Cooking dried black beans are incredibly easy, delicious, and an affordable way to eat plant-based proteins and fiber. Point made with the easiest black beans recipe.

Canned beans are convenient to cook with, but there’s nothing better than having a huge pot of cooked beans that make a big batch of leftovers for the week. Jesse makes a pot of beans at least once a week, whether we’re making black beans, kidney beans, a stew with beans, refried beans for taco night, etc. — you name it, we’ve made beans all kinds of ways. It occurred to me that I haven’t shared a solid, simple, and delicious way to make a pot of beans, so here it is friends!

I highly recommend bookmarking this recipe for this weekend or on your next meal planning day — these make the perfect leftover side dish. You can enjoy these in so many ways from warming up as a side dish paired with any entree, topping a salad for a quick lunch, adding to a stir-fry, adding to a broth-based soup for extra protein and fiber, or eating them plain. The possibilities are diverse, flexible for your lifestyle, affordable, and easy to keep stocked in your pantry.

We often eat plant-based meals for dinner throughout the week, but especially during lunchtime when I’m craving something filling, energizing (i.e. balance my blood sugars so I’m coasting all afternoon), and easy to whip up or reheat — beans are it.