Beans can be a cheap food source. I recommend buying dried when they are on sale and freezing unneeded portions for later use.

But for the person looking for ideas with beans, canned or not..

Quick and budget friendly meals with beans

This looks like my kind of cooking, think I'll try it.

I keep some canned beans for quick , easy unplanned meals. Chili beans from Walmart(cheapest price), pinto, sometimes kidney beans. It is an easy meal to throw a can of chili beans in with some leftover ground meat and home canned tomatoes.  The pintos get used for DH lunch if he comes in hungry for a warm meal. Babs

 ...and I just about bet there is a poster on DS that has a unique, incredibly good canned bean recipe that is sooooo good.  I can't share it, cause it isn't mine.

You know it! Here's the whole post. http://community.stretcher.com/forums/p/24290/257895.aspx#257895 I tweaked this recipe several times before I found just the right balance of molasses and honey. This recipe is for 1lb beans which makes about 3 pints. Wash and drain beans, I prefer navy (white) beans. Mix together 1/4c molasses, 1/4 c honey, 1 tbs vinegar, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp dry mustard and heat to boiling. Meanwhile chop the onion. Fill pint jars with 1/2c beans, 1/4 c molasses mixture, handful of chopped onion, and fill to 1/2" space with hot water. Seal jars according to proper canning procedures. The longer the beans sit on the shelf, the better they taste. Process at 11 lbs for 65 minutes - pints for qts process 11lbs for 75 min

Grame, I like your Susan B. Anthony quote, I need to read more from that woman. On to the canned bean recipe, Just made it with Garbanzo beans, and a lot of olive oil, it turned out really good. I have a left over grain pasta I will serve it with, so it may turn out to be more like goulash, never the less, it's a good combination.

Pork and Bean Bread

1  15 oz can of pork and beans (the cheap ones work great)

4 eggs

3 cups flour (all purpose)

2 cups white sugar

1 cup veg. oil

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup chopped walnuts or 1 cup raisins (optional)

Preheat oven to 325°, grease and flour two 9x5x3 bread pans.  Puree undrained pork and beans in a blender, food processor, or with a mixer.  Add eggs, oil, and sugar.  Mix well.  Add flour, cinnamon, vanilla, baking powder and baking soda.  Mix.  Fold in raisins or walnuts if using.

Divide batter between the two pans.  Bake for 60 minutes or until bread tests done (pulls from the sides of the pan slightly).  Cool for 10 minutes in pan, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Makes a great toast, almost a cinnamon bread, you can't taste the pork and beans at all. Stays moist for several days.  With the flour and beans, you have a high protein bread.  Makes good muffins too.

Some of my quick bean meals are...

hummus and veggies and/or pita bread, we've even put it on tortillas with veggies as wraps. If I'm in a hurry I throw canned garbanzos, garlic etc in the vitamix

quesadillas: any kind of beans blended till smooth with veggies and a little cheese, black beans with red bell peppers work, so do white beans with spinach, etc etc

three bean chili: self explanatory but can mix any beans. i'll do one can each of white/black and red beans or pintos, onion, tomato, garlic, etc etc on instant brown rice if i'm in a hurry, cornbread if not

cobb salads: fresh garden salad piled in sections, cobb salad style and make beans one of those categories. i use any kind of bean but rinse it very well and drain it well, and pat the beans dry with paper towel to keep them from making the salad soggy, and so they'll soak up more dressing

If beans give you tummy troubles they say the solution is to include more in your diet, and gradually that will go away once you are used to eating them/more fiber in your diet.

my all time favorite bean recipe is definitely not for quick meals.. cook pintos very slowly on the stove at least 7 hours, adding water as needed, not salting till they're done, and the beans are so tender, and the juice is as thick as gravy.. served with cornbread, ice cold green onions, and sliced tomatoes with a little salt and pepper, and some spicy (or mild) chowchow. heaven!

 

mtviolet:

Pork and Bean Bread

 

I make these as muffins and they stay super moist.  I really have to watch the boys (GKs) because they will try to eat them all!!