I am a bean fiend. Legumes are included on the short list of my ten favorite ingredients (of course I have one, I work at Food & Wine), and pretty much everyone in my life knows it. My brother gifted me several bags of Rancho Gordo’s dried heirloom beans for Christmas a few years ago, and when I was on dating apps, my “most liked” photo was of me holding a giant pot of baked beans — specifically, Gina Mae’s Baked Beans.
I’m always on the hunt for new ways to prepare these little legumes, and luckily social media is full of them. Beans have become trendy online, alongside ingredients like cottage cheese, as audiences search for foods that can supplement their protein intake without needing to prepare meat.
Some naysayers will claim that beans aren’t a good source of protein — a guy once direct messaged me on Instagram just to tell me that — but the science says otherwise.
As a point of reference, one 15-ounce can of black beans contains about 25 grams of protein and a can of chickpeas has the same. For me, one can of beans usually yields two meals (when served alongside other ingredients), so that’s 12.5 grams of protein per serving. Not bad considering the average link of pork sausage has 13.5 grams of protein, and a 5.3 ounce container of Chobani plain Greek yogurt has 14.
Even if you’re not actively trying to eat more protein, beans are delicious, packed with fiber, and rich in antioxidants. Plus, they’re incredibly versatile and can be braised, blended, smooshed, fried, and tossed into so many things. For a few of my favorite suggestions on how to easily eat more beans — as discovered through social media — read on.
Breaded beans
These crispy morsels come to you courtesy of Justine Doiron (@justinesnacks), the viral creator of the butter board. Don’t worry, you don’t need to tediously coat each bean in breadcrumbs the way you would a chicken cutlet. Instead, Doiron simply tosses drained and rinsed beans with some flour (she uses whole wheat flour, but I’m certain all-purpose would work), spices, olive oil, and salt, before spreading them on a sheet pan and baking in a 425-degree oven for about 20 minutes.
The result is a batch of crispy, crunchy beans that work well as either a salad topping or snack — I also recommend sprinkling them over soup to add a bit of texture. This technique would work with almost any legume, except lentils which might just clump together, but butter beans would be especially good for holding onto the breading, thanks to their larger surface area.
Replace pasta with beans
Want to make beans so delicious you can easily eat an entire skillet full of them? Take some inspiration from your favorite pasta dish! Quick and easy sauces or flavor profiles like vodka sauce, cacio e pepe, or pesto lend themselves well to enveloping tender legumes. All you need to do is swap beans in place of pasta, and you have a higher protein rendition of your favorite food, or an easy way to make it gluten-free.
You don’t need a new recipe to do this. When the instructions for your pasta of choice call for adding in cooked noodles, pour in rinsed and drained beans instead, and toss to combine with the sauce as usual.
A generous slice of sourdough toast is my preferred vehicle for scooping up bites of the flavorful, saucy morsels, but you could also use them in a grain bowl, combine with real pasta for a complete meal, or simply enjoy with a fork or spoon.
Black bean brownies
Hear me out! Social media is rife with recipes for black bean brownies, and once you try them yourself or even watch a video (they always look gooey and decadent), you’ll understand why. They don’t have whole black beans in them — instead, the legumes are blended in — which gives the treat more protein and fiber without a noticeable flavor from the extra ingredient. If you’re having trouble getting a kid to eat a diverse diet, this is a helpful trick.
But beans aren’t just a nutritious addition here, they also keep the dessert dense, fudgy, and moist, all good characteristics when it comes to brownies. Founder of Baked by Melissa, content creator, and cookbook author Melissa Ben-Ishay (@bakedbymelissa) has an excellent recipe for them. (Or if brownies aren’t quite your thing, she also makes a chickpea cake that looks delicious.)
Dense bean salad
If you’ve been on Instagram or TikTok lately, you’re likely familiar with dense bean salads. Popularized by Violet Witchel (@violet.cooks), these hearty meals combine canned beans with whatever herbs, alliums, vegetables, cheeses, fruits, nuts, and dressings you prefer. The main ingredient just needs to be a legume, and they’re typically marinated and served cold so the components can soak up the dressing as they sit, becoming better throughout the week.
I love using the format of a dense bean salad to clean out my fridge. I’m prone to buying produce at the farmers market that I forget to use up, and almost every fresh ingredient I have would work in this style of dish. Carrots? Shave them raw or chop and roast them, then add to a dense bean salad. Herbs that are about to go bad? Blend them into a green goddess-style dressing to pour over everything. Even some chicken in the back of your freezer or a few eggs near their expiration date can be cooked and tossed into the mix.
Homemade tofu
In the words of TikToker Julius Fiedler (@bakinghermann), “if you’ve got legumes, you’ve got tofu.” While most store-bought tofu is made from soybeans, you can create it yourself from any kind of dried bean at home. Soybeans are particularly high in protein, so a substitute won’t have quite as much, but this is a great way to make a plant-based protein for someone who has a soy allergy or doesn’t like traditional tofu, and it’s also a fun weekend project that feels almost like a science experiment.
Lentil or chickpea tofus are some of the most common creations seen on social media — the former is often made with red lentils to take advantage of their appealing color. Homemade tofu crafted from different kinds of beans can be sliced, cubed, baked, and seared, and its texture is similar to commercially sold soft soy tofu. Because making tofu from scratch is a precise process, it is best to follow an exact recipe instead of trying to wing it.
