• Laura on September 14, 2010

  Jennifer: I share your love of beans and appreciation for this book. And I agree that many of the beans are not locally available. I don't know if you're aware of it, but you can order many of the bean varieties directly from Sando's company, Rancho Gordo. http://www.ranchogordo.com/ The quality of the beans is incredible and the prices, while more than you'd pay for far inferior beans in the local grocery store, still seems quite reasonable for the quality.

• jenno on January 21, 2010

  I love this book because I love beans. The recipes are interesting, pictures are beautiful and layout is very reader-friendly. The only reason I give it 4 out of 5 stars is because the unique varieties of beans are hard to find, even in NYC.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Black calypso and cauliflower spread on toasted bread

  • bernalgirl on May 03, 2012

    Also delicious with pita chips or as a base for a cheese toast. I doubled the anchovy and added some chopped green onion. I'll make this again.

• Cannellini bean confetti spread with roasted garlic

  • foodgloriousfood on May 14, 2022

    Just ok, wouldn't make again.

• Bean-stuffed pupusas with curtido

  • clkandel on March 05, 2022

    These were great and could be part of a meal or an app. I processed the bean mixture in a blender to get a smoother texture, then cooked them on the stove top to thicken up. Could use cider vinegar in place of the white vinegar.

• Zuzu's yellow Indian woman fritters

  • EasyBakeThis on August 29, 2024

    This recipe requires deep frying in oil.

• Three-chile salsa

  • TrishaCP on July 12, 2016

    This really to me is the perfect salsa because it has three of my favorite chiles- ancho, poblano, and serrano, plus the tang and depth of tomatillos too. If you like heat, you will want to leave all of the seeds in the serrano.

• Classic red salsa

  • TrishaCP on September 11, 2016

    A nice simple salsa, but I prefer the three-chile salsa from the same book. (More depth of flavor.)

• Tuscan ribollita with runner cannellini beans

  • Laura on February 27, 2011

    I've never made Ribollita before, so I can't comment on how authentic this recipe is or how it compares tastewise to other ribollita recipes. I can say that I was underwhelmed with this dish. The biggest problem was the bread. There is just too much of it. We felt like we were eating soggy bread with a few greens and beans. If I were ever to make it again, I'd eliminate all of the bread, except possibly the top layer. The second issue was that the amount of beans was not enough. Two cups of beans were barely an afterthought in the dish -- by the way, I used Rancho Gordo Cranberry Beans -- these were suggested as a substitute to create a 'heartier' soup. If I ever made this again, I would double the amount of beans. I would probably also up the cheese -- it's barely noticeable.

• Jimtown Store's Pasta fazool

  • PennyG on October 06, 2018

    Delicious! I made this with Rancho Gordo Flor de Durazno beans and orecchiette pasta because that’s what I had on hand. Next time I will look for a “tiny” pasta as the recipe called for.

• Senate bean soup

  • foodgloriousfood on April 05, 2022

    My husband requests this soup regularly. It really is very good! I recommend using the yellow eye beans from Rancho Gordo as per the recipe. It really does make a difference!

  • redbird on February 18, 2023

    I agree that RG yellow eye beans are the key. It's amazing that something so simple can be so delicious.

  • Lepa on October 17, 2023

    I was skeptical about adding onions and celery to the water without first sauteing them but it worked! This is a good soup. Mine had large chunks of ham hock, not the nice little bits in the picture.

  • PinchOfSalt on November 21, 2025

    So easy, so little work, so few ingredients, so very very good! A 4 quart pot should be adequate; I made this in my 6 quart Staub enameled cast iron Dutch oven and cooked with the cover on the entire time, primarily to make sure that the portions of the ham hocks that were not submerged would get properly cooked without my having to turn them every so often. Worked like a charm and the bean to broth ratio was nicely on the beany side. Taking care to cook this until the pieces of ham hock were very much falling apart imparted much gelatin to the broth, resulting in wonderful mouthfeel.

  • ksg518 on February 25, 2026

    My mistake but I used the bone from a holiday ham instead of a ham hock and the resulting soup was incredibly salty. Otherwise the flavors were good and I might try it again without improvising.

  • Kmatazz on May 06, 2026

    Excellent! I added fresh thyme and a bit more garlic. The method he used to cook the beans and adding in the other ingredients was perfect! I used some of Rancho Gordo white beans.

