30 Canned Beans Recipes We Love (2024)

As far as pantry staples go, canned beans can really come in handy. We're talking black beans, chickpeas, kidney beans, and more — if you have a few cans stocked in your cabinets, you can use them to bolster all kinds of meals, ranging from beef chili to a quick cassoulet. Read on for some of our favorite, convenient recipes with canned beans.

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Smoky Beans and Greens in Tomato Broth

This soul-satisfying bowl of beans and greens hits the spot on a night when you're low on time and energy and the fridge seems a bit bare. Smoked paprika adds a welcome hint of smokiness, while the combination of tomato paste and sun-dried tomatoes delivers an aromatic broth in record time. Feel free to use your favorite canned or home-cooked beans.

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02of 30

Kale and White Bean Stew

Combining two Portuguese favorites — kale-sausage soup and a bean, sausage, and tomato stew — makes a simple, sensational one-pot meal. To keep the focus on the vegetables, we've used just a tiny amount of fresh sausage; you can add more, if you like, or substitute dried chorizo or pepperoni.

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03of 30

Rajma (Kidney Bean Curry) Tacos

This creamy, richly spiced vegetarian kidney bean curry is usually served over rice with roti or naan, but it also makes a surprisingly delicious filling for corn tortillas. You can assemble the tacos before serving them, or make a giant taco platter with the rajma, toasted tortillas, and all of the toppings, and let your guests build their own to their liking.

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04of 30

Chickpeas and Kale in Spicy Pomodoro Sauce

This recipe from chef Missy Robbins of Brooklyn's Lilia was named one of Food & Wine's best in 2018. Here, Robbins swaps tangles of kale and chickpeas for pasta in her riff on spicy pomodoro. She finishes the dish with a shower of fresh herbs and salty pecorino cheese.

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05of 30

Saucy White Beans and Greens on Toast

This combination of canned cannellini and cranberry beans cooked with spinach, jalapeño, cumin, and citrus is a cozy, quick dinner.

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Spring Minestrone with Grated Egg Pasta

Multiple ingredients in this bountiful spring vegetable soup give it a deep, satisfying flavor. The Parmigiano-Reggiano rind and vegetable umami both contribute a delicious, salty richness, while curly leaf spinach maintains a fresh, vegetal taste that you can’t get from baby spinach.

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07of 30

Mushroom-Chickpea Pozole

Celebrity chef Marcela Valladolid’s quick, vegetable-packed version of pozole features baby portobello and shiitake mushrooms. It uses canned chickpeas in place of dried hominy.

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08of 30

Classic Beef Chili

This chili recipe uses two different kinds of canned beans — dark red kidney and black (make sure you drain and rinse them). A hearty batch is ready in just under an hour.

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09of 30

Refried White Beans with Poached Eggs

Caramelized shallots and bold Fresno chile lend big flavor while fresh thyme and mint provide freshness and lime juice brings a brightness to what is typically a heavier dish. Serve refried white beans topped with a poached egg and you have one seriously satisfying breakfast, or serve them without the egg for a comforting side dish.

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10of 30

Cacio e Pepe Broccolini with Crispy White Beans and Burrata

This dish captures the rich, elegant, simple flavors of the classic Italian pasta and rounds them out with charred Broccolini and crispy, creamy, flash-fried white beans. No burrata? Fresh mozzarella will work here, too.

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11of 30

White Bean and Ham Soup

When former F&W editor Grace Parisi was growing up, her mother made white bean and escarole soup every Friday. To transform the soup into a main course, Parisi substitutes ham and spiced croutons for the greens.

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12of 30

Lazy Chicken and Sausage Cassoulet

You can use canned or home-cooked white beans in this fast version of cassoulet, a hearty French casserole of beans, various meats, sausages, and poultry.

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Marinated Chickpea Salad with Radishes, Cucumber, and Queso de Freir

This quick chickpea salad from pastry chef Paola Velez is packed with vegetables and tossed with a simple, flavorful lemon-garlic and cumin dressing. Crispy, melty strips of fried queso de freir — a favorite cheese from Velez's childhood — take the dish over the top. The salad comes together in 30 minutes, making it ideal for busy nights.

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14of 30

Gina Mae's Baked Beans

For this summer-perfect side, scholar Regina Bradley dresses up store-bought barbecue sauce and canned baked beans with extra brown sugar; apple cider vinegar cuts through the smoky sweetness.

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15of 30

Black Bean Tlacoyos

These tlacoyos are filled with seasoned black bean and topped with nopales, cheese, cilantro, salsa, and chopped onion. No nopales on hand? No worries.

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Crispy Cheese Burritos with Chorizo and Eggs

When Richard Chang was chef and owner of Tacos La Tehuanita truck in Los Angeles, he wowed crowds with his burnt-cheese-roll taco, made by griddling cheese until crisp and rolling it up around various fillings. This version pairs chorizo-studded black beans and scrambled eggs with creamy avocado for richness.

