What kind of dried beans do you buy?

[auntie2many]

There is an older thread titled something like "Cooking With Beans." It is loaded with recipes. Do a search and you may find many new ideas.

A2M

[greekislandgirl]

I love dried beans! Here are the ones I stock and what I do with them, in order from largest amount on hand to smallest amount on hand:

- lentils: lentil soup (don't need to soak)
- black beans: all Mexican recipes, refried beans, chili
- yellow split peas/dal: Greek fava, Indian dishes (don't need to soak)
- chickpeas: hummus, salads
- red kidney beans: rice & beans, chili (never cook in a slow cooker/crockpot)
- black eyed peas: salads (don't need to soak)
- navy beans: bean soup
- cranberry beans: chili, refried beans

I do not keep split peas (not a fan), elephant beans (too expensive), fava beans (DH has a sensitivity to these though I love them), or red lentils (too hard to work with). They don't sell pinto beans here unless that's the same as cranberry beans, not sure. They also don't sell black/beluga lentils here.

We eat dried beans at least 2x/week, often more often than that. Invest in a pressure cooker and you can have beans on the table in 8-9 minutes. It will save you the cost of the electricity and the water you'd be using to cook conventionally.

[lisaflex]

white (great northern)
black
pinto
lentils
split peas (green)

w/ the white beans after you have soaked and cooked however your prefer....sautee up 1/2 red onion, add lots of fresh garlic, chopped or diced tomatoes, some white wine and lots of pepper and simmer for a few, add some beans to warm and serve over pasta. very good

[Sweetcakes]

Thanks everyone for all your suggestions and ideas I appreciate it.

[sinopa27]

pinto beans and black beans are my favorite. Every now and then I get northern beans and cook them with a ham hock.

[known2him5]

We don't buy dried beans, but we grow our own and dry them. . . the ones we grow/use the most:

navy beans - for ham/beans
kidney beans - chili
black beans - Mexican meals

[shp1055]

great northerns; LIGHT red kidney beans; black-eyed peas; pintos; baby limas; will buy a variety and make bean soup mix.

Use the great northerns with ham; the LIGHT red kidney beans for red beans with sausage & rice; black-eyed peas with ham, green snaps and baby okra; pintos for chili, enchiladas, refried beans, chili beans cornbread stacks; baby limas with ham. bean soup with either sausage or ham.

[Grayce]

My favourites are navy beans (for baked beans) and black beans for everything else like Mexican dishes and beans and rice. I have also used black beans to extend ground beef in things like spaghetti sauce.

[Ceashels]

Lentils are my absolute favorite, green, red, brown, yes.

I keep others on hand but since I'm the only bean eater in the family, they don't get used as much.

[brennasmom]

I mostly buy pintos. I use them to make homemade refried beans that I freeze for when I am ready to use. I am going to try black beans as soon as I use up the last of the canned ones I have.

[leighcat]

My son absolutely refuses to eat any kind of bean except for lima beans in mixed veggies. My daughter and I both love beans and it would be so much easier to cook meals if my son wasn't so anti-bean!
I buy black, garbanzo, pinto, red beans, and brown and red lentils. With the exception of the lentils, I soak my beans in a jar of water overnight. In the morning I rinse them and then place them in a small crock pot and cover with plenty of water and cook them for several hours until they are tender. I will admit we don't eat a lot of beans though just because I hate to make a whole bunch for 2 people. For re-fried beans I use canned but I have a grainmill so I really should just make my own.
I bought a great book called Country Beans and I need to get in gear and make some good bean meals.