Beans To The Rescue

What would a vegetarian do without beans? Nutritionally, they’re indispensable. Open a can, and you’ve got an instant supply of protein, fiber, iron, B vitamins and flavor—without a smidge of cholesterol and almost no fat.


You can sprinkle beans on a salad. Purée them with garlic and herbs. Toss pasta with white beans and chard, or make an easy black bean chili or spicy Indian dal—the options seem endless. Using dried beans is one choice, but canned beans let you fix dinner in 15 minutes, as these recipes prove.

Pinto Bean-Cheddar Patties
Serves 6 

30 minutes or fewer

Coating these patties in breadcrumbs before cooking them in olive oil makes them nice and crisp on the outside. They are delicious with salsa and a green salad. If time is short, you can also make these with prepared dried breadcrumbs.

21/2 cups fresh whole-grain breadcrumbs

1 15-oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese or soy cheddar cheese

2 Tbs. canned chopped green chiles

2 Tbs. olive oil plus more if needed

1. Preheat broiler. Place 1 1/2 cups of breadcrumbs on baking sheet, and toast under broiler for several seconds, or until browned. Remove; let stand 5 minutes.

2. Mash beans with fork in mixing bowl. Add cheese, chiles, toasted breadcrumbs, and salt and pepper to taste. Form mixture into 4 patties, about 3 inches in diameter. Dredge patties in untoasted breadcrumbs.

3. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add patties, and cook until crisp and golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes on each side; add more oil to pan if necessary. Serve hot.

PER SERVING: 233 CAL; 16G PROT; 8G TOTAL FAT (2G SAT. FAT); 29G CARB; 10MG CHOL; 267MG SOD; 4G FIBER; 1G SUGARS