Heart-Healthy Bean Recipes

Find delicious heart-healthy bean recipes, from the food and nutrition experts at EatingWell.

Staff Picks

Slow-Cooker Chicken & White Bean Stew

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This load-and-go slow-cooker chicken recipe is perfect for a busy weeknight dinner. Serve this Tuscan-inspired dish with crusty bread, a glass of Chianti and a salad.
By Adam Dolge

Vegetable Weight-Loss Soup

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A big bowl of this veggie-packed minestrone will leave you satisfied for hours without consuming a lot of calories, which is helpful when trying to lose weight. Plus, it's an easy way to boost your vegetable servings for the day—something all of us could benefit from. Top with a dollop of pesto before devouring this delicious vegetable soup and consider serving with a hunk of toasted whole-wheat bread to help round out the meal.
By Hilary Meyer

Slow-Cooker Vegetable Soup

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Make a big batch of low-calorie veggie-packed soup with ease in this load-and-go crock pot recipe. After simmering away in the slow cooker, portion it into individual serving containers and store in the fridge or freezer for fast, healthy lunches or an easy, satisfying snack. This weight-loss vegetable soup fills you up without a lot of calories, plus it's an easy way to eat more vegetables.
By Hilary Meyer

White Bean & Veggie Salad

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This meatless main-dish salad combines creamy, satisfying white beans and avocado. Try mixing it up with different seasonal vegetables.
By Katie Webster

Pumpkin & Black Bean Soup

This quick and easy vegan pumpkin black bean soup is filled with veggies. Convenient canned pumpkin, beans and coconut milk flavored with curry make it a hearty fall meal.
By Julia Levy

Bean & Barley Soup

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This hearty bean and barley soup tastes like it has simmered for hours, but actually it's quite quick to throw together. Plus this recipe for healthy bean and barley soup freezes beautifully. If you have cooked barley on hand, omit the quick-cooking barley and stir in 1 1/2 cups cooked barley along with the broth in Step 2.
By David Bonom

White Bean-Sausage Soup

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Make this heart-healthy main-dish white bean and sausage soup with fresh onions. If you're really pressed for time, look for frozen chopped onions, which can be added to soups and stews in seconds.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Tuscan White Bean Soup

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A pound of dried beans is the inexpensive foundation for this simple, hearty meal. Serve it with slices of whole-wheat bread or a side salad for a complete and satisfying lunch or dinner.
By Lauren Grant

No-Cook Black Bean Salad

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A classic black bean salad is a must for picnics and potlucks. This vegan version gets its creaminess from blended avocado. Any mix of salad greens will work well, but try arugula if you want to give this hearty salad a peppery kick.
By Hilary Meyer

Slow-Cooker Southwestern Bean Soup

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Get dinner on the table on a busy day with ease with this load-&-go crock pot recipe. This zesty soup can simmer in the crock pot for an entire workday, making it perfect for a busy weekday meal. Bump up the Southwest flavors with a garnished of chopped fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime, if desired.
By Carolyn Malcoun

Cauliflower & White Bean Soup with Herb Croutons

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Pureed cauliflower lends a creamy, silky texture to this vegetarian white bean soup without using a drop of dairy.
By Adam Dolge

Spinach Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes, White Beans & Basil

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Roasted sweet potatoes are paired with spinach, cabbage and white beans and tossed together with a bright basil dressing in this healthy main dish salad.
By Carolyn Casner
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Inspiration and Ideas

Healthy Black Bean Soup Recipes & Black Bean Chili Recipes
Delicious recipes for black bean soup and black bean chili.Download a Free Healthy Recipe Cookbook for Chili, Soups and Stews!Watch Video
Bean & Beef Taco Soup
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This taco soup is filled with quintessential taco ingredients and flavors--from two types of hearty beans, to corn and ground beef--but it's the toppings that really make this soup stand out. Better yet, this healthy soup is easy to make and leftovers freeze beautifully for later.
Green Beans with Creamy Mushroom Sauce
Steamed Green Beans with Rosemary-Garlic Vinaigrette & Fried Shallots
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Tomato, Cucumber & White-Bean Salad with Basil Vinaigrette

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This no-cook bean salad is a delicious way to use summer's best cherry or grape tomatoes and juicy cucumbers for a light dinner or lunch. Fresh basil elevates an easy vinaigrette recipe that dresses up this simple salad into something extraordinary.

All Heart-Healthy Bean Recipes

Simply French Green Beans

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Thin green beans cook quickly, so rinsing them with cold water (or putting them into an ice water bath) is important if you want to keep them crisp. The beans in this side dish recipe take only 20 minutes to prepare, but taste their best after a couple hours in the fridge where they soak up the flavor of the shallot-thyme mixture.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Falafel Burgers

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Pureed chickpeas, seasoned with the characteristic flavors of falafel, make excellent veggie burgers. We use a two-stage method for cooking the patties, first browning them in a skillet and then finishing them in the oven. Garnish the burgers with tzatziki or tahini sauce (see associated recipes), pickled red onions, lettuce and tomatoes.
By Sylvia Fountaine

Cuban Black Bean Soup

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Unlike many black bean soups, this one is pepper-packed and leaves the beans intact for a more interesting texture. It's equally delicious served on its own or over rice.
By Lisa Holderness Brown

