Beans and Grain Recipes

Italian bean and pasta salad with anasazi beans, spinach spaghetti, fresh vegetables, and a lemon-herb dressing. A no-cook, protein-packed side that improves as it chills.

Vegetarian lentil stew simmered with carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf, finished with red wine and plum tomatoes. A hearty, high-fiber one-pot meal with no added fat.

Easy 4-ingredient shepherd's pie with ground beef, tomato soup, canned green beans, and mashed potatoes topped with paprika. A budget-friendly family dinner ready in an hour.

Creole pork chops with white beans: bone-in pork chops braised low and slow with white beans, holy trinity vegetables, tomatoes, and Creole seasoning. Louisiana comfort food in a Dutch oven.

Black beans and fettuccine topped with a spiced ketchup-tomato sauce, steamed broccoli, and colorful bell peppers. A low-calorie vegetarian pasta that feeds a crowd.

Thai lemongrass stir-fry with crispy fried tofu, long beans, broccoli, and a fresh-pounded chili-galangal paste. Vegetarian Thai vegetable dish with bright aromatics and real wok heat.

Ribollita is a Tuscan bread soup layered with vegetables, chicken, kidney beans, spinach, stale bread, and Parmesan, then baked until thick and crusty. A hearty Italian peasant soup that improves overnight.

Fresh green beans, mushrooms, zucchini, and tomato wedges simmered in a tangy Worcestershire-vinegar sauce with oregano. Serve hot as a side or chilled as a vegetable salad.

Hearty minestrone soup slow-simmered with kidney beans, cabbage, zucchini, leeks, and crushed tomatoes in vegetable broth. A big-batch Italian vegetable soup with macaroni.

Slow cooker black beans simmered all day with whole tomatoes, onion, garlic, green peppercorns, and cumin. Six-ingredient vegan dinner with monastic simplicity and big flavor.

Vegetarian chili with bulgur wheat, kidney beans, chickpeas, and a hearty veggie base. Vegan, protein-packed, and meatier in texture than most plant-based chilis.

Ground beef chili with kidney beans, tomato sauce, celery, green pepper, and scallions simmered until thick. A classic weeknight chili topped with cheddar, lettuce, and tortilla chips.

Chinese steamed spareribs with fermented black beans, ginger, garlic, and rice wine. Pork ribs cut into bite-sized pieces and steamed until fall-apart tender in about an hour.

Thai red fish cakes (tod mun pla) with red curry paste, lemongrass, lime zest, and crunchy green beans. Bouncy texture, fragrant heat, perfect with sweet chili sauce.

Mission-style chicken breasts smothered in a smoky chipotle sour cream sauce with melted cheese. Made with a from-scratch chipotle paste using dried chiles, garlic, and slow-fried aromatics.

Red beans and rice with green and red bell peppers, tomatoes, celery and a kick of chili and hot sauce. A Louisiana-leaning bean pot built on dried kidney and pinto beans, finished with a splash of cider vinegar.