Low-Calorie Bean Recipes

With heat from chipotles in adobo sauce and sweetness from brown sugar, this healthy stovetop baked beans recipe is a spicy twist on the classic. We slashed more than half the sugar and three-quarters of the sodium--and a few hours of cooking time--as compared to a traditional recipe. Serve at your next cookout or BBQ and be prepared for people to rave.

These delicious veggie patties are a great side dish, but can also be a fulfilling and meatless main meal. Ready in just 35 minutes, the patties are made with garbanzo beans, zucchini and carrot and are served topped with Greek yogurt and an oregano-flavored vegetable topping.

Any leftover beans would work in this quick side dish.

Instead of getting flavor from a ham hock, this mess of black-eyed peas and collards gets its smokiness from canned chipotles and caramelized shallots, thereby keeping it vegetarian.

This lima bean recipe is the creation of Mable Clarke, a South Carolina cook and activist. This side dish is on the menu for Clarke's monthly fish fry that she started to save the Soapstone Baptist Church. No need for ham hocks with this recipe--her onion-rich roast turkey stock gives these humble beans a rich, savory flavor, but store-bought will also do the trick. A long, slow simmer coaxes the creaminess out of the limas.

An easy, tasty way to jazz up canned refried and pinto beans for the perfect side to accompany any Tex-Mex meal. Opt for fat-free refried beans and no-salt-added pinto beans to keep this dish as healthy as possible.

Think hummus meets tabbouleh in these vegetarian stuffed grape leaves, bursting with chickpeas, parsley and bulgur tied together with a lemony, garlicky sauce. The grape leaves will seem soft when just finished cooking, but will firm up as they cool. We prefer these at room temperature or cold--perfect for bringing to work for lunch.

This is no ordinary wilted spinach recipe--it's dressed up with shallot, pine nuts, and garbanzo beans for a tasty side dish for meat or chicken.

The combination of whole-grain brown rice and fiber-rich beans makes this a nutritionally super side dish. And because we use instant brown rice and canned beans, it's also super-fast. Try it with pork or chicken, or sprinkle with cheese and wrap in a flour tortilla for lunch or a vegetarian supper.

Spoon this quick and easy salsa on baked tortilla chips or homemade pita chips.

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.

These savory white beans--flavored with garlic, thyme and bay leaf--are the perfect accompaniment for roast leg of lamb or other slow-cooked meat.

These easy black beans are the perfect accompaniment to any Mexican fiesta.

Cooking black beans in a slow cooker with a ham hock gives them a wonderful smoky flavor. Don't forget to soak your beans overnight for the creamiest, most luscious results. Serve over brown rice with lemon-curry collard greens for an easy healthy dinner that's super-satisfying.

If you're a fan of slow-cooked oven-baked beans, give this quick, healthy stovetop recipe a whirl. We slashed more than half the sugar and three-quarters of the sodium--and a few hours of cooking time--as compared to a traditional recipe.

In this hearty salad, we toss Brussels sprouts, potatoes, chickpeas and tender greens together in a citrusy vinaigrette. Topped with makes for a hearty and delicious salad.

Two Cypriot specialties--good olive oil and fresh lemons--lend sunny flavor to this simple bean dish, served as a side in Cyprus. Chard adds a hearty touch. Top with a dollop of Greek yogurt, or nondairy yogurt to keep it vegan, for a meatless meal.

Refried beans are always fried in lard or bacon drippings in Mexico and the Southwest. In this recipe their flavor comes from the cumin and chili, which are sauteed with them, and from the garlic, onion and cilantro, which are simmered with them in the boiling water.

Quinoa pilaf is combined with zesty black bean corn salsa to create a healthy side dish full of fresh flavor.

Edamame and corn kernels take on incredible flavor when cooked in bacon pan drippings. Add red onion, fresh cilantro, and a bit of jalapeño and you'll be serving up a scrumptious side dish in just 35 minutes.

Frozen artichoke hearts are great to have on hand for just this type of easy salad. If you can't find frozen, go for the canned variety but keep in mind that they do have added sodium. You can rinse them under cool water to remove some of the sodium.

Perfect for picnics or a side for grilled chicken, this fast salad has all the flavor of baked barbecued beans, without the hassle or the heat.

In this quick and healthy baked bean recipe, we swap Chinese 5-spice powder and rice vinegar for traditional dry mustard and cider vinegar. Not only does this recipe have half the sugar and three-quarters of the sodium compared to a traditional recipe, it also requires a few hours' less cooking time, making these beans an easy side dish for grilled pork chops or chicken.

Black-eyed peas' earthy, nutty sweetness gets oomph from tangy hot sauce. In this recipe, they're mixed with plenty of crunchy vegetables for a satisfying vegetarian salad.