Bean Recipes

How to Cook Dry Beans

Soak: One cup dry beans yields about 2.5-3 cups cooked beans. Soak 1 cup beans with 4 cups water.

• Overnight -- Place beans and water in pan or bowl. Cover and let stand for 8 hours or overnight. Next morning, beans are ready to cook.
• Quick -- Place beans and water in heavy pan. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Cover, remove from heat, and let stand for 1 hour. Beans are now ready to cook. 

Cook: Add fresh water to drained, rinsed beans. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer 20-60 minutes. Do not boil. Cooking time varies depending on size/type of bean and length of time in storage. Beans are done when they can be near the end of cooking, as these may prevent the beans from ever softening.

Enjoy: Cooked beans can now be added to soups, salads, side and main dishes. Cook a big batch and freeze the extras for use later. Fresh beans cook faster than beans from the back of the cupboard that are 5 years old. If you’re using Shady Side Farm beans, watch them closely! 

Mike’s Black Bean Soup

2 cups dry Black Turtle Beans

1 lb. ground beef, browned with 1 chopped medium onion

1 pint (16 oz.) salsa (choose your heat)

1 pint (16 oz.) tomato juice

1-2 cups water

2 Tbsp. concentrated lemon juice

2 cups frozen corn

1 bell pepper, chopped

3 bay leaves

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. red pepper flakes (adjust to taste)

1 tsp. ground cumin

2 tsp. salt

1 cup sour cream

Soak and cook black beans until fork tender; drain. Combine beans and browned, drained ground beef with other ingredients and simmer for 30-60 additional minutes. This soup has a healthy kick to it, so adjust to taste.  

Two Bean Sausage Rice Soup

1 cup each of two different dry beans

1 lb. pork sausage

8 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup dry rice

2 bay leaves

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

salt to taste

Soak and cook beans in water until fork tender. Brown sausage while beans are cooking. Drain and rinse beans. Combine all ingredients and cook for 30-45 minutes longer. 

Honey Ginger Bacon Bean Salad

4 cups cooked (about 1 pound dry) Yellow Indian Woman Beans; reserve 2 cups of bean broth

Half a pound of bacon, fried

6 TBSP. bacon grease

1 small sweet onion, diced

4 TBSP. honey

4 TBSP. balsamic vinegar

2 TBSP. ground ginger

1 tsp. allspice

Rosemary, diced

Fry bacon in large skillet. Remove crispy bacon and crumble. Set aside. Leave grease in skillet and sauté onion until tender. Add beans and reserved broth. Put on stove to simmer for about an hour (until beans get a little more soft). Add honey, balsamic vinegar, ginger and allspice after about a half hour of simmering. Top with diced rosemary and bacon crumbles. When glaze forms, remove from heat and let sit another hour. Cool and serve.

Pasta and Bean Soup with Kale 

This vegan, gluten-free recipe can be found here.

Hutterite Bean Vegetable Soup

3/4 cup dry Hutterite Soup or Dapple Grey beans
2 TSBP. olive oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped
salt and black pepper to taste
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery rib, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup broccoli florets & stalks, chopped
1 cup cauliflower, chopped
4 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)
4-5 fresh sage leaves, chopped

Soak and cook beans in 3-4 cups of water for 30-60 minutes. As they cook, prepare veggies. In a large pot or dutch oven, heat olive oil and add onions. Cook until translucent, adding salt and pepper. Add carrot, celery and garlic and cook another 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add broccoli and cauliflower and cook for another minute, stirring occasionally. Add simmering beans and all their liquid to the large pot, along with the chicken or veggie broth. Bring just to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, partially covered for at least 1 hour, and preferably 2-3. Season with additional salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper. About 30 minutes before serving, stir in the chopped fresh sage leaves. Serves 4-6.

Maple Baked Beans

1 pound Jacob's Cattle or Jacob's Cattle Gold beans

1 large onion chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

3 glugs of maple syrup (about 1/2 cup)

3/4-pound chunk of bacon

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons dry mustard

The night before, pick over beans, cover generously with cold water, and set aside. The next morning, drain water, and add fresh water to the beans. Bring beans to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until tender--about 2 hours. Drain beans; put in slow cooker on high. Add onion, garlic, bay leaf and chopped bacon. Add maple syrup and enough cold water to cover beans. Stir beans from time to time and add a bit of hot water if necessary to keep the top layer just nicely submerged. Mid afternoon, stir in salt and dry mustard. Remove the lid for the last hour of cooking so the beans thicken.

