Healthy Black Bean Recipes

These chicken nachos have crunchy chips topped with hot spiced shredded chicken, beans and melted cheese with cooling chunks of avocado, red onion and cilantro. If you like the heat, add jalapeño slices at the end. These quick nachos work well with shredded chicken breast or rotisserie chicken if you have leftovers around.

Here's a burrito inspired by San Francisco's super burritos that come packed with meat, beans, rice, cheese, guacamole and salsa. We've kept this home-style version a bit simpler to make and a whole lot healthier with brown rice, whole-wheat tortillas and a more reasonable serving size. We recommend wrapping it in foil--the traditional way to serve it--so you can pick the burrito up and eat it without it falling apart, peeling back the foil as you go. Serve with a cold beer and vinegar-dressed slaw.

Here we lighten up classic 7-layer dip by using plain Greek yogurt in place of sour cream. Serve with tortilla chips and/or crudités.

Grab your crock pot for this hearty and easy vegan chili, which is chock-full of great-tasting and good-for-you ingredients, including pinto and black beans, red pepper, tomatoes and butternut squash. Once a little chopping is done, all you have to do is dump the ingredients in the slow cooker, making this colorful veggie chili the perfect weeknight dinner. A garnish of fresh avocado and chopped cilantro is a nice touch.

These healthy Southwestern cauliflower rice bowls, topped with black beans, corn and smoky chipotle shrimp, get a cool-down from homemade avocado crema and take just 30 minutes to make.

This one-pot dinner is like a deconstructed burrito bowl--especially when topped with salsa, sliced avocado or a dollop of Greek yogurt for a cool, creamy accent. You can also enjoy it as a meal on its own, or as a vegetarian taco or burrito filling or a side dish on taco night.

This aromatic cauliflower rice bowl comes together in minutes and is a simple meal for one. Using frozen riced cauliflower instead of rice keeps the carbs in check--and makes for quicker prep.

A cozy, cheesy casserole is classic comfort food. We amped up the nutrition by including plenty of nourishing veggies. Black beans provide powerful plant-based protein while the sweet potatoes offer up a healthy dose of vitamin A, an antioxidant important for vision and immunity.

These hearty mushroom, black bean and quinoa veggie burgers are a healthy and satisfying homemade alternative to store-bought veggie burgers. And they take just 25 minutes of active time to prep, so while they're special enough for entertaining, they're quick enough for weeknight dinners.

This easy, creamy chicken enchilada recipe uses premade green salsa for a quick enchilada sauce. Not in a verde mood? Use tomato salsa instead.

In a hurry? These satisfying quesadillas take just 15 minutes to make. We like them with black beans, but pinto beans work well too. If you like a little heat, be sure to use pepper Jack cheese in the filling. Serve with: A little sour cream and a mixed green salad.

Take advantage of local fresh corn and whip up this 40-minute Mexican-inspired summer soup recipe. It's topped with creamy avocado slices and crispy corn tortillas, but you can make it next-level by adding a dollop of nonfat plain yogurt, a bit of grated Cheddar, and/or chopped scallions.

The butternut squash-and-black bean base in these healthy vegetarian tostadas has a mild, sweet-spicy flavor thanks to ancho chile powder. If you can't find ancho chile powder, other mildly spicy chili powder can be used. Serve with your favorite hot sauce.

Impress your guests with this irresistibly cheesy dip that requires minimal effort in the kitchen. Serrano pepper adds a pleasant kick of heat, while sour cream makes things extra creamy. Serve with fresh veggies or tortilla chips for scooping.

Canned beans and tomatoes make this quick vegetarian chili recipe ready to go in just 30 minutes. Serve over rice or couscous, or with tortilla chips for added crunch, and add extra toppings as you see fit--sliced scallions, chopped fresh cilantro, diced avocado and sliced jalapeños are all tasty choices.

Quick and easy hashes are fabulous one-pot meals for those nights when getting dinner on the table fast is a priority.

If you love tacos, this Instant Pot chicken taco soup won't disappoint. Silky strained tomatoes add body, while shredded chicken, beans and spices add those rich and spicy familiar flavors. And don't forget the toppings! Melted cheese, creamy sour cream and crushed tortilla chips round out this new family favorite.

This is 7-layer black bean dip simplified: just heat and season refried beans, then top with fresh vegetables for a texturally exciting dip.

Who wouldn't want to eat their vegetables when they're tucked into a fragrant broth with bits of tasty chicken and spiked with a shot of fresh lime and cilantro? This healthy chicken vegetable soup seems even richer with the smoky flavor from roasted poblano peppers and garlic. Serve this healthy chicken soup recipe with tortilla chips.

Perfect for game day, this fiber-rich dip is a surefire crowd-pleaser to serve with crudités or tortilla chips. It requires little prep time and is ready to serve immediately.

Let your muffin tin help you meal-prep a week's worth of protein-rich vegetarian muffin-tin eggs with a Southwestern spin to stash in the fridge or freezer for those extra-busy mornings.

This healthy, super-fast salad recipe swaps out romaine for kale, giving you more than 10 times the vitamin C. Easy flavor hacks like store-bought ranch and pickled jalapeños help make a creamy, tangy and spicy dressing you'll want to drizzle on everything from salad to sliced veggies and shredded poached chicken.

Meal-prep a week's worth of delicious and satisfying high-fiber lunches with just 5 simple ingredients and 20 minutes. In this Southwestern-style pasta salad, we're using pasta made with black beans to bump up the fiber to an impressive 14 grams per serving. Paired with seasoned chicken strips and a flavorful corn salad--shortcut ingredients you can often find at your local specialty grocery store--this meal-prep lunch is one you'll get excited for.

Pile vegetables and black beans onto crisp tostadas and top them off with lime crema for a vegetarian dinner the whole family will love. Charring the vegetables under the broiler infuses them with smoky flavor while cooking them quickly.