Beans in American Cuisine
The beans that Columbus discovered in the New World have traveled the globe now, but they remain part of America’s national identity. Long before European settlers arrived at Jamestown, Native Americans were cooking dry beans. In fact, beans, squash and corn provided such good sustenance that the natives were generally healthier than the early immigrants.
Native Americans introduced the settlers to the combination of dry beans and corn that today we call succotash. Some historians even speculate that succotash appeared at the Pilgrims’ first Thanksgiving.
The growing locavore movement reminds us to celebrate these regional traditions, some of them centuries old. You can update them with a more contemporary presentation or leave them looking more homespun. A quick refresher course on some dry bean classics from coast to coast:
New England: Boston Baked Beans with Brown Bread
Evan Jones, the food historian, suggests that the technique for sweetening beans probably derives from the Native Americans who added maple sugar to beans cooked in pots buried in coals.
Update it: Bake the beans in individual terra cotta pots in a wood-burning oven. Flavor with applewood-smoked bacon or pork from an heirloom breed.
New Orleans: Red Beans and Rice
As the main port on the Gulf of Mexico in colonial times, New Orleans welcomed chiles and warm spices from the Caribbean and Latin America. These seasonings found their way into the local pots, especially Monday’s red beans, traditionally flavored with the bone from the Sunday ham. Even today, the Monday lunch special in old-time New Orleans restaurants is almost certain to be red beans and rice.
Update it: Accompany with grilled andouille sausage or a locally made sausage.
Cajun Red Beans and Rice
Red beans and rice is the official Monday dish in New Orleans, available on menus in restaurants all over town. Red beans and rice is typically served with smoked sausage, but the dish also stands on its own as a satisfying comfort food.
To download a Spanish translation of this recipe
click here.
Check out this recipe
Southwest: Cowboy Beans
What’s a chuck-wagon supper without a cast-iron pot of pinto beans? No respectable cowboy cook would sign on for a cattle drive without first stockpiling the dry beans. Flavorings included green peppers, onion, garlic, and bacon, and molasses if at hand.
Southwestern Pork and Bean Soup
Enjoy a non-traditional form of “pork and beans” in this delicious, budget-friendly, quick and easy nutritional powerhouse of a soup. The pork chops in this recipe meet USDA guidelines for “lean”: less than 10 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, and 95 milligrams of cholesterol per 100 grams and per labeled serving. Beans are loaded with dietary fiber, high in folate, and a good source of potassium. Tomatoes are second only to potatoes in popularity. The lycopene in tomatoes may help protect against heart disease and cancer.
Check out this recipe
American Recipes to try
Cajun Red Beans and Rice
Red beans and rice is the official Monday dish in New Orleans, available on menus in restaurants all over town. Red beans and rice is typically served with smoked sausage, but the dish also stands on its own as a satisfying comfort food.
To download a Spanish translation of this recipe
click here.
Check out this recipe
Classic Baked Beans
Baked beans are an American classic. This updated version is perfectly balanced with sweetness from the molasses and brown sugar, smokiness from the bacon, and a bit of acid from the onion, mustard, and tomato paste. Using two different colors of beans creates a more visually appealing dish.
To download a Spanish translation of this recipe
click here.
Check out this recipe
Macaroni & Cheese with Cannellini Beans
Macaroni & cheese is always a hit with kids. This dish combines the rich cheese sauce that kids love with creamy cannellini beans ― which add the complete protein and fiber that parents love. Baking individual servings with a bread crumb crust until golden brown makes for a more sophisticated presentation suitable for a casual bar menu.
Check out this recipe
Pinto Bean and Quinoa Burger with Sriracha Mayonnaise
This healthy whole-grain burger is a great example of using beans in place of meat. Beans provide the protein that every body needs, but with none of the cholesterol that meat supplies. The mix of spices, nutty quinoa, sweet romesco spread and hearty beans, make this burger a satisfying meal for vegetarians and meat-lovers alike.
To download a Spanish translation of this recipe
click here.
Check out this recipe
Green Chili Smash Black Bean Beef Burger
Watch Chef Toni Sakaguchi at The Culinary Institute of America make these delicious Green Chile Smash Black Bean Beef Burgers. Not only does swapping some of the beef with beans reduce the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol, the beans add fiber and give the burgers a perfectly juicy texture. Give it a try and this could become your go-to burger recipe!
To download a Spanish translation of this recipe
click here.