October Bean Tomato Salad

4 cups (about 1 pound dry) cooked October Beans, set aside to cool; reserve broth for later

2 TBSP. olive oil

1 small sweet onion, diced

2 tsp. fresh garlic

1/2 cup white wine vinegar

1/4 olive oil

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. pepper

1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced

2 tsp. fresh basil, chopped

2 tsp. parsley, chopped

In skillet heat oil. Add onions and garlic and sauté until soft. Add cooked beans, 1 cup of reserved broth, and remaining ingredients (except tomatoes). Simmer for half an hour (until beans are soft and broth is thick). Remove from heat; let cool. Add tomatoes and toss (also add more fresh basil and parsley before serving). 

Mediterranean Black Bean Salad

3-4 cups (about 1 pound dry) Black Valentine or Black Calypso beans (cooked previously)*

1/2 cup sliced green onions

1 large tomato, seeded and diced

1 stalk celery, diced

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1 Tbsp. fresh mint, chopped (or 1 tsp. dried mint)

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup olive oil

a dash of Tabasco sauce

1 tsp. cumin

salt and pepper to taste

Drain and rinse cooked black beans. Combine all ingredients in a bowl, refrigerating at least 1 hour (better if left overnight) to combine flavors.

*Soak beans overnight. The next day, cook in heavy pot for about two hours, or until tender. Best idea: soak/cook a large quantity of beans and freeze with liquid in 1 or 2 cup batches for use when a recipe calls for canned beans.

Senate Bean Soup

Ingredients:

1 pound (2 cups) dry Bean Medley or Jacob's Cattle Gold Beans

1 meaty ham bone or 1-1/2 pounds ham hocks 

1 cup chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup chopped celery

2/3 cups mashed potatoes (optional)

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon each, nutmeg, oregano, and basil

1 bay leaf

Preparation:

Wash and sort beans. In a large kettle, cover beans with 6 to 8 cups of hot water. Bring to a boil; boil 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand 1 hour. Add another 2 quarts of cold water and ham bone. Bring to a boil; simmer 1-1/2 hours. Stir in remaining ingredients. Simmer 20 to 30 minutes or until beans are tender. Remove ham bone, trim off meat, return to soup. Makes about 3 quarts.

Cassoulet

Soak and cook legumes of choice (we suggest Jacob's Cattle or October Beans) until tender. Brown crumbled sausage and set aside. Sauté chopped onion and garlic until translucent. Add one jar home canned tomatoes, herbs and spices. Add cooked beans, sausage, and chopped kale. Cook until kale is wilted. Season to taste. For more details on this recipe, click here. Submitted by Cody Westendorf.

Jacob’s Cattle Bean Soup

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. Jacob’s Cattle Beans

About a half pound of bacon

1/2 to 1 cup chopped onion

1/2 to 1 cup chopped celery

1/2 to 1 cup chopped carrots

2 Tbsp. minced garlic 

2 heaping tsp. dried, crumbled sage or 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh sage, separated

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Adjust all amounts to your taste. You can add more or less of any of the ingredients and have an excellent soup. 

Methods:

Transfer beans and their soaking liquid to a medium saucepan and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Add water to cover beans by 1 inch if necessary. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently, partially covered, until beans just soften; about 15 to 30 minutes. 

Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large skillet, over medium heat, until browned or crisp, about 5-7 minutes. Scoop out the soup seasonings or remove bacon and crumble.

Reduce heat under skillet to low and add the onions, celery, carrot, garlic and 1 tsp./Tbsp. of sage. Add a little pepper. Saute, uncovered, over low heat, very slowly, for about 20 minutes. Do not brown vegetables.

Add vegetables to the beans, with the soup seasoning/bacon. Simmer, partially covered, until beans are tender and cooking liquid has thickened, about 45 minutes to an hour. During the final 5 minutes of cooking, add the remaining 1 tsp./Tbsp. of sage and adjust seasonings. When I used soup seasonings, I found I needed no additional salt.

