Primary Beans Recipes
Mediterranean-inspired tomato and bean salad
I love the bright, refreshing flavors of a Mediterranean, Greek-style salad. This is a loosely inspired dish, featuring tomatoes, salty feta, and lots of fresh herbs.
Mexican-inspired refried beans with pickled onions
I love refried beans, and though I typically see them made with pinto beans, cranberry beans act as an excellent substitute. Cranberry beans are slightly milder in flavor but still yield a delicious result.
Indian-inspired bean tadka
Creamy cranberry beans pair nicely with fat and spice, ideal for Indian cooking. Tadka is a South Asian technique used to bloom spices in oil to extract their essential flavor compounds.
Italian-inspired brothy beans
A good bowl of brothy beans is simple to put together, but oh-so-comforting! The ingredients here are inspired by Italian cooking, like anchovies, garlic, and lemon.
Abra Berens' cranberry bean salad w/ roasted carrots + mojo de ajo
I came to know cranberry beans in the kitchen at Petersham Nurseries under the tutelage of Skye Gyngell. She called them by their Italian name, borlotti beans.
Abra Berens' tomato + parsnip stew w/ wilted kale
I like to finish these stews in the oven to slowly evaporate the liquid while creating a bit of a crust on top. It takes a little longer but requires less attention than the stovetop...
Abra Berens' greens + bean pot licker
My friend Erin Stanley turned me on to cooking broccolini with some pasta cooking water until it is just about to fall apart. Swap pot liquor for pasta water and here we are.
Cheesy baked beans in tomato sauce
An easy and comforting dinner that comes together quickly during the week. The anchovies dissolve and add a savory complexity. For a complete meal, serve over a pile of orzo or with crusty bread.
Spicy bean cakes with cilantro-yogurt sauce
These spicy bean cakes are a fun cross between bean patties and my mom’s pakoras. Their crisp exterior and warm, flavorful interior pair beautifully with a dollop of cooling cilantro-yogurt sauce.
Cranberry beans with grilled radicchio and mushrooms
Our ideal fall salad comes together in a pinch with distinctly bitter radicchio, nutty cranberry beans, and a bright vinaigrette. Applying high heat to the chicories brings out their natural sweetness.
Fall chickpea salad with charred chicories
Lemony marinated chickpeas, salty crumbled feta, and a silky spicy dressing round out the charred chicories. Best of all, it’s satisfying enough as a standalone dish.
No-ketchup sticky baked beans
I grew up in New England, and few things remind me of fall more than a big pot of baked beans served on a crisp day. The baked beans of my childhood are, to my now grown-up palate, a little too sweet, so...