Beans and Grain Recipes

Authentic Thai red curry with homemade paste, coconut milk, and crisp-tender vegetables. A fragrant, spicy vegetarian stir fry served over jasmine rice.

Dominican red beans and rice (habichuelas con arroz), small red beans simmered with cumin, garlic, a touch of sugar, and vinegar, spooned over fluffy rice. A naturally vegan plate, great with avocado and plantains.

Ribollita, the classic Tuscan bread soup layered with vegetables, kidney beans, spinach, and Parmesan. Baked in a casserole with toasted bread soaking up a rich chicken-wine broth.

Kentucky-style burgoo with three meats: stewing beef, pork shoulder, and whole chicken simmered for hours with fresh corn, lima beans, tomatoes, and potatoes.

Caribbean-style roast fresh ham rubbed with a garlic, rum, brown sugar, and lime marinade, roasted alongside chayote squash. The citrus-rum crust caramelizes into a sticky, sweet-savory glaze.

Authentic Spanish-American chili con carne made with cubed beef, beef suet, and whole dried red chile peppers reconstituted and pulped into a smoky, deeply flavored bowl of red. A traditional no-bean chili built on real chiles, not powder.

Root beer baked beans with bacon, barbecue sauce, dry mustard, and hot sauce simmered together on the stovetop. A sweet, smoky, slightly spicy side dish ready in 40 minutes.

Rotini pasta salad Nicoise-style with chicken, white beans, artichoke hearts, and a Dijon lemon vinaigrette. A hearty, protein-packed cold salad for summer.

San Fernando Valley pinquitos are slow-simmered pinto beans cooked with raw sausage, sliced apples, tomato juice, and brown sugar. A sweet-savory Southern California classic.

Santa Maria salsa is the no-cook California barbecue staple: chopped canned tomatoes, celery, onion, and green pepper sharpened with horseradish, vinegar, and Worcestershire. Pour, chill, serve.

Caribbean sancoche soup with salt beef, ground provisions like yam, cassava, and dasheen, plus green bananas, pumpkin, and okra. A hearty weekend one-pot stew with island roots.

Bean and beef pie wraps a meatloaf-style ground beef crust around green beans in cream of mushroom soup, topped with crispy french fried onions. Green bean casserole reimagined as a pie.

Sausage and Stilton quiche in a homemade butter pastry with crumbled sausage, Swiss cheese, and blue cheese in a cream-egg custard. A rich, British-style savory tart from scratch.

Flageolet beans sauteed with garlic and tarragon, tossed with fusilli pasta and finished with balsamic vinaigrette. A light, French-inspired vegetarian pasta dish with creamy beans.

Savory green beans with mushrooms, basil, and lemon juice cooked entirely in the microwave. A quick, no-fuss vegetable side dish ready in under 20 minutes.

A lighter green chili loaded with beans, green peppers, jalapenos, green chiles, and cumin in chicken broth. No tomatoes, all heat, ready in 30 minutes flat.