3 Cheap Bean Recipes That Will Save You Time

I have some cheap bean recipes today. As you probably know, I eat a bean burrito without cheese every day of the week. Sometimes I add salsa, and sometimes I just eat it with a dollop of guacamole. I prefer plain because I love the taste of refried beans and flour tortillas. Now, you can pressure can just about any bean, buy cans of beans, and purchase beans in small bags or 50-100 pound bags. Please note all of these recipes don’t need the meat. I’m a vegetarian, just giving you a heads-up. In other words, meat is optional in all of my recipes.

Master Canning Class

Mark and I took a course to get our Master Preserver Canning Certificate right here in St.George, Utah. The class was at night and I asked a few women in my neighborhood to take the class but no one was interested. It didn’t take much to talk Mark into taking the class with me as he supports me in everything I have ever wanted to do in my life. Yes, I’m a very lucky woman.

I wanted to know the new tricks to canning as I had not been canning for a few years. Things have changed, especially because we now have GMO fruits and vegetables. You may not know that now we need to add vinegar or citric acid to tomatoes, for instance. Here’s the deal, you can pressure beans, and they are very easy to do. We pressured several batches of beans at the class.

Now that we only have two living at home, I only buy a few small bags of beans, #10 cans of beans (7 inches high and 6-1/4 inches in diameter) for long-term storage. I do not store beans in 5-gallon buckets. I also store instant pinto beans that only require 20 minutes to cook, therefore using less fuel when a disaster hits.

Purchase Cases Of Beans

We buy cases of beans when they are on sale. I prefer pinto, refried, black, garbanzo, white, navy, kidney, and chili beans. We also buy cases of tomato powder, it’s not worth my time to dehydrate tomatoes and make them into powder. I buy diced tomatoes because I can make any soup by just adding a few different spices. Please remember, only buy the beans you will eat.

When my girls were younger, I just soaked the pinto beans overnight, drained them the next morning, covered them with fresh water, and cooked them all day on the stove. Then we made bean burritos and we froze them. This was a cheap dinner, but it also taught my girls to cook from scratch and to eat frugal meals.

Extra Items To Stock

If you stock your pantry with some of these items, you can make soup anytime for two people or your neighborhood.

• Green chilies
• Beef Stock
• Chicken Stock
• Vegetable stock
• Dehydrated onions, fresh onions, or freeze-dried onions
• Dehydrated celery, fresh celery, or freeze-dried celery
• Dehydrated bell peppers, fresh bell peppers, or freeze-dried bell peppers
• Beans: black, pinto, refried, white, kidney, chili, and garbanzo, to name just a few
• Tomatoes: diced, fresh, freeze-dried, tomato sauce or paste
• Cans of meat, or freeze-dried meats
• Lime and lemon juice
• Spices: chili pepper, cinnamon, garlic powder, sweet basil, salt, and pepper, Cayenne pepper, oregano, coriander, taco seasoning, and other spices you love to use

Cheap Bean Recipes

1. Easy To Make Red Chili

Print

Easy To Make Red Chili

Prep Time

12 mins

Cook Time

6 hrs

Total Time

6 hrs 12 mins

 

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings: 12 people

Ingredients

• 1-2 pounds cooked and drained hamburger (optional)
• 2 onions or equal amount of freeze-dried onions
• 1-2 green or red bell peppers (chopped or equal amount of freeze-dried bell peppers)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder or fresh garlic chopped
• 2-16- ounce cans of chili beans (do not drain)
• 2-16- ounce cans of kidney beans (do not drain)
• 1-28- ounce can diced tomatoes (do not drain)
• 1 teaspoon sweet basil
• 2 tablespoons chili powder or less
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1-8- ounce can tomato paste or sauce

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Instructions

1. Combine the ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until thoroughly cooked.

2. White Bean Soup

Print

White Bean Soup

Prep Time

12 mins

Cook Time

6 hrs

Total Time

6 hrs 12 mins

 

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: 12 people

Ingredients

• 2 cans of cooked chicken drained (12.5 ounces each) or 2-3 raw cubed chicken breasts
• One chopped onion or freeze-dried onions (equivalent amount)
• Two stalks of celery chopped or freeze-dried celery (equivalent amount)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 15-ounce cans white beans
• 1 4-ounce can of diced green chilies
• 1- 15-ounce can of corn (drained)
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 2-3 tablespoons lime juice

Instructions

1. Grab a frying pan and stir-fry the chicken and onions in a little oil until cooked. I have pans that don’t require any oil and I love them. Combine all of the ingredients and place them in a slow cooker and cook 6-8 hours or until heated through. Serve with tortilla chips.

3. Easy Taco Soup

Print

Easy Taco Soup

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

6 hrs

Total Time

6 hrs 10 mins

 

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings: 8 people

Ingredients

• 1 can of cooked ground beef or you can use a frying pan to cook one pound. (optional)
• One chopped onion or equivalent amount freeze-dried onions
• 1 28-ounce can of diced or crushed tomatoes, do not drain
• 1 16-ounce kidney beans, do not drain
• 1 16-ounce can of corn, do not drain
• 1 tablespoon taco seasoning or one package if you don’t buy the jar Taco Seasoning

Instructions

1. Combine all the ingredients in a large saucepan and heat through, or put the ingredients in a slow cooker for 6-8 hours.

Recipe Notes

*****This is where I buy Cooked Ground Beef for Mark.

*****This is where I buy Cooked Ground Beef for Mark.

This is my favorite size slow cooker, it’s a 3-1/2 Quart Slow Cooker 

I hope you store lots of beans so you can make cheap bean recipes! I store lots of beans and rice, life is good if your belly is full. May God bless you for being prepared for the unexpected. What bean do you like in your cheap bean recipes?

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