hot ground chilies. A hearty meatless chili where bulgur replaces ground meat for satisfying texture.

Southwest baked beans with three types of beans, Roma tomatoes, molasses, honey, cumin, and apple cider vinegar. A smoky-sweet, slow-baked side dish that feeds a crowd.