Food

14 Essential Bean Recipes

Legume love for days

By SAVEUR Editors

January 4, 2017

There are very few things you can't do with beans, which is part of why we love them so much. You can cook them in a pasta, throw them in all kinds of soups with all of your other vegetables, or stick them on top of a cheesy piece of toast. You can put them in cold or hot salads. You can even eat them for breakfast, because what better way is there to start your day? Fava beans, lima beans, Cannellini beans—we love them all. Check out some of our favorite bean recipes below.

Pasta e Fagioli — This version of the soup bean and pasta dish reverses the order of its stars turning it into a pasta dish laden with creamy beans and a creamy sauce. Get the recipe for Pasta e Fagioli »Simon Pearce

Loubieh bil Zeit — Lebanon has an ancient tradition of producing high-quality olive oil, which is used to braise vegetables in a number of traditional dishes. "Green beans in oil" are a traditional Lebanese mezze in which romano beans are braised until tender with tomatoes in olive oil. It's traditionally served at room temperature, but can also be enjoyed warm, as a side dish. Green beans or fava beans can be substituted for the Romano beans. Get the recipe for Loubieh bil Zeit (Romano Beans with Tomatoes) »James Oseland

Tuscan Bean Soup — Author Nancy Harmon Jenkins uses olive oil three ways in this version of the venerable Italian soup: for sautéing garlic, rubbing on the toasts that accompany the dish, and finishing the soup. Get the recipe for Tuscan Bean Soup »Andre Baranowski

Fatback and Heirloom Bean Soup — You can serve this soup the day you prepare it, but after an overnight rest on the refrigerator, the beans will have absorbed some of the broth and the soup will have a deeper flavor. Get the recipe for Fatback and Heirloom Bean Soup »Michelle Heimerman

Broccoli Rabe, Cannellini Bean, and Ricotta Crostini — Crusty, garlicky toasted bread is topped with creamy ricotta, rosemary-accented beans, and spicy sautéed broccoli rabe in this quick, satisfying Italian appetizer. Get the recipe for Broccoli Rabe, Cannellini Bean, and Ricotta Crostini »Andre Baranowski

White Bean Soup — Finely ground ham infuses a simple soup with smoky richness in this recipe from Omaha's Piccolo Pete's. Get the recipe for White Bean Soup »Ariana Lindquist

Hungarian Bean and Ham Soup (Csülkös Bableves) — A paprika-laced roux of lard, flour, and sour cream transforms a simple bean and ham soup into something luxurious. Get the recipe for Hungarian Bean and Ham Soup (Csülkös Bableves)Todd Coleman

Mexican Fava Bean Soup (Sopa de Habas) — The secret to this soup is a flavorful aromatic base of tomatoes, garlic, and onions—called a recado—that is pureed and fried before the beans go into the pot. Get the recipe for Mexican Fava Bean Soup (Sopa de Habas) »Todd Coleman

White Bean Soup with Fennel Seeds and Broccoli Rabe — This kind of luscious puréed bean soup is made all over Italy with either white or fava beans. Prepare the soup several days in advance, but sauté the broccoli rabe just before serving. Get the recipe fr White Bean Soup with Fennel Seeds and Broccoli Rabe »Ryan Liebe

Full English Breakfast with Cumberland Sausage — English breakfasts, or fry-ups—hearty assemblages of meat, eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms, and baked beans—are traditional all over the UK. Get the recipe for Full English Breakfast »Food Styling by Maggie Ruggiero

White Bean and Lacinato Kale Soup with Smoked Ham Hock — After flavoring the beans for this creamy winter soup, smoked ham hock is shredded and pan-fried, rendering it crisp and intensifying its flavor. Get the recipe for White Bean and Lacinato Kale Soup with Smoked Ham Hock »Bill Phelps

Cannellini Bean Salad with Radicchio and Celery — For this winter bean salad, a zippy vinaigrette adds brightness to crisp radicchio and celery. Get the recipe for Cannellini Bean Salad with Radicchio and Celery »Ryan Liebe

Escarole — In this stew, escarole ("shcadall", as the Campos call it) is simmered with pieces of pecorino romano cheese, whose taste provides a nutty counterpoint to the spicy sausage and creamy beans. Get the recipe for Escarole, Sausage, and Cannellini Bean Stew »Joseph De Leo