• Swedish brown bean soup

  • bching on February 18, 2021

    Perfect polar vortex lunch. 3 cups of cabbage seemed like too much--but in the end, it was just right.

  • Lsblackburn1 on March 07, 2023

    I used a pound of Good Mother Stallards for this - recipe doubled easily and was delicious with bread and cheese.

  • clkandel on November 19, 2025

    Such a different, delicious soup. Ingredient list seemed strange but the end result is wonderful.

  • redbird on December 27, 2025

    We loved this soup but found it a tad too sweet for our tastes. Will decrease molasses by at least 50% next time. Used Swedish Oland beans that I purchased at the Norwich VT farmers market this summer. Perfect dinner for a blustery snowy night. Would be great with steamed brown bread.

• Good Mother Stallard bean and barley soup

  • bv_a4lgu6 on March 22, 2026

    The concept of this soup and it's ingredient proportions are great. The recipe itself could have used some proofing and clarity. I make soups all the time so I just adjusted as I went but if you want to follow a recipe closely I don't think this recipe is for you and I don't think it would come out great as written.

• Somewhat Tarascan bean soup

  • michalow on January 01, 2013

    Wow, this is so much better than the sum of its parts. Also nice with a bit of mint. 2023 update: delicious with the whipple beans that RG now sells.

  • deboChicago on July 03, 2020

    So delicious.

  • fractal on January 05, 2021

    So good. Also skipped the roasting to make easier.

  • patioweather on April 14, 2024

    This is a fantastic soup that I could make everyday. Takes about fifteen minutes because everything is blended. I didn't make the toppings, but served with crispy tortilla strips. Unlike most soups, this recipe makes a reasonable amount, so I would double it if feeding a crowd.

  • clkandel on November 14, 2025

    Excellent! The toasted anchoes really add a wonderful flavor. Since it wasn't tomato season, I used canned and skipped the roasting step.

• Caribbean black bean soup with roasted garlic and tomatoes

  • Lepa on June 07, 2019

    This is a really good black bean soup. Roasting the garlic and tomatoes seemed like a fussy extra step but it really wasn't much work and the finished soup was delicious.

  • Emily Hope on January 25, 2021

    Made this on a whim with some Rancho Gordo Santanero Negro Delgados and was surprised by how much we liked it -- great depth of flavor for a vegetarian soup, and pureeing half the beans gave it nice texture and body. Changes: Didn't have any fresh tomatoes (or whole canned tomatoes) so just used a can of fire-roasted instead. Added in about 1/4 cup of caramelized onions that we had kicking around in the fridge, and a tiny bit of a chipotle in adobo. Served with cornbread.

  • fractal on January 15, 2022

    Good and garlicky

  • VineTomato on December 23, 2022

    Enjoyable enough but I'm not sure it lived up to my expectations. It had more of a Mexican vibe to it. I used tin plum tomatoes roasted in the oven, I might give this a go a gain with fresh slow roasted tomatoes. But I think there are probably better black bean soup recipes to try first.

• Bean stew with herb pesto

  • Lepa on November 17, 2019

    This is a bit fussy to put together but the resulting stew is exceptionally delicious. I don't think this will make good leftovers because as the soup cools the green dulls to an awful drab brown so make it when there are people to share with! Even the soup left in the pot after dinner looked like the frog soup from Triplets of Belleville (if you haven't seen the movie, that's not good!). A friend urged me to buy this book because of this recipe and I feel compelled to recommend the same.

• Rancho Gordo red chili con carne

  • wcassity on August 13, 2012

    Good, straightforward recipe.

• Anasazi cowboy chili with buffalo and nopales

  • goodfruit on May 31, 2014

    This is now my Go-To Chili recipe! Its very, very good, if you like a lot of flavor, and some spice, this is the one.

  • mzgourmand on March 07, 2020

    I made this w/o the masa harina & nopales additions but with all the sides & corn bread. It was tasty but a little bland - next time I will definitely up the spices.

  • TrishaCP on December 13, 2020

    Hmmmm, this was not my favorite chile. Too bland on the spices- even though I increased the cumin and ended up adding another tablespoon of chile powder. I used RG vaquero beans, and that part of the chile was great (of course).

  • imaluckyducky on October 09, 2021

    4.5 stars. I really like this chili recipe -- I didn't find it bland at all but also I season to taste and season the meat and work it into the meat before cooking. Used two serrano peppers because we like heat. The RG vaquero beans cooked without soaking within an hour and a half to a creamy texture, which contrasted nicely with the ground meat. The nopales and the masa are the unsung heroes of the dish, add some pickled nopales on top of your bowl for a treat. Will make this again, 5yo approved.

