20 Bean Recipes (easy meals) - The Plant Based School (2024)

With their rich flavors and plant–based protein content, kidney, black, white, garbanzo, mung, and pinto beans will become your new weeknight dinner heroes.

From wholesome salads to hearty stews and soups, these legumes offer a world of possibilities to cater to your taste buds and nourish your body.

1. Black bean salad

Black beans add a hearty and savory depth to roasted sweet potato and avocado in this colorful bean salad.

The rich earthiness of the beans pairs well with the sweetness of the potatoes and corn, resulting in a tasty and meal–planning perfect recipe.

2. White bean pasta aglio e olio

How do you make white beans tasty? With this white bean aglio e olio, you will get an Italian-inspired pasta dish with a creamy sauce.

The addition of cannellini beans enhances the parsley and garlic sauce and provides a protein–packed and fiber–rich element.

3. Black bean soup

You will get a comforting, creamy, and nutritious soup when you simmer black beans with aromatic spices and vegetables.

Black beans are rich in dietary fiber, protein, and essential nutrients like folate, iron, and magnesium, making them a fantastic choice for supporting overall well-being.

4. Pasta e fa*gioli

Kidney and pinto beans lend a hearty texture to this one–pot Pasta e fa*gioli. They simmer in a rich and creamy tomato sauce and create a satisfying dish that captures the essence of Italian comfort cuisine.

This dish is family–friendly as the mix of pasta, beans, and velvety tomato sauce is crowd-pleasing.

5. Bean stew

Pinto bean stew with a hearty tomato sauce is a rich and healthy dish that pairs well with couscous, rice, focaccia, and polenta.

The creamy beans melded with Italian herbs create an autumn- and winter-friendly bean recipe we like serving as a weeknight dinner.

6. Mango quinoa salad

Try this black bean mango salad, where ripe and juicy mangoes underline the richness of black beans and nutrient-packed quinoa.

It’s a healthy and refreshing summer grain bowl with a tropical twist.

7. White bean dip

This 5–minute bean recipe is a creamy appetizer and sandwich spread.

White beans are great as they are nutrient–rich in dietary fiber and provide around 8 grams per half-cup serving. You will get a healthy and velvety smooth dip when the beans are blended with lemon juice and tahini.

8. Tuscan soup

How do you make a creamy soup with beans? In this Tuscan soup, we blend half a cup of cannellini beans to infuse the soup with a rich and velvety texture.

The white beans have a nutty undertone that adds depth and satisfying creaminess to every spoonful of this vegetarian soup.

9. Zucchini soup

Do you want to add extra protein to your meals? Zucchini soup can be topped withhomemade croutons or cannellini beanstossed in olive oil and parsley.

Drain and rinsecanned cannellini beans and sautée them with olive oil, salt, pepper, and chopped parsley for a few minutes. Finally, add them to soup, bruschetta, or pasta for extra plant–based protein.

10. Sweet potato chili

Sweet potato chili with kidney beans is a creamy, comforting, and Mexican–inspired dish.

Kidney beans are a healthy addition to this vegetarian meal, as they are rich in plant-based protein, fiber, and essential nutrients like folate and iron.

11. Red cabbage salad

Crunchy red cabbage, juicy orange wedges, mixed greens, and nutty pinto beans make acolorful and vibrant salad.

Canned pinto beansare a fulfilling addition to salads, as they’re made more fulfilling and excellent as a main meal.

12. Easy vegan pasta salad

Cannellini beansare an excellent choice for this vegan pasta salad recipe as they are tender, slightly nutty, creamy, and absorb the flavor of the dressing.

Thanks to the beans and the pasta, this saladpacks a lot of protein – it’s a healthy and flavorful lunch and dinner idea.

13. Breakfast burrito

Black beansare an excellent plant-based choice for breakfast recipes as they are smaller and have thinner skin than other beans.

We recommend usingcanned black beans, drained and rinsed from their liquid, for this breakfast burrito. If you use dried black beans, make sure they cook in lightly salted boiling water until tender (about 2 hours).

14. Creamy pasta salad

Try this super creamy pasta salad with fresh veggies and white beans if you want an easy and budget–friendly meal with beans.

The cannellini beans add creaminess and protein to this salad with mayonnaise dressing. However, you can substitute chickpeas, black beans, or other white beans.

15. Sweet potato hash

We areinspired by Mexican cuisinefor this potato hash recipe, which makes black beans an excellent protein choice.

Combiningblackbeans,lime,peppers, andcilantrocreates this colorful, nutritious, and delicious meal (which is excellent for breakfast and brunch!).

16. Kale soup

Creamy,aromatic, andhealthy, thisdeliciouskalesoupis a 30-minute recipe filled with beans, veggies, and tomato flavor.

It’s perfect as afamily meal, served withfocacciaorcrostini breadto sop up the creamy soup leftovers.

17. Mashed chickpea salad

Vegan tuna is a quick and easy recipemade with mashed garbanzo beans (chickpeas).

It’s the perfect replacement for tuna in asandwich, to fill amicrowave sweet potato, as an appetizer.

18. Vegetable soup

White beans such ascannellini beans,navy beans, andgreat northern beansare excellent in this soup because of their mildly nutty flavor and creamy texture.

This vegetable soupis wholesome, tasty,rustic comfort foodyou can make with seasonal veggies injust over 30 minutes.

TIP: turn it into a family-friendly meal by adding pasta or your favorite tortellini.

19. Lentil chili

Thislentil chiliis an easyone–potrecipewith delicious warming flavors and is ready in about40minutes.

It’s excellent as a tasty and easy dinneror amake-ahead meal, as the beans and lentils become even more flavourful the day after.

20. Easy chickpea pasta salad

We finish this list with a quick pasta salad with garbanzo beans. You can make this chickpea pasta salad in about the time it takes to boil the pasta.

It’s packed withcrunchy veggies, adelicious mustard dressing, and plenty offiber and protein from beansto keep you nourished.

21. Mung bean soup (coming soon)

Mung bean soup infused with aromatic curry and hearty chunks of potatoes creates a delightful fusion of flavors and textures.

This easy-to-make soup, ready in about 40 minutes, offers a comforting blend of earthy mung beans and curry’s warm, spicy notes.

22. Mung bean Dal (coming soon)

Mung bean Dal, a quick and nutritious 30-minute recipe, combines earthy split mung beans with aromatic spices for a flavorful and satisfying dish.

Simmered to perfection, this speedy recipe saves time and delivers a hearty and protein–packed meal, making it an ideal choice for busy weeknight dinners.

How to store cooked beans

For these bean recipes, you can usecanned beansordry beans.

If you use dry beans, you must first soak them for 8 hours, then boil them in plenty of salted boiling water until tender.

A batch of cooked beans stores well forup to 4 daysin the refrigerator, best if in an air-tight container.

You can freezethem for up tothree monthsand thaw them in the microwave or stovetop at your convenience.

More plant-based protein inspiration

Take your pick from these healthy and easy high-protein ideas:

• Chickpea recipes with salads, curries, and stews.
• Lentil meals, including vegetarian meatloaf, coconut curries, and mujadara.
• Tofu recipes with air fryer, baked, and marinated tofu ideas.
• Meatless meals and inspiration for your Meatless Mondays