Sausage with Broccoli Rabe and Cranberry Beans — In autumn, markets in Italy begin to fill with such staple winter vegetables as broccoli rabe. This pungent, bitter flower is not broccoli at all but comes from a variety of turnip. Get the recipe for Sausage with Broccoli Rabe and Cranberry Beans »Joseph De Leo

Artichokes and Fava Beans — Tender artichoke hearts and fava beans pair beautifully in this simple Greek side dish. Get the recipe for Artichokes and Fava Beans (Aginares Me Koukia) »Farideh Sadeghin

Classic Green Bean Casserole — With a creamy mushroom sauce and topped with flash fried onions, this holiday classic is the epitome of a crowd-pleasing casserole. Get the recipe for Green Bean Casserole »Laura Sant

Cilantro and Lime Chicken with Grilled Corn and Black Bean Salad — A simple and fresh black bean salad with grilled corns pairs perfectly with a quick marinated and grilled chicken. Get the recipe for Cilantro and Lime Chicken with Grilled Corn and Black Bean Salad »Farideh Sadeghin

CINCINNATI CHILI — Redolent of warm spices, deeply flavored Cincinnati-style chili, whether prepared two-way (chili over spaghetti), three-way (with cheese), four-way (with onions), or five-way (with a finishing flourish of kidney beans), is an enduring American classic. Get the recipe for Cincinnati Chili »Matt Taylor-Gross

Veal and Kidney Bean Stew (Ghormeh Sabzi) — Fenugreek, an aromatic dried herb, lends a distinctly floral flavor to hearty veal stew. Get the recipe for Veal and Kidney Bean Stew (Ghormeh Sabzi) »Joseph De Leo

Bread Crumb Dumplings and Bean Stew with Parsley-Speck Pesto — In Emilia-Romagna, chef Carla Rebecchi taught Jenn Louis to make this borlotti bean stew with shell-like gnocchi called pisarei. A fresh herb sauce laced with speck tops it off. Get the recipe for Bread Crumb Dumplings and Bean Stew with Parsley-Speck Pesto »Con Poulos

Zuppa Alla Frantoiana — In this traditional Lucchese soup, vegetables and beans are slow-cooked until little to no bite remains, making it a rustic, comforting dish. Be sure to give any tougher vegetables all the time they need to scompare, or disappear. The quantities are flexible, so use whatever you have on hand. Get the recipe for Italian Bean and Vegetable Soup »Ryan Liebe

Bean and Sausage Stew — At Gubbeen Farm, a 250-acre coastal plot of land in West Cork, an Irish twist on French cassoulet results in a flavorful, brothy stew of lima beans and thin Irish pork sausages. Get the recipe for Irish Bean and Sausage Stew »Matt Taylor-Gross

Brazilian Beans with Smoked Pork, Rice and Collards (Feijoada) — This hearty dish of beans and pork is the quintessential Brazilian comfort food. It is traditionally served with garlic rice, sautéed collard greens, a tangy vinaigrette, and farofa, toasted cassava flour. Get the recipe for Brazilian Beans with Smoked Pork, Rice and Collards (Feijoada) »

Black Bean Nachos with Red Chile Beef — This appetizer is loaded with spicy chorizo, assorted chiles, and hearty black beans. Get the recipe for Black Bean Nachos with Red Chile Beef »Farideh Sadeghin

Black Bean Burger with Salsa Fresca and Avocado Crema — Cumin, paprika, coriander, and both poblano and chipotle chiles lend their robust flavor to this earthy black bean burger. Get the recipe for Black Bean Burger with Salsa Fresca and Avocado Crema »Helen Rosner

Dominique Ansel's Cassoulet — Made with confit duck legs, pork belly, and two kinds of sausage, this meaty, resplendently rich cassoulet is worth treasuring all winter. Get the recipe for Dominique Ansel's Cassoulet »Matt Taylor-Gross

Lima Bean Gratin with Herbed Bread Crumbs — Think of this gratin as a meatless cassoulet, meant to accompany a roast, or as a stand alone, next to a tartly-dressed green salad. Get the recipe for Lima Bean Gratin with Herbed Bread Crumbs »Ryan Liebe

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