Seasoned Black-Eyed Peas

To infuse peas with flavor, simmer them with dried spices, which pack a more intense punch than fresh. Smoked paprika delivers the essence of ham hocks or bacon while keeping this classic side dish vegan.
By Genevieve Ko

Edamame Falafel with Lemon Aioli

A twist on the classic chickpea falafel, these tasty edamame falafels will not disappoint!
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Southwestern Pinto Bean Soup

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The flavor of this Mexican-style soup is kicked up a notch with a sprinkling of cilantro and a squirt of lime juice.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Italian White Bean Salad

This Italian white bean salad is healthy and delicious. The capers and rosemary-lemon dressing add wonderful flavor to the cannellini beans and chopped tomato.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Roasted Green Beans with Applewood Bacon

Cooking bacon and green beans on a sheet pan together simplifies holiday meal prep. Red-wine vinegar and lemon juice provide a balanced, bright flavor.
By Andrea Kirkland M.S., RD

Sopa Tarasca

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This famous soup from the state of Michoacán in Western Mexico is often made with a base of pureed beans along with tomatoes and dried chiles, which bring a lot of the character to the dish. Here we use ancho chiles, which are sweet, earthy and relatively mild. You could also use pasillas, which have a heat level similar to anchos--or, if you like it hot, gaujillos, which also bring some smoky notes to the pot.
By Lisa Holderness Brown

Vegetarian Black Bean Soup

Packed with protein and fiber, this soup doesn't need meat to be satisfying. Soaking and cooking the beans yourself, rather than opening a can, ensures you'll have wonderful flavor and texture. (And the slow cooker does most of the work!)
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Pasta e Fagioli

This is the classic Italian soup recipe (pasta and beans in a tomato base), though we've reduced the sodium and swapped in whole-grain pasta. Tailor it to your taste with anchovy and crushed red pepper as desired.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Chicken & White Bean Salad

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Zucchini and celery give this chicken-and-bean salad a nice crunch. We like serving it over a bed of slightly bitter escarole and radicchio, but any type of salad greens will work. Recipe by Nancy Baggett for EatingWell.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Sautéed Green Beans with Tomatoes, Mushrooms & Garlic

This versatile and easy side dish is a tasty way to showcase green beans. We boil the beans briefly before sautéing for perfectly crisp-tender vegetables that don't get mushy.
By Betsy Andrews

Mashed Chickpea Salad with Dill & Capers

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This creamy yet light vegan salad is full of bright, herby goodness. On its own, it's great to serve alongside a sandwich or veggie burger in place of potato salad or coleslaw. You can also make it into a light lunch by adding a handful of arugula to enjoy it as a green salad. Double the recipe and refrigerate to have on hand throughout the week.
By Carolyn Casner

Couscous & Chickpea Salad

Cooked couscous and canned chickpeas come together in this quick lunch salad. The basil vinaigrette makes it taste anything but basic! When in season, we recommend adding fresh chopped tomatoes for a spin on tabbouleh.
By Katie Webster

Super-Green Edamame Salad

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Avocado, fresh chives and spinach are blended right into the creamy, bright-green dressing in this healthy edamame salad recipe. Pink beans are popular in the Caribbean, but you can substitute pinto beans or light red kidney beans if you can't find them.
By Katie Webster

Slow-Cooked Baked Beans with Bacon

It's easy to purchase baked beans in a can, but making your own in the slow cooker results in a rich and deliciously flavored side dish that you'll feel better about serving to guests.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Spring Lima Bean Soup with Crispy Bacon

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Not a lima bean lover? This soup could flip you. The limas get some support from baby peas and a decent amount of tarragon to deliver a definitive taste of spring.
By Julia Clancy

Bean Salad with Charred Lemons

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Creamy avocado, salty feta cheese and sweet-bitter caramelized lemon slices make this vegetarian bean salad recipe a standout. Using different colors, sizes and shapes of beans makes this salad extra special. But any bean that interests you, even canned, will work.
By Nora Singley

Green Beans & Onions

Don't settle for boring green beans! In this quick-and-easy side-dish recipe, onions, roasted red peppers, olives and a sweet and tangy sauce add flavor and interest.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Basic Black Beans

Master the technique of cooking dried beans with this basic recipe. The cooking time will vary based on the age and size of the beans, so begin to check for tenderness after 1 1/2 hours and continue cooking until the beans are tender.
By Lauren Grant

Crunchy Mexican Salad with Spicy Cilantro Vinaigrette

A spicy cilantro vinaigrette gives this black bean salad Mexican flair. We used the beans for protein, but if you have cooked chicken on hand, you can use that instead. Also, if you have it, finish the salad with a quarter of an avocado for a boost of healthy fats.
By Lauren Grant

Southwestern Chicken & Black Bean Salad

No cooking necessary and ready in just 25 minutes, this Southwestern-inspired recipe is a great choice for a quick lunch or dinner. Don't have leftover chicken? No problem--use turkey!
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Green Beans with Toasted Almonds

Don't overpower the flavor of fresh vegetables--sometimes all you need is a touch of the right seasoning and a bit of crunch. These 20-minute green beans are flavored with a coriander-annatto spice blend and are topped with toasted almonds. Serve this side dish alongside any meat or fish.
By Diabetic Living Magazine
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