I need some easy ways to use beans

[Mere]

I'd like to eat more beans, and to spur that decision on I bought a large bag of Calypso beans. We like rice and beans, and bean and cheese burritos, but I can't think of anything else?  What other ways do you eat beans???

[goinggreengirl]

I add them to tacos, enchiladas and nachos. You can use them in all different types of soups- you can even puree some to add as a thickener.

[Arduinna]

in soups like dal, harira, navy bean soup ect

pureed ( hummus)

as a lettuce salad topping

I like making sloppy joes with kidney beans instead of meat

as a mixed bean salad with veggies, IE assortment of your favorite cooked beans ( mine are kidney's and garbonzos) with bell pepper, artichoke hearts, onions and oil and vinegar.

red beans and rice

a pot of beans with herbs and spices and a smoked ham hock (black eyed peas)

BBQ beans

burritos

chili

[cristeen]

I like baked beans. I use the honey baked lentil recipe, but use cooked navy beans and omit the water.

I like to refry them and have them w eggs and tortillas for breakfast.
I like them as a topping to a hearty salad.
Love them as an addition to soup.
Love making bean dip like hummus, its a great snack to have in the house.

I like using lentils in ground beef recipes. Replace half the ground beef w green lentils, and most people wont even be able to tell - its a great way to stretch the grocery budget.

Indian food is also a great source for recipes for lentils or chickpeas.

[Sol_y_Paz]

soups, salads, with nachos, as a dip - think hummus and black bean dip types, in quesadillas, in burritos, soft tacos, roast and spice them and eat as a snack like popcorn, melt cheese or butter and just eat them plain in a bowl with a side of cornbread

[Arduinna]

oh yeah chana masala yummm I love that!

[Mere]

Originally Posted by Arduinna 

in soups like dal, harira, navy bean soup ect

pureed ( hummus)

as a lettuce salad topping

I like making sloppy joes with kidney beans instead of meat

as a mixed bean salad with veggies, IE assortment of your favorite cooked beans ( mine are kidney's and garbonzos) with bell pepper, artichoke hearts, onions and oil and vinegar.

red beans and rice

a pot of beans with herbs and spices and a smoked ham hock (black eyed peas)

BBQ beans

burritos

chili

How do you do BBQ beans and bean sloppy joes?  That's sounds intriguing. 

Thank you all for the great ideas!

[Arduinna]

The kidney bean sloppy joes are just regular sloppy joes with kidney beans instead of meat. I have a from scratch recipe around here but I haven't made it in awhile so I need to find it.

My bbq beans are these

1 Lb Dried Navy or Great Northern Beans
8 oz. bacon, cut into pieces
1 cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ cups dark brown sugar
2 cups ketchup
6 Tablespoons maple syrup
6 Tablespoons dark molasses
¼ cup Worchestershire sauce
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper, ground
1. Rinse and pick through the beans. Soak them overnight in a large pot of water.
2. Rinse the soaked beans well under cold water and place them in a heavy saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until tender, 45 minutes to an hour. Drain, reserving the cooking liquid.
3. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
4. Place a 2-quart flameproof casserole or dutch oven over medium heat and saute bacon until slightly crisp and fat is rendered, about five minutes. Add the onions and garlic, cooking until it's wilted, about 5 minutes.
5. Add the brown sugar and stir over medium-low heat until it has dissolved, about five minutes. Stir in the ketchup, syrup, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Add the drained beans and mix well.
6. Cover and transfer to the oven. Bake, stirring occasionally, for 2 1/2 hours. Make sure you scrape the bottom when you stir.
7. Add 3/4 cup of the reserved bean liquid, cover, and bake another 30 minutes. Remove the cover and bake, stirring once, until the sauce is thick and syrupy, another 10-15 minutes. Serve hot.
 
 

[la mamita]

another idea i haven't seen mentioned is making marinara sauce with spaghetti and throwing in a cup or two of white beans. adds a lot of protein and is delicious.

[Smidge]

I like to make a big pot of them in the crock pot and then freeze them in portion sizes (quart).  We eat bean dip with crackers, any kind of mexican food, baked beans, soups, etc

[nerdymom]

I love "soup beans", just beans (I normally use great northerns) cooked in broth in the crockpot. Cook them on low heat and add just enough liquid to cover them (this is assuming you have presoaked for at least 12 hours). Cook 'em all day long. They will get nice and soft and be pretty thick. Season as you like, with salt and pepper. Serve with fresh hot cornbread. Have buttered cornbread and molasses for dessert. mmm mmm! (Oh, and if you can get your hands on real salt pork or fat back, toss a small piece in there while it's cooking. The taste will be amazing and the texture - like buttah.

I also like to make a hearty baked bean casserole. We eat it as an entree, and I always use red beans, so your Calypsos would be perfect in it. Most all of my life I thought baked beans were these really sugary sweet things with chopped up hot dogs and bacon. We try to avoid refined sugar so my beans are pretty different that what you might think of. To start off, soak your beans in plenty of water and a dash of raw vinegar or lemon juice for 12 hours at least, up to 48 hours if you have the inclination and counter space. Rinse your beans, and cook them in water with a can or two of diced tomatoes tossed in. You don't want too much liquid, just about enough to cook the beans in without being soupy. But you can always drain off excess liquid, that isn't a problem. Better to have too much liquid and tender beans, than too little and have crunchy beans! A few hours in the crockpot is my preferred bean cooking method, though stovetop on moderate heat works just as well! Saute a diced onion, some celery, carrot, bell pepper, whatever you have on hand. I like to dice it up to about the size of the beans I am cooking. It makes it harder for picky people to get it out! lol Dice up an apple or two, tart ones are nice but sweet ones also work well. When your beans are done, if there isn't a lot of liquid leave it, if not, drain off all but a half cup or so. Add your sauted veggies, the diced apple, some mustard, ketchup, cumin, salt, pepper,  and just a dab of your preferred sweetener, be it honey, maple syrup, sucanat, molasses or brown sugar. Stir it up and play with the seasonings until you like the flavor. Toss it in a casserole dish and bake it til it's bubbly. Serve with whole wheat bread or hot cornbread. If you want, you can add browned meat to it, sausage or bacon is especially nice. But honestly our favorite way is just beans and veggies.

ETA: if you have any greens on hand (kale, collards, mustard, turnip, etc) steam them tender and chop, then stir them in to the baked bean mixture before baking. Delicious!