I don’t believe I would have skipped a week of eating bean porridge before the stomach ulcer showed up. I had to restrict my intake, however, to about twice a month due to safety and health precautions.
Beans [1] are a common food in many parts of the world, from Latin America to India and the Middle East, and come in red, black, white, and pinto varieties. In actuality, beans are among the most popular legumes consumed worldwide, along with chickpeas.
Their consumption is associated with improved body weight, increased longevity, and the avoidance of chronic illnesses such as metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease due to their nutritional properties [2].
Beans are a delicious, cost-effective, and practical food that is strong in fiber and plant-based protein.
They are a very adaptable component that may be used in a wide range of recipes, including breakfast, supper, snacks, and dessert.
If you’re searching for fresh ways to use beans, try some of the dishes on this list.
8 Ways to Enjoy Beans
1. Enrich your casserole
Casseroles often blend a variety of ingredients, bound together with a starchy or carbohydrate-rich element such as flour, potatoes, or pasta, and top them with a crispy or cheesy component. As a result, beans may be easily incorporated into a variety of dishes.
A vegetarian casserole dish like this enchilada casserole, which has three distinct bean varieties—black, pinto, and kidney beans—might be worth a try. You could add your preferred variety of beans to your favorite casserole recipe.
When you eat a meal that is high in carbohydrates, such as casseroles, adding beans might prevent your blood sugar from rising suddenly.
2. Prepare a Bean Spread
A bean spread or dip can be prepared similarly to hummus.
Spreading bean spreads on bread or tortillas for your next sandwich or wrap, or eating them with tortilla chips or vegetables, works well.
Once more, almost any kind of bean may be used to produce a bean spread. If you prefer a light flavor, try this white bean dip recipe; if you want something hotter, try this red bean spread recipe.
3. Combine with Pasta
Perhaps when you think about pasta, beans are not the first item that springs to mind. However, combining beans with pasta might help you elevate an already savory dish to a new level.
The comforting Italian meal pasta e Fagioli, or pasta with beans, blends tiny pasta with kidney beans and tomato broth.
For vegans and vegetarians, adding beans to the pasta boosts its protein level and gives it a meaty feel without the use of meat.
4. Include in bowls or salads
One of the simplest strategies to raise your bean consumption and elevate the caliber of your diet is probably by including beans in salads and bowls.
Beans offer considerable levels of fiber and protein, according to the Healthy Eating Index (HEI), a metric that assesses whether a group of foods adheres to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Your diet score rises as a result of their consumption, suggesting a higher-quality diet.
To make the traditional Mediterranean salad more full, this recipe calls for white beans. It may be prepared a day in advance for the best flavor [3].
5. Consider a hearty bean soup.
Bean soups are a typical food served in many nations all over the world.
For instance, Greeks enjoy fasolatha during the winter, a white bean and tomato soup, while Italians prefer bean minestrone, a soup made with macaroni noodles, vegetables, and white beans.
Contrarily, Latin Americans prefer to have sopa Negra, a black bean soup that, depending on the nation, may be accompanied by hard-boiled eggs, cheese, rice, beans, sour cream, and avocado.
There is a recipe out there that will have you enjoying a warm bowl of soup in no time, regardless of the sort of bean you have on hand.
6. Savor some beans and rice.
A common meal in Latin American cooking is one that combines rice with beans. Each nation would have its own varieties, and occasionally even the same nation has more than one.
For instance, in the Caribbean, the meal is referred to as rice and beans. However, it is known as Gallo pinto in Costa Rica and Nicaragua, Casamiento in Honduras and El Salvador, Moros y Cristianos in Cuba, and Gallo pinto in Nicaragua.
The protein content of grains [4] may be increased by eating rice and beans together. Beans balance up rice’s deficiency in lysine, an important amino acid, by having a high lysine concentration.
7. Consider some baked beans.
Another warm and cozy way to enjoy the benefits of beans is baked beans.
You can have this meal for breakfast, lunch, or supper. Even so, it continues to be a perennial favorite for gatherings of relatives and friends.
Depending on the dish, baked beans could also contain bacon, sausage, or ground meat. However, a great vegan version may easily be produced by omitting products derived from animals.
8. Try them out with dessert.
You may want to include beans in your dessert menu, this new recipe might actually surprise you!
Similar to plant-based burgers, bean-based sweets transform a dish that is normally poor in protein and fiber into one that is more nutritious.
Try these flourless black bean brownies for a rich, fudgy chocolate delight if you’re interested in attempting a bean-based dessert.
Disclaimer: The above information published in this article is solely for informational and educational purposes only. The article written/published does not intend to diagnose, treat or cure any disease and should not be treated as medical advice. Seek the direction of your doctor before any consumption!
References:
“Research and study“. The National Library of Medicine. PubMed Central
“Images” the web
