PRIORITY: High | CATEGORY: Canned goods
Canned beans are a great convenience food. Add them to soups, stews, and salads for protein, or whirl them in the blender with olive oil and garlic for a great vegetable or cracker dip. Canned beans don’t require soaking overnight or a long cook time. Good choices are chili beans, baked beans, and plain canned beans (pintos, kidney beans, etc.).
SHELF LIFE: 2–5 years
COST: $ (about $100 for a year’s supply for a family of 4)
WHERE TO BUY: Sam’s Club, Costco, or online
HOW TO STORE: In your rotation pantry
If you can’t buy it all at once, track your progress below.
SERVING SIZE: 1/2 can; see note
SEASON: anytime
A note on serving size: 1 (14.5-oz.) can will create 2 servings of an entrée-type bean dish or 4 servings as an ingredient in a recipe.
Prerequisite: Can opener(s)
What to do with canned beans
• Make a bean salad: Combine cans of pintos, kidney beans, and garbanzos with vinaigrette for a bean salad. Add onion and feta cheese if desired.
• Make a bean spread: Mix drained canned beans in the blender with olive oil and garlic to make a bean dip. Serve with crackers or vegetables.
• Make refried beans: Fry drained pinto beans in lard or vegetable shortening and mash them to make refried beans. Spread on a fried tortilla and make a tostada or bean burritos.
• Make a taco salad: Combine drained canned black beans with lettuce, grated cheese, and salsa to make a taco salad.
Done