20 Kidney Bean Recipes That Are as Easy as Grabbing Your Can Opener
Chickpeas and black beans may get all the attention, but allow us to point out another equally tasty legume: the kidney bean. These little guys hold their shape while cooking, making them ideal for long simmered soups and stews. And like any bean, they’re a convenient source of plant-based protein. So what are you waiting for? Whip up one of these 20 kidney bean recipes and join the club (the bean lover’s club, that is).
RELATED: How Long Can You Store Dried Beans? The Answer Surprised Us
1. Kale Minestrone
This recipe has all the good stuff—vegetables, beans, pasta and cheese—but for a bit of freshness, we add a spoonful of pesto to each bowl.
2. Donna Hay’s Best Veggie Burgers
With many homemade veggie burgers, you have to bust out your food processor, but this one comes together entirely by hand.
3. Homestyle Rice and Beans
Serve it as a side dish with enchiladas or tacos, or eat it with a side of greens as a meal and call it a day.
4. Kitchen Sink Chili
There’s a lot going on here, and that’s definitely not a bad thing, because it means you can substitute ingredients at your leisure.
5. Sausage, Kale and Bean Pasta
Any dried pasta will work, but we like how the beans can hide in the folds of orecchiette.
6. Healthier One-Pot Cincinnati Chili
Unless you’re an Ohioan, you’ve probably never heard of serving chili on top of spaghetti. Trust us, it’s worth trying.
7. Red Beans and Rice
If you start with canned beans, it’ll be ready in under an hour.
8. Instant Pot Dal Makhani
This spicy dish is traditionally made with black urad dal lentils (which you can find online) and red kidney beans. Don’t forget a side of naan.
9. Cowboy Caviar Quinoa
Make a big batch, store it in the fridge and you’ll have lunch for days. Put an egg on it to make it even more filling.
10. Homemade Vegetarian Chili
You can use pretty much any bean in a chili recipe, but kidney beans hold up beautifully to the long, slow cooking time.
11. Protein-Packed Black and Kidney Bean Quinoa Salad
Creamy beans, nutty quinoa, peppery arugula…what more could you ask for?
12. Lebanese Lemon-Parsley Bean Salad
It’s somehow crunchy and creamy at the same time (which is only enhanced by pita chips for dipping).
13. Vegan Chili
Dump a few cans into a pot and you’re halfway to dinner. Easy, right?
14. Pasta e Fagioli
Its name translates to pasta and beans, but we just call it delicious.
15. Classic Three-Bean Salad
A 15-minute salad that gets better as it sits in the fridge? Sign us up.
16. Three Bean Chili Pot Pies
Who needs chicken when you have beans? (Or cornbread biscuits, for that matter?)
17. Easy Chicken Chili
If you haven’t noticed, we have a thing for chili. That’s only because it’s versatile and can been made a thousand different ways.
18. Classic Minestrone Soup
Aside from being best with a side of toast and a showering of Parm, this Italian soup is surprisingly nutritious, thanks to all those veggies.
19. Three Bean Tacos
Taco Tuesday has a nice ring to it, but 20-minute taco Tuesday sounds even better. Take that, carnitas.
20. Beef Enchiladas
You could, of course, make enchiladas without beans. But if you have a can laying around, why not add ’em?
RELATED: How to Cook Dried Beans (Because Yep, It’s the Best Way to Eat Them)
