30 Canned Beans Recipes We Love

Use that can of beans for tacos, toast, pasta, or pozole.

By

Food & Wine Editors

Updated on March 20, 2024

Saucy White Beans and Greens on Toast — Photo:
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

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.

01 of 30

Smoky Beans and Greens in Tomato Broth

Smoky Vegetarian Beans and Green Recipe — Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Sarah Elizabeth Cleveland

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.

02 of 30

Kale and White Bean Stew

Kale and White Bean Stew — Diana Chistruga

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.

03 of 30

Rajma (Kidney Bean Curry) Tacos

Rajma Tacos — Photo by Rachel Vanni / Food Styling by Judy Haubert

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.

04 of 30

Chickpeas and Kale in Spicy Pomodoro Sauce

Chickpeas and Kale in Spicy Pomodoro Sauce — Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Thom Driver

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.

05 of 30

Saucy White Beans and Greens on Toast

Saucy White Beans and Greens on Toast — Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

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

06 of 30

Spring Minestrone with Grated Egg Pasta

Spring Minestrone with Grated Egg Pasta — Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

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.

07 of 30

Mushroom-Chickpea Pozole

Vegetable Posole Recipe — Caitlin Bensel

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.

08 of 30

Classic Beef Chili

classic beef chili — CAITLIN BENSEL

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.

09 of 30

Refried White Beans with Poached Eggs

Refried White Beans with Poached Eggs — Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

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.

10 of 30

Cacio e Pepe Broccolini with Crispy White Beans and Burrata

Cacio e Pepe Broccolini with Crispy White Beans and Burrata — Victor Protasio

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.

11 of 30

White Bean and Ham Soup

White Bean and Ham Soup — Diana Chistruga

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.

12 of 30

Lazy Chicken and Sausage Cassoulet

Lazy Cassoulet Recipe — Alison Miksch

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.

13 of 30

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

Chickpea Salad with Fried Halloumi — Farrah Skeiky

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.

14 of 30

Gina Mae's Baked Beans

serving dish with baked beans — Photo by Caitlin Bensel / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell

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.

15 of 30

Black Bean Tlacoyos

Black Bean Tlacoyos — Victor Protasio

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

16 of 30

Crispy Cheese Burritos with Chorizo and Eggs

Crispy Cheese Burritos with Chorizo and Eggs — Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Prissy Lee

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.

17 of 30

Blackened Skillet Pork Chops with Beans and Spinach

Blackened Skillet Pork Chops with Beans and Spinach — Victor Protasio

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

18 of 30

"Steak Bomb" Rice and Beans

steak bomb with rice and beans — © Fredrika Stjärne

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.

19 of 30

Mustard Salmon with Cannellini Bean Ragù

Mustard Salmon with Cannellini Bean RagÃ¹ — © Con Poulos

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.

20 of 30

Ribollita

Ribollita — Jen Causey

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.

21 of 30

Kidney Bean Soup

kidney bean soup — Justin Chapple

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

22 of 30

Cavatappi with Chorizo and Black Beans

Cavatappi with Chorizo and Black Beans — © Chas Plummer. Food styling by Alison Attenborough.

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

23 of 30

Smashed Cucumber Salad with Butter Beans and Tarragon

Smashed Cucumber Salad with Butter Beans and Tarragon — Jennifer Causey

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.

24 of 30

Skirt Steak with Pinto Beans and Pasilla Chile Vinaigrette

Skirt Steak with Pinto Beans and Pasilla Chile Vinaigrette — © Christina Holmes

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.

25 of 30

Beans and Bacon on Buttered Toasts

beans and bacon on buttered toast — © Christina Holmes

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

26 of 30

Bean and Cheese Vegetarian Enchiladas

Bean and Cheese Vegetarian Enchiladas — © Molly Yeh

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

27 of 30

Warm Spinach Salad with Cannellini Beans and Shrimp

Warm Spinach Salad with Cannellini Beans and Shrimp — © Antonis Achilleos

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

28 of 30

Tuna and White Bean Salad

Tuna-and-White-Bean Salad — © Sarah Bolla

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

29 of 30

White Bean Huevos Rancheros

White Bean Huevos Rancheros — © John Kernick

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.

30 of 30

Roasted Leek and White Bean Gratin

Roasted Leek and White Bean Gratin — © Sneh Roy

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.

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

Tell us why!

Related Articles

Joe Yonan Cool Beans | Don't Soak Your Beans

Wait, There's Actually No Need to Soak Your Beans

Hearty Mexican Cranberry Beans

Season Your Dry Beans

The Simplest, Most Delicious Way to Cook Dried Beans

Smashed Fava Beans Toast with Pecorino and Mint Recipe

15 Flavorful Fava Bean Recipes That Taste Like Spring

Kale and White Bean Stew

Kale and White Bean Stew

Lalo's Cacahuate Beans Recipe | Cool Beans

Bored of Beans? Simmer Them In Sofrito

Card Placeholder Image

Winter White Bean Soup

Clay Pot Red Chile Beans Recipe

Clay-Pot Red Chile Beans

Smokey beans and greens

These Days, I'm All About Beans and Greens

Card Placeholder Image

Cannellini Beans

This Man Will Get You So Amped Up About Beans

Chunky White Bean Soup with Pan-Fried Salami

Chunky White Bean Soup with Pan-Fried Salami

Card Placeholder Image

Spiced Pinto Beans with Chorizo

Warm White Bean and Calamari Salad with Garlic Bruschetta

Warm White Bean and Calamari Salad with Garlic Bruschetta

Black Beans and Rice

Gallo Pinto (Black Beans & Rice)

Southwestern Quinoa with Corn, Black Beans, and Poblano

Southwestern Quinoa with Corn, Black Beans and Poblano