There are a lot of uncertainties these days, but probably one 100% certain thing is that we all have a ton of beans in our pantries. While there is no reason to stock up on food, there are good reasons to consider stocking up on beans, which are stable, nutrient-rich options during this time of social estrangement. If you're looking at that rack full of beans and imagining months of chili con carne, we challenge you to try new ideas. Beans are as versatile as they are long-lasting. Deb Perelman, the culinary mind behind Smitten Kitchen, has known the wonder of beans for years - her blog is full of easy and delicious recipes packed with them.
Before we dive into five of your best pantry-friendly recipes using legumes, here are a few pieces of basic Perelman bean wisdom.
First: substitutions
While many grocery store shelves are slowly returning to normal, food availability may vary regionally. Don't let a shelf without black beans change your entire meal plan. Perelman explains that most beans are quite interchangeable. In fact, you only need to think about size when making an exchange. If you can't find black beans, for example, take small red beans. If you plan to puree the beans in a soup or sauce, it's even easier to substitute the ones you have.
Second: the canned debate vs. dry
While some people strongly believe that dried beans make a much tastier dish, Perelman is a blatant fan of canned beans because they are so easy. However, he adds that there are times when he would prefer dry ones.
"If you are using the instant pot or the slow cooker, you could start with dry beans," she says. Pereleman says that since the slow cooker will cook for hours anyway, it will give you plenty of time to boil dry beans. Another way you can bet on dry is when you use a pressure cooker - it doesn't take much extra time to cook them.
You can also substitute dry beans for canned ones and vice versa, although it is not as simple as substituting one type of bean for another. Perelman points out that there is no proven and true conversion ratio, but there are ways to do it correctly.
If you want to add canned beans to a recipe that requires dry, just keep in mind that the liquid needs to be drastically reduced. On the other hand, if you have dried beans, you can pre-cook them or simply plan an increase in the cooking time and the amount of liquid. Dried beans require 1 to 2 parts of their own volume in liquid to cook properly, while canned beans do not need any additional liquid.
Precooking dried beans is especially helpful with chili, as the acid in tomatoes can slow cooking, so Pereleman recommends cooking dry beans separately in this case, if possible.
Now that you have completed the legume crash course, here are five bean recipes that will keep you from getting tired of chili.
Hummus with tomatoes and cucumbers
Perelman discovered a secret when he tried to make hummus as smooth and delicious as you get in restaurants: You must remove the skins. It takes about 10 minutes to get the chickpeas out of their skins, which is a meditative activity. (Perelman also more recently discovered that you can buy peeled and divided chickpeas at Indian grocery stores or even online to skip the peeling step.) After you finish the peeling job, let the food processor do the rest of the work. Perelman's hummus is a wonderful snack on its own, but you also have a way to turn it into dinner: serve it with cucumbers and tomatoes for a salad. Or lay boiled eggs or radishes. It is a delightful experiment, whatever you do.
Ingredients:
- 4 large pita breads, toasted, cut into pieces
- 2 cups of prepared hummus (from this recipe, your favorite recipe or your favorite brand)
- Olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups (8 ounces or 225 grams) cherry tomatoes, minced.
- 8 ounces (225 grams) small cucumbers, washed, unpeeled, minced.
- 1/4 medium red onion, chopped small
- Juice of half a lemon
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Sumac and / or Za'atar (optional)
- 1 to 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley, or a mixture of parsley, mint and chives, plus more for garnish
See the complete Hummus with Tomatoes and Cucumbers recipe at SmittenKitchen.com.
White Bean Soup With Crispy Kale
When Perelman came up with the idea for this recipe, he envisioned a lighter potato soup that could "italize". It also happens to be a surprisingly sophisticated meal to use many pantry-friendly ingredients like parmesan, broth, potatoes, and, of course, beans. Another great secret to their soup: the additives. She cooks the bacon in a heavy saucepan like a Dutch oven before adding the ingredients to the soup and toasts some kale while the soup simmers. Blend the soup until smooth and silky and you will have dinner in about 40 minutes.
Ingredients:
- 4 ounces diced bacon (bacon works, too)
- Olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 4 cups of vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 1/2 pound yukon browned potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (no peeling required)
- 5 ounces kale leaves (from a salad-ready bowl)
- 1 15-ounce can cannellini or smaller white bean, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
- Sour cream, to serve
See the full recipe for crispy kale white bean soup at SmittenKitchen.com.
