This "recipe" I'm sharing with you today is one that saves you money and crap in your food! I like doing things the right way, usually meaning completely homemade, even if it takes me a little bit more time and planning. Canned beans is an area where this comes in to play. We use a lot of beans in our house, all kinds, and that equates to quite a bit of money and also sodium and preservatives in our food. Here are a few reasons why I use dried beans in my cooking:

1. Price - Bags of dried beans are extremely cheap. The bag of black beans I used this week was maybe 99 cents...I honestly think it was cheaper then that, I just can't remember. Cans of beans can be anywhere from $1-2 depending on the brand you get, and typically you use one can per recipe. One bag of dried beans typically gives me 3-4 cans worth of cooked beans. After cooking them, I portion them out into 2 cup portions (since cans are typically 15.5-oz, or just under 2 cups) and freeze them for using later. So each 2-cup portion then turns out to cost me around 25 cents. Awesome!!
2. Sodium - Dried beans are just that, dry. They are not put in solutions of salt and water in a can to sit on a shelf for who knows how long. I did some homework on the sodium content in some popular canned black beans. Regular Bush's brand black beans have 490 mg of sodium per 1/2 cup. The reduced sodium can still has 240 mg per 1/2 cup. You know how much sodium a bag of dried black beans has? Virtually none. Sure I add about a tablespoon when I cook them (the whole bag), but that's nothing in comparison to canned beans. 
3. Taste Better - My husband and I both agree, the homemade beans taste better! When I cook them initially, I don't add much, just some onion, garlic and a little salt, but they honestly do taste better then canned. And they make my house smell freaking amazing!
4. Easy! - Despite what people think, cooking dried beans couldn't be easier. I know the whole "soaking" process can sound intimidating, but it's not like you're standing there watching them soak or even doing anything. You're putting the beans in a bowl of water and letting them sit and soak. No attention needed. And then after they soak, you just put them in the crock pot and let them sit. Again, no attention needed!

Homemade Beans in the Crock Pot

Allow the beans to cool completely and then portion them out into containers. My grocery store has these nifty plastic, BPA-free, containers that are 2 cup portions already which makes my job really easy! You don't need to put all of the liquid in with them, but I would add about 1/4 - 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid, mainly to keep the beans moist. The beans can then be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Done!


When you're ready to use them, thaw the beans overnight in the refrigerator. Or if you didn't plan ahead, you can thaw them a bit quicker by putting the container in a sink filled with warm/hot water. For most soups and casseroles, you can add the frozen beans right to the recipe, no need to defrost. I really hope you give these a try! You'll notice a major taste difference, and they are not hard to do at all! Happy bean cooking!

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