Beans and Grain Recipes

No-cook black bean salad with diced cucumber, plum tomato, celery, slivered basil, orange zest, and lemon juice. A bright vegan side that gets better as it sits and doubles as a protein-packed lunch.

Spicy ground beef burritos with refried beans, fresh tomatoes, and taco seasoning served in flour tortillas with guacamole and sour cream. A fun, fiery burrito the whole family can build at the table.

Hearty fish stew with white fish fillets, bacon, green beans, carrots, tomatoes, and creamy potato soup base. The one-pot Midwestern fish chowder.

A scrumptious side dish where chickpeas are given a spicy taste.

Four-ingredient garlic and white bean soup made entirely in the microwave. Eight cloves of mellowed garlic, creamy pureed beans, vegetable broth. High-fiber, low-fat, vegan.

Bacon bean casserole layers tender soaked white beans with carrots, onions, tomatoes, and crisp bacon for an old-fashioned, frugal one-dish supper. Pair with a green salad.

Basic Cincinnati chili simmered, not browned, so the beef stays fine and silky, spiced with cinnamon, allspice, and cumin. Ladle it over spaghetti for a 3-way or onto a hot dog for a classic cheese coney.

Bohna soup is a traditional Pennsylvania Dutch bean and milk soup, finished with brown butter croutons. Six pantry ingredients and a heritage recipe in one pot.

A scrumptious side dish that is made with zucchini, corn and black beans.

Velveted chicken and cashews with crunchy water chestnuts and green pepper, stir-fried in a hot wok. Chinese takeout favorite with restaurant-style tender chicken at home.

Layered corn tortillas baked with Monterey Jack, poblano peppers, and a creamy egg-buttermilk custard. A Mexican-inspired casserole that feeds 6 in about an hour.

Pork chili with mushrooms, green pepper, celery, and kidney beans in a garlic-rubbed skillet. A milder, more nuanced chili that swaps beef for ground pork and adds earthy mushrooms.

Chole (Indian chickpea curry) with potatoes, mustard seeds, cardamom, and garam masala. A vegan, one-skillet dish with warm spices and hearty texture from canned chickpeas.

Cincinnati 5-way chili construction: how to stack thick spaghetti, chili, kidney beans, chopped onions, and a mountain of fine-grated cheddar like Skyline. The Ohio assembly bible.

Cooking grains the foolproof way: two parts water to one part grain, rinse first, simmer covered, never stir. Works for quinoa, rice, millet, and farro. The basic ratio every home cook should know by heart.

Corn and cheese chili loaded with two kinds of kidney beans, crispy bacon, plum tomatoes, and sharp cheddar stirred in at the end. A hearty, no-meat-needed chili with smoky bacon richness.