Cannellini Aglio e Olio
One of Perelman's many bean tricks is, as she says, treating them like pasta. When you start with canned cannellini beans, they actually cook faster than pasta. In this recipe, the beans are cooked in a generous amount of garlic with minced artichoke hearts. Perelman recommends serving it in two ways: on toast or directly as a dish. It's also easy to imagine how good the beans would be hot on a bed of arugula or mixed with other vegetables that could be in the fridge waiting to be used.
Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
- Salt flakes and red pepper
- 1 15-ounce cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (about 1 3/4 cups)
- Half a 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained, chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
- Grated Parmesan or Roman Pecorino
See the full Cannellini Aglio e Olio recipe at SmittenKitchen.com.
Black bean soup with toasted cumin cream
This is another favorite Perelman soup that can be enhanced with side dishes like avocado, fries, and cream. If you start making the base, you will have a delicious and versatile soup that you can easily adapt and end with canned or dried beans, on the stove, in a pressure cooker or with a slow cooker. Once the soup is done, you can freeze it and add the side dishes whenever you want an easy dinner that feels fresher and more special than typical frozen food.
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 2 medium red onions, chopped
- 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 teaspoons of ground cumin
- 1 16-ounce package dried black beans
- 1 tablespoon chopped chipotle peppers from a can
- 7 cups of water
- 2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice
- 2 teaspoons of coarse kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
See the full recipe for Black Bean Cream with Roasted Cumin Cream at SmittenKitchen.com.
Crispy chickpeas with herbs and garlic yogurt
When Perelman started writing recipes, chickpeas were all the rage and that has made some of his best ideas use this legume. An easy recipe that always surprises is its crispy chickpeas. Starting with canned chickpeas, quickly fry them in a pan and serve with zucchini and garlic yogurt. It's deceptively easy and can be eaten with everything from toast to fried eggs. Incorporate the minced garlic in natural yogurt and let it rest. If you want the garlic to be especially smooth, grate it with a grater.
Ingredients:
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 small garlic clove, minced or grated
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- Salt flakes and red pepper
- Half a large lemon
- 1 small zucchini (about 6 ounces), thinly sliced
- Handful of chopped fresh mint, oregano, basil, parsley, or a mixture
- See the entire recipe for crispy chickpeas with herbs and garlic yogurt at SmittenKitchen.com.
Some useful accessories
These are the tools you will need to prepare these and other amazing bean recipes.
Cuisinart Elemental 8-Cup Food Processor with 3-Cup Bowl ($ 73.47, amazon.com)
If you don't have one, now is a good time to buy a food processor. These workhorses are perfect for mashing beans and soups, making dough, slicing vegetables, and more.
Tramontina 6.5-Quart Dutch Iron Oven ($ 47.95, amazon.com)
This medium-sized Dutch oven goes into the oven and cooks on the stove, which means it can handle various jobs in your kitchen, from chicken rice to soup.
KitchenAid Hand Mixer ($ 34.99, amazon.com)
A well-pureed soup is usually easier to achieve with a hand mixer like this. Just put it in the pot and, completely submerged, start to beat.
OXO Good Grips 8 Inch Dual Bar Strainer ($ 19.99, amazon.com)
To create a super smooth puree or to wash canned beans, this fine mesh strainer is useful in all kinds of recipes.
Acacia Cutting Board ($ 49.95, amazon.com)
Cooking from scratch means cutting a lot. A versatile cutting board is essential to get the job done.
Instant Pot Duo 8-Qt Multi-cooker ($ 94.87, amazon.com)
An instant pot is a true friend when cooking beans from scratch. You can pre-cook beans in minutes using the pressure cooker feature. Then set it up and forget about it while you prepare your soup or stew.
Crock-Pot Cook 'N Carry 6-Quart Slow Cooker ($ 34.99, amazon.com)
If you don't need the Instant Pot pressure cooker feature, or if you want to simmer while pressure cooking on another device, adding a slow cooker to your cookware collection is a smart choice.
Microplane ($ 12.95, amazon.com)
This brand of graters is the standard in grating and slicing. This one has over 7,500 5-star reviews on Amazon.
Cuisinart Chef Classic 14 ″ Nonstick Skillet ($ 39.95, amazon.com)
A 14-inch skillet gives you extra room to prepare larger dishes for a crowd and if you need to mix your ingredients. The non-stick surface makes cleaning easy.
'Smitten Kitchen Every Day: Triumphant and Unfussy New Favorites: A Cookbook', by Deb Perelman ($ 22.93, amazon.com)
Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen has compiled her favorite tips and recipes in this second cookbook. Whether you are learning to cook or looking to expand your repertoire, it has delicious recipes that are not too complicated.
Note: The above prices reflect the price at the time of article posting.