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17of 30

Blackened Skillet Pork Chops with Beans and Spinach

Cannellini beans are simmered with chicken stock, shallots, and spinach for a tasty side to accompany pork chops.

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18of 30

"Steak Bomb" Rice and Beans

Chef Jamie Bissonnette of Toro in Boston describes a steak bomb as a sub sandwich stuffed with a delicious mess of shaved beef, onions, peppers, and cheese: “It’s New England’s answer to Philly cheesesteak.” He upgrades this pizza parlor staple by simmering thicker strips of beef with black beans and fresh tomatoes to serve over rice.

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19of 30

Mustard Salmon with Cannellini Bean Ragù

The cannellini beans don't cook for very long in this recipe, but they have a rich, rustic flavor since they're simmered with prosciutto and escarole.

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20of 30

Ribollita

This savory and cozy Tuscan soup is simmered with a sofrito cooked in peppery olive oil; earthy, rustic bread; and small, thin-skinned white beans.

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21of 30

Kidney Bean Soup

Warm, hearty, and deeply comforting, this kidney bean soup gets a nice kick from crushed red pepper and brightness from a bit of mustard.

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22of 30

Cavatappi with Chorizo and Black Beans

The full, earthy Tex-Mex flavors of chorizo, black beans, and chili blend perfectly, if somewhat unexpectedly, with corkscrew-shaped macaroni.

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23of 30

Smashed Cucumber Salad with Butter Beans and Tarragon

Gently crushing the cucumbers for this salad releases their aroma and creates nooks and crannies for soaking up the dressing. They still retain plenty of crunch, a great contrast to the rich, creamy butter beans.

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24of 30

Skirt Steak with Pinto Beans and Pasilla Chile Vinaigrette

Instead of serving juicy skirt steak with steak sauce, chef Hugh Acheson makes a flavorful vinaigrette with pasilla chile and adds it to pinto beans as a very tasty, hearty accompaniment to the meat.

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25of 30

Beans and Bacon on Buttered Toasts

This hearty fork-and-knife dish from chef Hugh Acheson, which features navy beans, is perfect for a quick, easy dinner for two.

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Bean and Cheese Vegetarian Enchiladas

Sweet bell peppers and two kinds of beans are the stars of this meatless meal. They're held together with melty Monterey Jack cheese.

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Warm Spinach Salad with Cannellini Beans and Shrimp

The combination of sweet shrimp and meaty little cannellini beans here transforms a simple warm spinach salad.

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Tuna and White Bean Salad

This simple salad has fewer than 10 ingredients, with canned white beans (cannellini is preferable) and canned tuna as the stars.

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White Bean Huevos Rancheros

Chef Neal Fraser’s take on huevos rancheros uses simmered whole white beans; here, the beans are mashed with ham to form the base of the dish, then piled with corn tortillas, fried eggs, and queso fresco before broiling. A warm tomato salsa tops it all off.

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30of 30

Roasted Leek and White Bean Gratin

Leeks, canned cannellini beans, garlic, chicken broth, and Gruyère cheese come together in this comforting gratin. If you have leftovers, you can mash them and serve them as a dip or spread for toasts.

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30 Canned Beans Recipes We Love (2024)

Smoky Beans and Greens in Tomato Broth

Kale and White Bean Stew

Rajma (Kidney Bean Curry) Tacos

Chickpeas and Kale in Spicy Pomodoro Sauce

Saucy White Beans and Greens on Toast

Spring Minestrone with Grated Egg Pasta

Mushroom-Chickpea Pozole

Classic Beef Chili

Refried White Beans with Poached Eggs

Cacio e Pepe Broccolini with Crispy White Beans and Burrata

White Bean and Ham Soup

Lazy Chicken and Sausage Cassoulet

Marinated Chickpea Salad with Radishes, Cucumber, and Queso de Freir

Gina Mae's Baked Beans

Black Bean Tlacoyos

Crispy Cheese Burritos with Chorizo and Eggs

Blackened Skillet Pork Chops with Beans and Spinach

"Steak Bomb" Rice and Beans

Mustard Salmon with Cannellini Bean Ragù

Ribollita

Kidney Bean Soup

Cavatappi with Chorizo and Black Beans

Smashed Cucumber Salad with Butter Beans and Tarragon

Skirt Steak with Pinto Beans and Pasilla Chile Vinaigrette

Beans and Bacon on Buttered Toasts

Bean and Cheese Vegetarian Enchiladas

Warm Spinach Salad with Cannellini Beans and Shrimp

Tuna and White Bean Salad

White Bean Huevos Rancheros

Roasted Leek and White Bean Gratin

References