Beans are a great source of protein and fiber.  Cooking dried beans is simple, saves money and they taste so much better (garbanzo beans are especially yummy cooked from dry)!  There are so many varieties – thousands of different legumes out there and they are eaten as a staple food all over the world.  When I do a bean cook day, I always prepare several different types at the same time and then put them in the freezer.  Beans can be used in main dishes, soups, salads and sometimes even in desserts.

WHY BUY DRIED BEANS?
Dried beans are a lot less expensive than canned.  One 15 oz. can (1 ½ cups of beans) costs between $0.89 for a store brand to nearly $2.00 for the name brand variety. A pound of dried beans costs an average of $1.50, but will produce three times as many beans.  You can buy beans by the bag or in bulk. I most often buy them in bulk and then store them in clear glass jars on my counter top.

Canned beans are convenient and I do use them.  But when you cook from dry, you have complete control over what you’re eating with no added mystery ingredients, unless you add them yourself.  Plus, I love being able to just dump my pre-cooked legumes into a recipe without all the draining and rinsing business.  I really love having pre-cooked lentils – super simple!

STEP 1: PICK THROUGH THE BEANS
Even when you buy beans in bulk, you sometimes find little rocks or funky looking beans. So always sort through them to check.

STEP 2: RINSE AND SOAK
Place the beans in a colander and rinse well with cold water. Then dump them in a large pot and cover with cold water. The beans will start expanding during the night, so be sure you pick a large enough pan.  Cover the pan and let it sit overnight (8+ hours).

QUICK SOAK OPTION  will work for those times you forget to do the overnight soak.  After you follow the first two steps, bring the beans to a boil. Then turn off the burner, cover the pan and let it sit for one hour.  Then continue with the steps below.

*Note – soaking the beans overnight also helps with the ‘toot’ issue some of us have when eating beans. See more on that gassy subject below.

STEP 3: DRAIN AND RINSE
In the morning (after breakfast, if you’d like), drain the beans and rinse them well.

STEP 4: COVER BEANS WITH PLENTY OF WATER AND COOK
Dump the beans back in the pot and cover them with lots of cold water (4-5 cups per cup of beans). During the cooking process, the beans expand and absorb the water, so make sure you cover them with plenty of water. Bring the water to a boil, then simmer with the lid partially on, until the legumes are tender and will easily mash in your mouth or between two fingers.
*Note – do not add salt to the water or the beans will take FOREVER to cook! If you want to add salt, do it when they are almost done cooking.

COOKING TIMES
Cooking times will vary depending on the type of legume. The age of the bean will also affect the cooking time.

• Garbanzo Beans (Chick peas) Soak overnight. Cook at 60-90 minutes.
• Black Beans – Soak overnight. Cook 1 1/2 – 2 hours.
• Pinto Beans – Soak overnight. Cook 2-3 hours.
• Chana Dal (split garbanzo beans used in Indian recipes) – Soak overnight. Cook 35-45 minutes.
• Red Adzuki Beans – Soak overnight. Cook 60 minutes.
• Brown Lentils – NO overnight soak. Cook 35-40 minutes.

STEP 5: DRAIN AND RINSE WITH COLD WATER 
When the beans are all done, drain them in the sink and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.  I’ve heard that using the discarded water is good for your plants – but I haven’t tried that yet. Then set the beans aside to cool before moving onto the next step.

STEP 6: FREEZING THE BEANS
After the beans have cooled a bit, I freeze them in 1 1/2 cup portions (same as the amount in a can), so it’s easy to add to recipes. Freezing them in BPA-free zipper bags works great because you can freeze them flat for easy storage!

BEANS, BEANS, THE MUSICAL FRUIT…  
You know how the rhyme goes. But, did you know that cooking dried beans can actually help with the ‘toot’?!  The soaking, rinsing process helps to reduce the gas that some people get when eating beans.  The more you eat beans and the better you chew, the more your system will get used to them.  In Asia, they add Kombu or Wakame seaweed to the cooking water to make the beans more digestible.  And in India, they use digestive spices such as fennel, turmeric, ginger and asafetida while preparing the beans to help with digestion.

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE RECIPES USING BEANS?
Here are two of my standbys – easy recipes using items I always have on hand.
Bean, Lentil & Corn Chili
Indian Stew

Thank you for sharing! 💚