Should I soak dried beans?

Yes for white beans, chickpeas, and beans you want to cook in under 90 min. No for black beans and pintos — they cook fine without soaking and actually taste better when slow-simmered. Soak with baking soda (1 tsp per pound) for chickpeas — it breaks down the skin for creamier hummus.

Can I use canned beans for these recipes?

Yes for everything except cassoulet. Canned beans save 90 minutes. Drain and rinse to remove the can liquid, which is too salty and metallic-tasting. For dishes that need creamy, mashed beans, dried beans give better texture.

Why are my beans tough no matter how long I cook them?

Old beans (older than 2 years) won't soften no matter what. Hard water also slows softening. Acid (tomato, lemon) slows softening — add it after the beans are tender. Salt actually helps tenderize, contrary to old myths — salt the cooking water from the start.

How do I keep beans from giving people gas?

Soak overnight, drain the soaking water, cook in fresh water with a piece of kombu (Japanese kelp). The enzymes in kombu break down the indigestible oligosaccharides that cause gas. Adding epazote (Mexican herb) does the same thing for black beans.

Recipes

What to cook with beans: 8 reliable dishes.

Beans are the cheapest protein on earth, the most flexible base ingredient in your pantry, and the most slept-on. A pound of dried beans is a week of dinners for $3. Here are 8 dishes that treat beans as the headliner instead of a side.

The 8 dishes

1. Tuscan white bean and kale stew

45 min · one pot

Sweat garlic and rosemary in olive oil with anchovy. Add cannellini beans (cooked or canned), parmigiano rind, vegetable stock. Simmer 20 min. Stir in chopped kale, cook 5 more. Finish with lemon and good olive oil. Uses: cannellini beans, kale, garlic, rosemary, anchovy, parmigiano rind, vegetable stock, olive oil, lemon.

2. Frijoles refritos with crispy chorizo

30 min · one pan

Render chorizo. Soften onion in the fat. Add cooked pinto beans with their liquid, smashed roughly. Reduce until thick. Top with cotija and pickled jalapeño. Eat with corn tortillas. Uses: pinto beans, Mexican chorizo, onion, garlic, cotija, pickled jalapeño, corn tortillas.

3. Chickpea pasta with garlic and anchovy

20 min · one pan

Toast garlic and red pepper in olive oil with anchovies. Add cooked chickpeas, mash a third roughly. Toss with hot pasta and a ladle of pasta water until creamy. Lemon, parsley, parmigiano. Uses: orecchiette or short pasta, chickpeas, garlic, red pepper flakes, anchovies, olive oil, lemon, parsley, parmigiano.

4. Texas chili — no beans, but with white-bean sub option

1.5 hr · one pot

Browned beef cubes with rehydrated dried chiles (ancho, guajillo, chipotle), beef stock, oregano, cumin. Simmer 90 min. Optional white bean version: substitute cooked great northern beans for half the beef, simmer 45 min. Uses: chuck or ground beef, dried chiles, beef stock, oregano, cumin, masa harina, garlic, onion, optional great northern beans.

5. Black bean tacos with charred corn salsa

30 min · two pans

Cook black beans with chipotle, garlic, lime. Char corn kernels in a dry pan, mix with red onion, jalapeño, lime, cilantro. Warm corn tortillas, top with beans, salsa, queso fresco, avocado. Uses: black beans, chipotle in adobo, garlic, lime, sweet corn, red onion, jalapeño, cilantro, corn tortillas, queso fresco, avocado.

6. Pasta e fagioli

45 min · one pot

Soffritto with pancetta. Cannellini beans, San Marzano tomatoes, parmigiano rind, rosemary. Simmer 30 min, mash a third. Add ditalini, cook directly in the soup. Uses: ditalini, cannellini beans, pancetta, onion, carrot, celery, San Marzano tomatoes, rosemary, parmigiano rind.

7. Hummus from scratch (overnight)

Soak overnight + 90 min cook + 5 min blend

Soak chickpeas with baking soda overnight. Cook with baking soda until extremely tender (90 min). Blend with tahini, lemon, garlic, ice water for the lightest, creamiest hummus. Top with olive oil, paprika, parsley. Uses: dried chickpeas, baking soda, tahini, lemon, garlic, salt, olive oil, paprika, parsley.

8. Cassoulet — the weekend project

4 hr · one pot, hands-off most of it

Soak white beans overnight. Cook with confit duck legs, garlic sausage, pancetta, onion, garlic, tomato, herbs. Bake uncovered with a breadcrumb crust 90 min, breaking the crust three times. Uses: dried white beans, duck confit, garlic sausage, pancetta, onion, garlic, tomato paste, thyme, bay, breadcrumbs.

How to store beans

Dried beans keep 2 years if sealed and dry. Older than that, they get hard to soften. Cooked beans keep 5 days refrigerated in their cooking liquid (the liquid is gold — it's bean broth). Frozen with liquid: 6 months.

What to substitute for beans

White beans: cannellini ↔ great northern ↔ navy ↔ butter. Pintos and black beans aren't perfectly interchangeable (pinto's earthier, black's denser) but work in tacos and stews. Chickpeas don't substitute well — texture and flavor are unique.

FAQ

Should I soak dried beans?: Yes for white beans, chickpeas, and beans you want to cook in under 90 min. No for black beans and pintos — they cook fine without soaking and actually taste better when slow-simmered. Soak with baking soda (1 tsp per pound) for chickpeas — it breaks down the skin for creamier hummus.
Can I use canned beans for these recipes?: Yes for everything except cassoulet. Canned beans save 90 minutes. Drain and rinse to remove the can liquid, which is too salty and metallic-tasting. For dishes that need creamy, mashed beans, dried beans give better texture.
Why are my beans tough no matter how long I cook them?: Old beans (older than 2 years) won't soften no matter what. Hard water also slows softening. Acid (tomato, lemon) slows softening — add it after the beans are tender. Salt actually helps tenderize, contrary to old myths — salt the cooking water from the start.
How do I keep beans from giving people gas?: Soak overnight, drain the soaking water, cook in fresh water with a piece of kombu (Japanese kelp). The enzymes in kombu break down the indigestible oligosaccharides that cause gas. Adding epazote (Mexican herb) does the same thing for black beans.

Cook with what you already own.

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