Working with Dried Beans

I always have bags of dried beans in my pantry along with other dried legumes. In fact, I JUST cooked an entire bag of romano beans and I intend to create three recipes with them over the next few days! Although dried beans can be a bit of a hassle when planning a spur of the moment meal, they're beneficial in every other way imaginable. Let's dive into what makes dried the better choice over canned.

--BEANS BEANS THE MAGICAL FRUIT--

1. They're economical! A bag of dried beans will cost you about the price of 2 cans of beans but will yield almost 8 - 9 cups of cooked beans. That's significantly more bang for your buck! 
2. They're easily stored. When dry, they take up very little room in the pantry and when cooked, you can refrigerate or freeze them in smaller batches for dishes later in the week.
3. You can add flavour. Whenever I cook a big batch of beans, I always try to add a little something extra to them. I like to add peppercorns and bay leaves along with some crushed garlic. There are so many options for adding flavour but beware of using spices / herbs that are very pronounced in flavour. You want neutral flavours that will pair well with any dish you add them to.
   
4. With all of the beans, you can easily get 4 or more dishes out of them. On the contrary, 2 cans will literally give you enough for 2 dishes.

As you can see, dried beans are by far the better choice. Don't be discouraged from using canned in a pinch though. Simply make sure to buy the low sodium / salt free cans to keep the sodium levels as low as possible.

​HAPPY VEG