This Cheap Canned Bean Cooking Trick Is My Go-To Lazy Dinner
I am a well-documented lover of canned beans. They’re a staple in my diet, and the star of many meals in my household. When you use beans as much as I do, you learn to get creative. Sometimes you have to think outside the box of simple sides like stovetop beans or mains like beefy chili.
One of my favorite qualities of canned beans is their ability to add heft to anything they’re combined with. Got eggs and beans? You’ve got breakfast. Pasta feeling a little lean? Add beans. And of course there’s the ultimate budget-friendly classic, rice and beans.
Another way to make a great meal out of that can of beans, and help you use up stray ingredients hanging out in your fridge, is an often overlooked technique that is usually reserved for meat. Braising is the process of gently cooking food in seasoned liquid (it’s not the same as boiling). Ingredients are cooked in a shallow bath rather than a large, deep one, and the liquid is most often not water (or, at least, not only water). It’s the easy, forgiving technique that should be in every home cook’s back pocket.
Why You Should Braise Canned Beans
While your first association when hearing the word “braise” is most likely some kind of meat-filled stew cooked for hours, braising vegetables (and legumes!) can deliver equally rich, hearty flavor in a fraction of the time.
Canned beans are already cooked. Anytime you’re preparing them at home you’re essentially heating them through and adding flavor, not truly cooking them from a raw state. A can or two of beans in a skillet with some broth, aromatics, and vegetables makes for a satisfying, cozy meal that also serves as a catchall for your pantry.
How to Braise Canned Beans
Sauté aromatics. Heat a bit of oil in the pan and sauté aromatics or bloom spices until fragrant.
Brown raw ingredients. Add in any raw ingredients next. You can add vegetables or meat; just make sure you chop them into small-ish pieces, which will keep the cooking time from extending too long. If adding greens, save those until closer to the end of cooking, as they won’t need as long to cook and won’t benefit from browning.
Add beans and broth. I like to braise beans in broth. You can also use plain water; just be sure to add some spices and/or aromatics in step one to help boost the flavor. Add drained and rinsed beans to the pan first and then enough liquid to almost cover. They shouldn’t be drowning. You can always add more later if the pan gets too dry.
Simmer until cooked through. As mentioned above, canned beans are already cooked, so you’ll only need to braise for as long as the rest of your ingredients need to cook all the way through. Timing will vary depending on what you’re braising, how large the pieces are, and how big your cooking vessel is.
Serve! Braised beans should be brothy, but not soupy. I like to serve them with a hunk of bread for sopping up the juices, but they’re also good over pasta or grains.
Tips for Braising Canned Beans
Use what you’ve got. Ideally this is the kind of meal you shouldn’t need to shop for. As long as you have a can or two of beans on hand, you can make this work with whatever you’ve got in the kitchen. I like to throw whatever ingredients I might have left over in odd, small amounts as well as anything in my produce drawer that might be starting to look a bit wilty. Chopped greens, squash, herbs, and carrots all add flavor and body to this simple, flexible meal.
Braise in a wide vessel with high sides. You don’t need a braiser to braise. Any skillet with high sides, like a cast iron skillet or sauté pan, will do just fine. You can use a regular skillet as well; just be mindful not to overfill it, as the liquid will be more likely to splash over the sides. You can also braise in a Dutch oven or other wide pot.
Start with aromatics. Before adding beans and broth, bloom some aromatics like minced garlic and chopped onion. If you don’t have any fresh aromatics on hand, bloom some spices in a bit of olive oil to act as the flavorful base for your braise.
Add a bit of meat if you like. While braised beans make a terrific vegetarian main, I’ve certainly thrown in chopped bacon or a leftover sausage or two.
Further Reading
Why People Are Ditching Their Seltzer After a Disturbing Study
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Reese’s Just Launched a Limited-Edition Peanut Butter Cup, and It Tastes 4x Better than the Original