• Chili verde with Anasazi beans

  • bernalgirl on August 04, 2021

    Excellent with vaquero beans

  • Lsblackburn1 on September 15, 2024

    Delicious! Used Eye of the Goat beans that I made the night before and roasted Hatch chilies. Served with flour tortillas and cheese.

• White chili with turkey and green chiles

  • TrishaCP on November 23, 2018

    This was sooo delicious. I used half of the turkey since it was all that I had on hand, and Marcella beans from the freezer. I omitted the cayenne since my serranos brought enough heat.

  • dinnermints on April 02, 2019

    Very good, but would like more vegetables in there (or serve it in a roasted delicata half, or something like that). It took a loooong time to make; next time I'd do as much prep as possible the day before.

  • Rinshin on December 29, 2020

    Precooked Marcella beans one day ahead, used frozen tomatillos from the summer which did not need any precooking - only chopping so it simplified the additional task of cooking tomatillos, and finally used only frozen Hatch peppers for poblanos and serranos. Because of these changes, this recipe was quick to put together. Used the baking soda method with ground turkey and it sure improved the texture. Like most soups and stews, added extra ingredients to boost the flavor to my taste. Added a bit of sugar, accent, fish sauce, and at the end of cooking, white wine vinegar. Very good flavor. I will be repeating this one. Excellent use of ground turkey and beans of your choice. Using Marcella beans made this stew sumptuous. Photo added.

  • ksg518 on March 30, 2022

    I thought this was only so-so and not a repeat. My biggest issue was that it required you to roast and peel the poblanos but this meant they turned to mush in the final dish. I guess there is a reason I've never peeled peppers for chili. Otherwise I realized I prefer chili with tomatoes but that's a personal preference.

  • kayanelson on August 23, 2023

    Instead of browning the turkey first and removing from the pan, I cook the onions and garlic and then throw the ground turkey (or chicken) in. This is my favorite white Chile recipe by far.

  • stormygirl on August 25, 2024

    I used 3 med hatch chilis, 1 Serrano & 1 jalepeno both with seeds and it was spicy enough for me! Also cooked onion & garlic first & then added turkey. Used stock & a beer for more flavor. Excellent fall chili!

• Yellow eye chowder with smoked chicken, sweet potatoes, and sage

  • Jviney on February 11, 2020

    This is growing on me. The sweet potato adds a lot to the flavor...first day, sage was pronounced and I liked it. Second day the sage couldn’t be identified but I liked the flavor of the stew better.

  • TrishaCP on February 22, 2020

    This is really good but definitely improved upon resting. I used Yellow Indian Woman beans that I pressure cooked in advance rather than soaking. I cooked the beans with onion, garlic, and dried sage, so they would be permeated with the related flavors for 20 minutes unsoaked in the Instant Pot, using natural release. They were fairly well cooked, but I then added them to the recipe when I added the sweet potatoes and chicken, and they retained a nice, meaty texture. I used smoked turkey instead of chicken.

  • foodgloriousfood on May 14, 2022

    I also used smoked turkey for this and we really enjoyed it. Would make again.

• Three-bean salad with roasted tomatoes and pancetta

  • SheilaS on June 29, 2010

    Love the technique of oven-roasting canned tomatoes to boost flavor. This salad was fabulous with textural contrast of the crispy pancetta bits, crunchy celery and smooth beans. The pancetta softened on storing so it's really best served right away.

  • clkandel on August 29, 2021

    Since I had an abundance of garden fresh tomatoes, I roasted those to add to the salad. Using roasted tomatoes, instead of fresh, adds a unique component to the salad. I made this as a vegan side, so left out the meat. Even without that it is a nice blend of textures and flavor.

• Yellow Indian woman beans and bulgur with preserved lemons

  • paulabee on July 06, 2017

    I used farro instead of bulgar and this turned out lovely.

  • PennyG on April 21, 2018

    This was delicious. Would be awesome for a unique dish to take to a pot luck! I used Rancho Gordo Mayocoba beans in this today. ETA: This, of course, is even better the next day as the flavors have really had time to marry up nicely.

  • mlbatt on July 25, 2018

    An explosion of flavor!

