A Good Ol' Can of Beans

Canned and Dried beans are pantry staples and should be for us all. Nutrient dense, full of fiber, and economical to boot. With the abundant variety of beans available, there's a recipe for every kind of bean out there, and a lot of them are inter-changeable. I swear by beans you guys and I think it's important to always have some handy because you never know when you're going to need a quick and delicious meal that starts with a humble can of beans. Shall we?

Beans & Toast

​www.thehappyveg.ca/recipes/beans-toast

back when I was living in Ireland, I tried beans on toast for the first time and was very pleasantly surprised. While rather basic, there was something about that buttery toast against those sweet, saucy beans that just worked.

My recipe makes the baked beans from scratch. Soaked, cooked, seasoned, and baked until rich, saucy, and fab. I always crank up my beans & toast with some kind of aged cheddar and heaps pf diced onions. With that being said, don't hesitate to reach for a can of your fave baked beans!

Brothy Broad Beans

​www.thehappyveg.ca/recipes/brothy-broad-beans

I absolutely love this recipe because it gives us the perfect reason to eat some gorgeous baguette or crusty bread. This recipe is nice and comforting, quick to make, and so delicious. There's heat, there's good wine, there's veggies, tender broad beans, and a slurpable broth that's just asking for some crusty bread dip action.

Spicy Red Pesto Skillet Beans

​www.thehappyveg.ca/recipes/spicy-red-pesto-skillet-beans

Another perfect example of how a few delicious ingredients can create a nutritious and flavourful skillet lunch / dinner. These beans are loaded with flavour from Harissa paste and store-bought red pesto, along with wine, tomato paste, herbs, lemon, and grana padano. They're so flavourful and so delicious you guys. Break out the bread and and enjoy these beans for a nice lunch, or paired up with a hearty salad for dinner.

Spicy Butter Bean Tostadas

​www.thehappyveg.ca/recipes/spicy-butter-bean-tostadas

Butter beans are definitely one of my fave beans on the market. They're enormous, smooth, and so delicious and creamy. I made a spicy, Tex-Mex inspired butter bean skillet that was full of flavour and spice. Once the beans were reduced and gorgeous, I served them up on crispy tostadas along with some gorgeous garnishes. Crispy cabbage, chipotle mayo, spicy jalapeno, cilantro, and green onions. These were delish you guys!

Creamy Feta & Dill White Beans

​www.thehappyveg.ca/recipes/creamy-dill-white-bean-skillet

This recipe is honestly, one of my favourite bean recipes I ever created, and it all starts with a humble can of white beans. Loads of veggies, garlic, and spicy pepperoncini start things off to create this gorgeous skillet. Then, heavy cream, good wine, broth, and time to simmer and reduce until rich and creamy. Then, we finish them off with some grana padano, lemon for that citrusy freshness, and loads of parsley and dill.

​Get some good bread grilled up and you're good to go with these delicious beans.

Pesto Butter Bean Skillet

​www.thehappyveg.ca/recipes/pesto-butter-bean-skillet

Creamy, dreamy butter beans are literally bean paradise, and in this skillet, they really shine with some gorgeous, fresh green pesto. This recipe is super easy, super quick, and super satisfyingly delicious.

I love my fresh pesto recipe, it really screams fresh and fabulous, and it was the perfect finishing addition to this creamy skillet of butter beans. I served them over multigrain toast and that was that. Hearty, fresh, and fab.

These are just some of my favourite bean recipes from the blog, but I hope that they've demonstrated to you that a good can of beans is the perfect starting point for a fabulous recipe. A few add-ins from your fridge and in most cases, a some gorgeous, fresh bread, and you've got a fabulous, hearty and nutritious meal that doesn't break the bank.

HAPPY VEG