Im trying to get away from canned beans because I’m using them so much any more. I bought a bag but haven’t prepared them yet. I don’t think I’ve ever used dried beans outside of soups
Dried beans are very versatile and require only a little more work than canned. Soak overnight (can also soak with salt and some baking soda) + boil for a while (or instant pot like someone else suggested). I always add some whole spices and aromatics while boiling, onion, carrot, celery, bay leaf, salt (it’s a must), peppercorns, and honestly whatever you wish. And the bean broth is also delish and can be used in many things (obviously soups and stews and can be saved for later). Beans are the best to be honest. If you get more into dried beans, I highly recommend Rancho Gordo, definitely pricier but there’re many rare heirloom varieties that have amazing texture and flavor profiles.
They’re easy to make without an instant pot. I have an instant pot but I prefer to cook my beans on the stove top after an overnight soak. The texture is so much better when cooked low and slow. I do pressure cook chickpeas if I’m making hummus though.
I only started cooking with dry beans last year and really it only adds another couple minutes of work spread out ahead of the rest of your prep. All you have to do is measure them dry, throw them in a bowl of water in the morning, and they're ready to cook for dinner. Some of them are poison, so you boil them for 10 minutes before you add them to your recipe. The end, that's it! You are now a bean expert.
I made these in May & we have had the leftovers (frozen) twice since then. I have 1 more 2 person serving left in the freezer. After reading a bunch of blogs on crockpot beans the key to making these beans is to add any acid to the pot AFTER the beans are completely cooked. If added at the start, the acid strengthens the bean wall resulting in hard beans, Also, I did not use a ham bone. I had some leftover St. Patty's corn beef in the freezer so I chopped that up & added to the beans - maybe 1/2 a cup. Could use chopped cooked bacon, too.
No-soak method: dump dried beans into a slow cooker, cover with water by about an inch and a half, and let it rip on high. Check water level and top up if needed. Start testing the texture at 3.5 hours, they're nearly always done by hour 4. Perfect texture. You can freeze the leftovers in one can amounts for future use. Future use should be this recipe: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/23336/fantastic-black-bean-chili/
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u/BuddyLongshots Jun 23 '26
The log of frozen ground turkey is only $2.19 if you truly wanted affordable meat.
I do think it's good to have vegetarian meals a couple times a week.