• Join the Club!
  • About
    • Media
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclosure
    • Contact Me
  • Subscribe
  • BLOG
  • MEMBERS ONLY
    • Login
    • Club Homepage
    • GCE Meal Plans
    • Digital Meal Planner
    • Club Resource Library
    • Downloads
    • Live Club Events
  • Purchases
    • My Courses
  • SHOP
    • The Good Cheap Eats Club
    • Cookbooks
    • Planner
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Good Cheap Eats

eat well on a budget with easy recipes from Jessica Fisher

Find a Recipe
  • Budget Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Baked Goods
      • Yeast Breads and Rolls
      • Muffins and Quick Breads
      • Scones and Biscuits
    • Breakfast
    • Dessert
    • Lunches
    • Main Dishes +
      • Beef
      • Bowl Meals
      • Meatless
      • Pasta
      • Pizza
      • Pork
      • Poultry +
        • Chicken
        • Ground Turkey
        • Turkey
      • Sausage
      • Seafood
    • Salads
    • Slow Cooker
  • Money-Saving Tips
    • Take the Pantry Challenge
  • Affordable Meal Planning
  • Show Search
Hide Search

Build a Frugal Pantry with Beans and Lentils

Jessica Fisher · April 19, 2010 · 6 Comments

cooked black beans in a bowl

I haven’t always been friends with beans. I liked them and all, but they were more a supporting actor in the play on my plate. They weren’t the star. Until I met Dave Ramsey (or at least read the book) and realized that beans and rice, rice and beans would be a healthy, inexpensive option for our family.

But I wasn’t sold out on dried beans, though.

I had tried cooking dried beans when I first became a stay-at-home mom. And I didn’t like their texture. And besides, a can of beans at Walmart cost $0.44. I could swing that.

Until the price went up.

The price went up a lot! A few years ago the price in my neighborhood doubled, and so dried beans started to look a little more do-able. Now, I’ve gotten used to it and homecooked beans are a regular feature on our menu.

I buy a big 5 or 10 pound bag of pintos and cook up a huge pot on Freezer Cooking Days. I divide them into 2 cup containers, though quart size freezer bags would work, too. I cool them to room temperature and then store them in the freezer. All month long I have precooked beans to add to chili, chimichangas, or to play a starring role in beans and rice.

They’re super good for you providing fiber, protein, and carbohydrates. And different beans offer different health benefits, so it’s worth your while to try a variety. Find out when which ones you like and add an inexpensive protein to your pantry.

While we’re on the subject, do you already have a favorite bean?


Want the dish on delicious ways to act your wage? Subscribe to GCE in a reader or via email.

Filed Under: Beans, Frugal Pantry

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lindsay says

    April 21, 2011 at

    Thank you!!! I had no idea you could freeze cooked beans. You have just made me rethink the beans/lentil stockpile.

    Reply
  2. Karla says

    June 7, 2012 at

    my favorite bean is the navy bean, with lentils second to that. I too didn’t know that beans were freezable. Will cook more now that I know.

    Reply
  3. camille says

    September 15, 2012 at

    I Love beans but am still struggling a bit to add it regularly to my diet but we really appreciate beans in my household. My favorite are black beans I cook one pound of dried beans to six cups of water in my slow cooker and cage it up two cups of beans with liquid also, the only way to get a good frozen bean is to make sure there is liquid in it. AND two cups equals to a can of beans in any recipe you follow :).

    I also do the same with red kidney beans. I dont always soak beans but you usually have to with kidneys because they have something in them that will give you super bad cramps if you dont. One way around this is to boil the red kidney beans in a rolling boil for ten minutes in a rolling boil then put them in the slow cooker.

    Reply
  4. Rhonda says

    April 5, 2014 at

    Our families favorite bean is a yellow Mexican bean called miocoba (not sure of the spelling). We replaced this yellow bean instead of pinto beans. It has a very smooth flavor and mild taste.We will never go back to pinto. It doesn’t produce the gas and bloating that pinto beans do. They are made the same as preparing pinto beans.They freeze well too! I make a big pot and freeze them inn chipmunk bags portioned enough for a meal for 4 people.

    Reply
    • Jessica Fisher says

      April 5, 2014 at

      Where do you buy these? I’ve never seen them. I looked them up. It looks like they are hard to find in the states due to patent controversy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phaseolus_vulgaris#Yellow_beans

      Reply
      • Kaara says

        July 4, 2014 at

        I found some about a month ago at walmart of all places 🙂

        Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

HI! I’M JESSICA.

Jessica preparing food in a kitchen

I believe anyone can prepare delicious meals -- no matter their budget. Click here to learn more.

SAVE MONEY ON GROCERIES

2021 Grocery Savings Challenges

printed card of GCE system on refrigerator with magnets

Get a Free Printed Card of the Good Cheap Eats System

bowl of dry onion soup mix

Homemade Dry Onion Soup Mix to Replace the Packets

Ralphs receipt with groceries in a flatlay

How to Audit Your Grocery Spending

flatlay of groceries cookbook and money with coins and bills

Save Money on Groceries Right Now with These Simple Tricks

LET’S CONNECT

HUNGRY FOR MORE?

grocery cart with peets coffee

Footer

Disclaimer/Disclosure

Please note that the advertisements posted here do not necessarily represent Jessica Fisher’s views and opinions.

Also be advised that some of these advertising partners may use cookies and web beacons on our site (when you click through). You should consult the respective privacy policies of these third-party ad servers for more detailed information on their practices as well as for instructions about how to opt-out of certain practices.

To better serve my readers, I have implemented Google Analytics cookies in order to better know visitor demographics. For opt outs, go here.

For more specific details on my disclaimers/disclosures, go here.

Head here to view our complete privacy policy.

Tags

30-minute meals appliances baking basics buttermilk Cakes casserole cheddar chocolate christmas cooked chicken cooking for one or two dairy-free DIY Convenience easy meals efficient kitchen enchiladas Food processor GCE basics gluten-free grains granola grilled grocery savings challenges holiday Holiday Food instant pot leftovers meal planning 101 meal prep mother's day no cook packable pantry pantry staples pressure cooker quick dinner ideas real food products save money on groceries shop thanksgiving time-saving tips updated Veggies Most whole 30

Copyright © 2021 · Daily Dish Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in