--Adapted by Amy Oak from Jacob’s Cattle Beans with Pancetta and Sage, from Heirloom Beans, by Steve Sando and Vanessa Barrington.

The Amazing Black Bean Brownies 

Ingredients:

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate

1 cup unsalted butter

2 cups soft-cooked black beans, drained well

1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

¼ cup coffee substitute or instant coffee, for gluten-sensitive)

¼ teaspoon sea salt

4 large eggs

1 ½ cup light agave nectar

Methods:

Preheat oven to 325. Line a 9 X 13 inch baking pan with parchment paper and lightly oil the paper. 

Melt chocolate and butter together.

Place beans, ½ cup of the walnuts, vanilla extract and a couple of spoonfuls of the melted chocolate and butter into a food processor (or use an immersion blender). Blend until smooth, about 2 min. Set aside.

In a large bowl mix together the remaining ½ cup walnuts, remaining melted chocolate mixture, coffee substitute, and salt. Mix well; set aside.

Add the bean/chocolate mixture to the coffee/chocolate mixture. Stir until blended well. Add the egg mixture. 

In a separate bowl, with an electric mixer (or immersion blender) beat the eggs until light and creamy, about 1 min. Add the agave nectar and beat well. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, unit the brownies are set. Let cool in the pan completely before cutting. They will be soft until refrigerated.

--from Baking with Agave Nectar by Ania Catalano

Yellow Indian Woman Bean Dip

2 cups (about 1/2 pound dry) Yellow Indian Woman beans, cooked 

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

4 Tbsp. butter

1 Tbsp dried rosemary

1/2-1 cup fresh parsley, chopped

2 tsp. fresh garlic, minced

1 tsp. salt

Cook beans, draining and reserving bean broth. Purée cooked beans. Add butter, lemon juice and spices and continue to purée. If needed, add some of the reserved bean broth to the mixture to make it a good spreading or dipping consistency.

Refried Beans in the Crock Pot

1 onion, peeled and halved

3 cups dried pinto beans

1/2 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

2 Tbsp. minced garlic

5 tsp. salt

1-3/4 tsp. pepper

1/8 - 1/2 tsp. cumin

9 cups water

Soak beans overnight (or for a shorter period if beans are fresh). Drain. Combine soaked beans and water in crock pot; stir. Cook on high for a couple of hours, or until they start to soften. Add remaining ingredients and cook an additional 3-6 hours* or until cooked to desired doneness. Drain any excess liquid and remove onion halves. Mash beans, adding reserved liquid to desired consistency. 

Notes: Use this recipe as a starting point and tweak it to your liking. There are many options. Use all pintos, all blacks or half and half. Pintos tend to cook to mush, so if you’re going for the refried bean consistency, use them. But if you want something that still looks like beans, use blacks or go half and half. Jalapenos are optional--use none, one, dice it, throw it in whole, use canned. Use half chicken or veggie broth in place of half the water (adjust salt accordingly). Onion halves can be used, or dice the onion up and leave it in. Use cumin to taste--can use way more than 1/2 tsp. if you like things tasty. 

Colorful Hutterite Bean Soup

1/2 lb. Hutterite Soup beans

water

3 large potatoes

3 carrots

1 cup broccoli florets

1 cup cauliflower

2 cloves garlic

1 small red onion

2 cubes chicken bouillon

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

salt and other spices, to taste

Soak beans in cold water, drain. Fill saucepan with water to cover beans plus about 2". Bring to boil. Cook for 30 minutes or so, stirring occasionally. As the beans cook, mash some against the side of the pot to add to creaminess of soup. While the beans are cooking, peel and chop potatoes in 1/2" cubes. Cook potatoes with added salt in soup pot with enough water to cover. Chop carrots in small pieces and add to potatoes halfway through cooking. Add broccoli, cauliflower, garlic and onion to potatoes when they test done with a fork. At the same time, add beans and bean broth to potatoes. Add chicken bouillon cubes and shredded cheddar cheese. Simmer all for 10-15 minutes.