5 Meals from a Can of Beans
A single can of beans can become the center of a full meal. Here's how.
Canned beans are one of the best things you can have in your kitchen. They're filling, they're loaded with protein and fiber, they last forever on the shelf, and food pantries give them out regularly. Black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, baked beans, garbanzo beans. They all work.
A lot of people open a can of beans and aren't sure what to do beyond heating them up as a side dish. But beans can carry an entire meal on their own. Here are five of our favorites.
1. Black Bean Potato Tacos
Dice a potato and fry it in a skillet until it's crispy. Warm up a can of black beans and mash them slightly with a fork. Spoon the beans and potatoes into tortillas. That's a complete taco filling with no meat required. Add salsa or cheese if you have them, but they're great on their own.
2. Rice and Beans
This is one of the most eaten meals on the planet for a reason. It's cheap, it's filling, and together rice and beans form a complete protein. Cook rice, heat a can of beans with some diced onion and garlic if you have them, and serve them together. Add a little salsa or hot sauce on top and you have a solid dinner.
3. Cheesy Bean Quesadillas
Mash a can of beans and spread them on a tortilla. Add cheese, fold it in half, and cook it in a dry skillet until the outside is crispy and the cheese melts. Cut it into wedges. These take about 10 minutes and are filling enough for a full meal, especially if you make two.
4. Taco Soup
Open a can of beans, a can of diced tomatoes, and a can of corn. Put them all in a pot with some browned ground beef or turkey if you have it. Add water and let it simmer. If you have chili powder, add a tablespoon. This makes a big pot that feeds the whole household and tastes even better the next day as leftovers.
5. Bean and Cheese Burritos
Heat a can of pinto or black beans, mash them up a bit, and roll them into a tortilla with cheese. That's it. You can add rice to bulk it up, or sour cream and salsa if you have them. These are fast, they travel well for lunch, and kids tend to eat them without complaint.
Which beans work best?
The honest answer is any of them. Most bean recipes are flexible enough that you can swap one type for another without it making a big difference. That said, here's a quick guide:
Black beans work great in tacos, burritos, rice bowls, and soups. They hold their shape well.
Kidney beans are the classic chili bean. They're hearty and stand up to long cooking times.
Pinto beans are the go-to for burritos and refried beans. They mash easily and taste great with cheese.
Baked beans already come seasoned and sauced. They're ready to eat on their own or served over toast or with hot dogs.
Garbanzo beans (chickpeas) are firmer and nuttier. They're great in salads or roasted as a crunchy snack.
Lentils cook faster than other beans and break down into a thick, hearty texture. They're perfect for soups and bowls.
Tips for cooking with canned beans
Drain and rinse. This removes a lot of the sodium and the starchy liquid. It also helps them taste cleaner in whatever you're making.
Mash some, leave some whole. For tacos and burritos, mashing half the beans and leaving half whole gives you a better texture than doing all one way.
Season with what you have. Cumin, chili powder, and garlic powder are the best friends of canned beans. But onion, butter, and salt do the job too.
Find more recipes
We have over a dozen recipes that use canned beans. Use our ingredient search to check off what you have on hand and see all the meals you can make right now.