  • skvalentine on March 30, 2022

    Really delicious dish. Took this on a camping trip and it held up nicely and was very flavorful.

  • clkandel on October 03, 2023

    Great flavors. Will probably cook the bulgur a little differently next time - boil 1 cup broth, add 1 cup bulgur, remove from heat, cover for 15 minutes, then fluff.

• Italian marrow beans with tuna

  • clkandel on May 14, 2025

    I made this as a side dish, so omitted the tuna. Very fresh tasting. I think the key is using good red wine vinegar so the taste isn't too sharp.

• White runner bean salad

  • Lepa on June 11, 2019

    This salad tasted delicious. The dressing was great and my kids loved it. But the cannellini beans I made from scratch fell apart and made the salad a bit gloopy. I will make this again but may use another kind of bean - or cook it more carefully.

• Rio Zape beans and sweet potatoes with fried sage and pine nuts

  • jdjd99 on February 05, 2020

    I really liked this. We substituted spinach for the watercress to better appease the kids palates. We also doubled the beans as we were serving it for a main dish. I felt there was enough dressing to accommodate the extra beans.

• Wren's egg beans and green beans

  • Lepa on July 15, 2021

    This was good but not great and perhaps not worth all the fuss. It may be my fault because I made this with shelling beans so between shelling the beans, trimming the green beans and making the vinaigrette it felt like a bit of work. Maybe I'll save this recipe for special occasions.

• Mayacoba bean salad with pesto and shrimp

  • ksg518 on August 03, 2016

    Great summer bean salad. I used Ayocote beans but any basic white bean would work. If served as soon as it's made, it will be a warm salad but I think it improved by sitting in the fridge overnight. The pesto is pretty basic (basil, olive oil and garlic - no cheese or nuts) but functions as a great dressing.

  • Lepa on September 14, 2019

    This is a good bean salad. The poaching method resulted in perfect shrimp. The pesto is a bit sharp tasting because it doesn't have any nuts or cheese and if I make this again I may add some.

  • Skamper on June 16, 2021

    This was delicious. I made a half batch with the following modifications: used slightly more beans than called for (2/3 c uncooked, made in IP), combo of basil & cilantro, added about a quarter cup of parmesan (didn't measure) to the pesto, and used maybe 3 T of sherry in the poaching liquid instead of white wine. Served on a bed of greens.

  • intrepidcook on July 13, 2021

    Substituted Mantequilla beans (from the 2nd quarter 2021 Rancho Gordo Bean Club shipment). I only had large shrimp rather than the medium shrimp called for in the recipe, so I cut the shrimp lengthwise before cooking.

  • Agavegal on September 14, 2024

    pg 162

• Christmas lima beans and quinoa with beets and avocados

  • SheilaS on June 29, 2010

    I've made this one several times. Even though the authors promote serving all the bean salads promptly, I found the leftovers made great lunches for a few days. I kept the avocado separate, served as a garnish.

• Pot beans

  • redbird on November 29, 2025

    Excellent recipe, using RG Flor de Junio beans. The recipe is simplicity itself and comes down to the quality of the beans you choose. This was my first time using the Flor de Junio variety and we really enjoyed them.

• Cuban black beans sofrito

  • PennyG on October 16, 2016

    I made these this afternoon and they are easy and delicious! I had to cook the beans longer than directed but that may have been due to the age of my beans. I did not use Rancho Gordo beans in this case.

  • redbird on April 04, 2023

    Very tasty dish. I used RG midnight black beans. The initial cooking took just over an hour. Kept the beans on a very low simmer for about an hour while preparing the rest of dinner.

• Scarlet runner beans in chile sauce with stuffed squash blossoms

  • fractal on October 27, 2021

    Beans are yummy. Fairly simple to make. Did not make the squash blossoms alongside and just served over rice. Good with hot sauce.

• All-purpose poached chicken Mexican style

  • goodfruit on May 31, 2014

    Super easy and you can do so much with this chicken, esp make the Enfrijoladas! Which are awesome.

• Borlotti beans in tomato sauce with creamy polenta

  • goodfruit on May 31, 2014

    This is one of the best vegetarian things I have ever made or eaten. Takes a bit of work though, I recommend making the tomato part in advance, then the beans, saving the polenta for last.

