100+ Ways to Eat Your Beans (and How to Avoid the Gas!)

Legumes (beans, peas and lentils) have an abundance of health benefits, having been shown to help prevent ageing and cancer, reverse diabetes and heart disease (yes, reverse!) and increase longevity (more about why you should be eating them here). However, we’re not eating enough of them. So this blog is going to show you how to change that. Beans are no longer something that is merely added to soups to bulk them up a bit – there’s much more to them than that! Many of the most popular cuisines’ cultures have been using beans as a staple food in their diets for thousands of years. Here I’ve included some bean-based dishes from different cuisines, as well as some modern takes on traditional recipes that have beans added to them. There are 101 ideas here (yes, this took me a while to compile!) so you’re bound to find at least a few recipes to try.

Here are all of the delicious ways that you can eat beans!...

BREAKFAST

For a classic hot breakfast option, try Baked Beans on toast (a homemade version that’s much more nutritious than it’s tinned counterpart!). For something a little different, try Tofu Scramble, French Toast, a Breakfast Burrito, Savoury or Sweet Chickpea Pancakes or a Chickpea Omelette.

LUNCH

Spread some Hummus on your sandwich, wrap or roll (if you’re after something a bit different, try one of the dips in the snacks section, or maybe some Tofu Mayonnaise). Feeling extra bean-y? Try a sandwich made with this Chickpea Bread! Fill it with marinated Tofu or Tempeh. Or try these takes on a BLT or Reuben Sandwich. If you’re more of a salad person, simply add some frozen edamame, tinned chickpeas, lentils or kidney beans (drained and rinsed) to your salad and drizzle a Salad Dressing on top, or try one of these recipes…

• Tempeh Caesar Salad

• Super Salad with Golden Turmeric Dressing

• Caribbean Bowl

• Chickpea Tabbouleh Salad

• Pesto Tomato Chickpea Salad

• Warm Smoky Tempeh Salad

• Balsamic-Roasted Butternut and Chickpea Salad

• Thai Salad with Pineapple BBQ Tofu

• Burrito Bowl with Guacamole and Salsa

• Sushi Salad

• Tunisian-Inspired Chickpea and Potato Salad

• Goddess Nicoise Salad

• Smoky Sweet Potato and Black Bean Salad

• Winter White Bean Salad

• Rice Salad with Fennel

• Orange and Chickpeas

• French Green Lentil Salad

DINNER

The options are almost endless! You could start out with a simple soup like Black Bean Soup, Moroccan Pumpkin and Chickpea Soup, Miso Soup or Split Pea Soup.

Then if you want to re-vamp your own recipes, try some of these ideas:

• In any recipe calling for minced meat, replace with tinned brown lentils or textured vegetable protein (soaked in water- looks and feels exactly like minced meat! But aim to choose whole food meat replacements most of the time)

• In place of chicken, try marinated tofu

• Ground up beans or lentils (in a blender, or purchase a flour like this) to thicken soups and stews

• Try this pulse pasta in place of regular pasta (Here’s an American version, too)

Or make one of these recipes for your main…

European/American

• Chickpea Cauliflower Quiche

• Shepherd’s Pie

• Lentil Meatloaf

• BBQ Chickpea Burgers

• Lentil Walnut Apple Burgers with ‘Almonnaise’

• Smoky White Bean Stew

• Eggplant Casserole

• Tu-no Casserole

Mexican

• 3 Bean Mole, Tacos

• Burritos

• Black Bean and Sweet Potato Quasedillas

• Mexican Bean Soup wth Chipotle Avocado Cream