20 Kinds of Bean Recipes

Cooking with beans is a great way to feed a large family economically and these recipes are all fabulous tried and true over more than a 100 years old.


Mom and Grandma were taught how to stretch a budget and feed large and in Italy, beans were a staple then and now.



Many recipes were made with white beans, red beans, lentils, peas and so on.



All of them were either combined with a rich tomato sauce and back in the 1960s when money was tight, it was a bonus to have meats of any kind added.



Grandma and mom used ham bones, chicken, ground meats and whatever was available.



Beans are a great source of protein and full of nutrients, the perfect comfort foods have been made through the years including, stews, soups and anything from Italian American Recipes to Mexican American entrees.



Take a stroll through these recipes, they are easy to make, delicious and something here for everyone.

Beans and More Bean Recipes!

Beans are delicious very inexpensive can easily feed a large family and not break the budget!



Dried beans can cost just pennies per serving, and a healthy alternative to meat because they are full of health benefits.



Among those benefits include vitamins like copper, folate, iron, magnesium, potassium, and zinc, as well as protein and fiber.



One study found that eating beans four times per week reduced heart disease risk by 22 percent.

This is a dish is made with white beans, pasta and tomato sauce.


My grandmother said her family in the 1800s made this dish peasant food often during the depression era.

Traditional Pasta Fagioli (Italian Beans and Pasta)

Here is a delicious recipe using chicken, pasta and beans in a rich tomato sauce.



Using toppings with grated cheese, shredded mozzarella, it's perfect with garlic bread.

Chicken Parmesan Pasta Fagioli

This is a recipe using any ground meats, pasta, and beans of choice.



A hearty dish with tomatoes and peppers and easy all in one pan meal.

Italian Goulash

Quick and easy Tex Mex style soup with using canned or fresh beans, corn in a tomato-based broth.



This soup is great topped with sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese.

Easy Taco Soup

Calling all hunters, this ground venison chili with beans is going to fool everyone with its fabulous flavors simmered together.



Topped with sour cream and cheese, a fabulous hearty bowl of deliciousness.

Venison Chili

An Italian banquet of flavors in one soup using all kinds of beans.



This is a rich broth and a classic soup Italian favorite.

Minestrone Soup

A delicious flour tortilla stuffed with black beans and chicken.



Baked with cheese and a Mexican American sauce all in one pan.

Black Bean Enchiladas

This is a burger topped with a pinto bean chili and cheese hotdogs.



This meal is a huge hit with the kids and a delicious indoor or outdoor delicious burger.

Chili Cheese Dog Burgers

Here is is old fashioned Chili Con Carne with peppers, chili beans, and meat.



This simmered with tomatoes and garlic is pure comfort food.

Old World Chili Con Carne

Lentils are a great source of protein and this is a wonderful broth made with them.



Using any kind of colors for lentils you can have this hearty bowl on your tables loaded with vitamins in no time.

Italian Lentil Soup

Italian pasta and chickpeas in a wonderful tomato sauce is a hearty bowl of beans and pasta.



Its flavors are bursting with garlic and great with grated cheese on top.

Italian Pasta Ceci (chickpeas in sauce)

Here is a white bean soup made with leftover Easter Ham or whenever you had a holiday in our family.



The soup has a rich broth with cabbage and comforting.

Ham Cabbage and White Bean Soup

Here is usually a side dish but when you add a salad and some garlic bread it can be a whole meal in itself.



There is no meat in this recipe, but a seasoned bean and rice can be a delicious addition to any meal.

Red Beans and Rice

This 15 beans casserole is in a sweet rich barbecue sauce.



You can add ground beef to this recipe or cut up hotdogs are great. Served without meat as a side dish or whole meal!

15 Bean Cowboy Casserole

This is another peasant Italian dish made with escarole and beans.



Served with stale bread and hundreds of years old that were served during the war and depression-era in many Italian households.

Greens and Beans(escarole and beans)

This Southwest Bean Filling is a starter recipe for filling black bean tacos, quesadilla, added to making great southwestern taco soup and so much more.

Southwest Beans Filling

Here is an all vegetable chili poured over rice.



This will easily feed a large family cooking on a budget.

Vegetarian Chili with Rice

Chicken with a tomato sauce and peas.


A hearty easy meal perfect with a loaf of crusty hard French or Italian bread.

Chicken Thighs with Peas

Classic comfort food made with split peas.



The soup is thick and rich and creamy.

Split Pea Soup

Here is a big pan of what was called stoup because it was so thick it wasn't stew or soup.



Delicious with the addition of bacon or ham bone, escarole, and beans.

Ham Escarole and Bean Stoup

Try Some Of My Other Favorites

Great Side Dishes

roasted garlic mashed potatoes

twice-baked potatoes

Almondine Rice

Long Grain and Wild Rice

Pin for later 20 Kinds of Bean Recipes