  • Lepa on February 13, 2019

    This is my ideal comfort food. The bean/tomato sauce is sweet and delicious. The recipe also makes great polenta. I loved the combination. I cooked the beans earlier in the day and set them aside. I cooked the tomato sauce for an hour (not 2-3 hours recommended in the recipe). I also used crushed tomatoes so they may have cooked down faster. While I cooked the tomato sauce I made the polenta. I definitely intend to make this again!

  • crandall57 on December 09, 2020

    Delicious. I didn't pre-soak the beans and cooked them in the instant pot.

  • clkandel on September 24, 2023

    Really great flavors. No Borlotti beans, so I used Cranberry.

  • redbird on January 10, 2025

    The perfect dinner on a subzero snowy winter night. The only modification was to add a scattering of sautéed diced pancetta to the top of each bowl. Used RG borlotti beans. Served with pane Siciliano from Reinhart's Bread Baker's Apprentice. The bean mixture freezes well.

• Tepary bean tacos with buffalo and bacon

  • TrishaCP on July 12, 2016

    Very good flavors here. The tepary beans are amazing-nice and meaty tasting. We ended up just mixing the cooked beans into the buffalo mixture rather than serving them separately.

• Santa Maria pinquitos and tri-tip steak

  • TrishaCP on September 11, 2016

    I only made the beans (I used another tri-tip recipe), but they were incredible. Great flavor from pretty basic enhancements, and delicious with the salsa and meat. The pinquito beans are some of my favorite Rancho Gordo beans, and the treatment here really highlighted their great texture.

• Enfrijoladas with chicken

  • goodfruit on December 01, 2019

    Really good! I call this "Mexican Lasagne"

  • KateS27 on May 28, 2026

    It was really hard to get a good picture of this, but it was yummy! I made it with shredded tofu instead of chicken and almond queso fresco instead of queso fresco.

• Pasta with beans, broccoli rabe, and bacon

  • Lepa on February 16, 2020

    This was pretty tasty - but also felt like a lot of moving parts for a pasta dish and in the end I'm not sure the effort to flavor ratio worked for me. We used cranberry beans. I liked this and would probably repeat it but the rest of my family just thought it was okay.

• Jacob's cattle beans with pancetta and sage

  • bching on September 30, 2020

    Delicious and easy. Be sure to salt adequately while cooking.

  • lorloff on November 17, 2024

    I made in my zavor multipot on pressure cook using cranberry beans. I sautéed all the vegetables and pancetta then added beans that were not soaked overnight and pressure cooked for 35 minutes on high with slow release. I used unsalted chicken stock to cover. This came out wonderfully as a bean side dish last night and today I used the leftover cooking stock and part of the means to make a quick bean soup for lunch. I really liked that amount of vegetables related to the beans and the dish was even better the next day. A real keeper.

• Baked beans New England style

  • PirateJeni on December 25, 2020

    Enjoyed very much. Should have added a bit more liquid during cooking. Made half a recipe without any salt pork. Delicious!

  • fultre on October 18, 2022

    Nice classic flavor, not too sweet. I’ve made with and without meat, using Rancho Gordo beans and using cheap supermarket beans, and any iteration has been a good pot of beans.

  • hashi on February 27, 2023

    Used slow cooker, Rancho Gordo Yellow Eye Beans, and kielbasa instead of salt pork. Delicious, warming with great depth of flavor. Great for winter.

  • goodfruit on October 01, 2024

    Good, Classic, Solid Dish of Baked Beans. Make it just as it is written.

  • kbrooks on November 12, 2024

    As said in previous notes, a classic pot of baked beans. I had some half full bags of Rancho Gordo beans so I used a combo of Marcella beans and yellow eye beans. Didn't have salt pork so used thick cut bacon. This is a definite keeper!

  • crandall57 on June 21, 2025

    We really enjoyed these beans and they weren’t too sweet. I made them with navy beans. They didn’t thicken as much as I expected. So I smashed some and added two tablespoons of tomato paste.

• Flageolet bean and halibut stew with asparagus and parsley-mint pistou

  • dinnermints on March 19, 2021

    This turned out quite bland even with the mint pistou. I added some preserved lemon to the leftovers that improved things somewhat, but not enough to consider making it again. Wish I'd used tilapia instead, as this was rather a waste of halibut.

• Marrow beans with merguez sausage, pistachios, and honey

  • kbrooks on December 09, 2024

    Wonderful combination of flavors! Followed the recipe as written but used alubia Blanca beans as I didn't have marrow beans and spinach instead of chard.