While sausage and beans are a well-known tradition, sausages paired with vegetables and fruit are new classics.
Beans are available dried and canned. Dried beans are less expensive; they don’t have the high sodium count of canned beans, you can monitor their texture, and you can flavor them as you wish. Canned beans are cooked and ready to use but should be rinsed and drained before using.
Two-thirds cup dry beans, when cooked, is equal to the contents of 1 (15-ounce) can cooked beans. So calculate accordingly. Add canned beans at the end of the cooking time since they’re already cooked.
Beans are very accommodating; one variety can easily be substituted for another in most recipes, as explained in the following chart. When substituting, also use color, texture, and flavor when making a choice.
BEAN |
WHAT TO SUBSTITUTE |
Black (also called Turtle) |
Kidney |
Black-eyed Peas |
Kidney |
Cannellini |
Navy |
Cranberry |
Kidney |
Fava (broad beans) |
Large Lima |
Flageolet |
Navy |
Kidney (pink and red, pinto) |
Navy |
Lentils (red, brown, green) |
Split peas |
Split peas |
Lentils |