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Beans & Pulses

Beans and pulses come in many different shapes, colours and sizes but one thing they have in common is that they are cheap, filling and easily available in either dried or tinned format.

on the pulse

A guide to beans and pulses

There are so many beans and pulses to choose from – so let’s start with the basics. Dried pulses require soaking and cooking before they are eaten, so they are less convenient than the tinned varieties which have already been soaked and cooked. The benefits of using dried pulses are that you can add more flavour to them in the cooking process and they are often cheaper than the tinned varieties, but tinned versions are still very affordable and the convenience of them (just heat through or drain and rinse and use cold) is perfect for padding out dishes!

Pulses are good sources of protein, fibre and other nutrients. They even count towards your 5-a-day target (although they will only count as 1 portion each day no matter how many you eat). A portion size is around 3 heaped tablespoons. So overall, they’re a good choice of ingredient for low cost healthy family meals. You can make your food budget go further by using them to replace meat in some dishes e.g. casseroles, stews, Bolognese sauce, chilli.

BettinA Campolcci Bordi

So many beans and pulses to choose from, but which ones should you use?

Plant-based chef Bettina explains all!

Head to Bettina’s Kitchen for more plant-based seasonal and sustainable recipes.

Black beans

Black beans work really well in Mexican and Latin American style dishes like tacos or chilli, but can also be added to salads, soups or casseroles. They are a great meat substitute in lots of stew-like dishes or wraps as they are high in iron and neutral in flavour.

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KIDNEY BEANS

Kidney beans have a mild flavour and make a great addition to chilli con carne. Other options include adding them to rice or tacos, or even adding to a salad or a wrap in a lunchbox.

Cannellini beans

Cannellini beans are one of the most common types of beans and can be added to soups, pasta and salads (hot or cold), you can also mash them to make delicious fritters. Butter beans taste similarly creamy and mild but are much bigger.

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Haricot beans

Haricot beans are the type of beans used in the ever popular tinned baked beans. However, due to their mild flavour they absorb other flavours very easily which makes them a popular addition to a range of other dishes including soups, salads or anything cooked in a slow cooker.

Chickpeas

Chickpeas have a nutty flavour and firm texture and are a versatile item in your cupboard. Tinned varieties are more convenient than dried but choose whichever options suit you and your family. You may well be familiar with them already as they’re a key ingredient in hummus. Other ways to serve them include roasting them with a little oil to make a snack or add them to a curry or a salad.

split peas

Split peas can be yellow or green and are called ‘split peas’ due to the process used to preserve them involving peeling, drying and splitting them. One popular dish involving this pulse is split pea soup but they can also be added to sauces, stews and dhals. Green ones look very similar to green lentils but split peas have a slightly sweeter flavour and a creamier texture than lentils.

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Lentils

Lentils also come in several different varieties with brown and green being the most common. These tend to keep their shape after cooking and can be added to soups, casseroles, shepherd’s pies and Bolognese sauce. Try replacing half the meat you would normally use in a Bolognese with green or brown lentils. Add the rinsed lentils to browned mince when you add tinned tomatoes or stock. Keep an eye on the fluid levels as lentils absorb water so you may need to add a little more liquid than normal while the sauce is cooking. As a rough guide, dried green/brown lentils take about 30-45 minutes to cook (or add a tin of cooked drained ones towards the end of cooking if you are short on time!).

Red lentils, which often look more orange/yellow, are good for Indian style dishes (e.g. dahls) as they cook fairly quickly in about 15-20 minutes but they are also good for thickening dishes e.g. soups, sauces and casseroles. They tend to fall apart more in sauces than green/brown ones, which is great if you have fussier kids as it’s less noticeable as a texture. Another variety are the smaller black Puy lentils which tend to hold their shape well when cooking and require about 25-30 minutes but are more expensive than the other varieties.


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Bettina Campolucci Bordi

Bettina is a self-taught chef and a huge plant passionate advocate, specialising in Plant based (Vegan) and free from recipe development for brands, the hospitality industry and within food development. Bettina has written three cookbooks; Happy Food & 7 Day Vegan Challenge and her latest, Celebrate – Plant-based recipes for every occasion. Bettina is passionate about unravelling the potential of plant foods and the free-from space by following easy and basic principles incorporating seasonality and local produce. Food that makes you feel good, that is grown within the seasons and nurtured by people that care.

www.bettinaskitchen.com/

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