In addition to using canned beans, you can cook dry beans at homes. This is budget-friendly way to add beans to your favorite salad, soup or side dish. Cooking your beans at home can add variety to your beans by using different spices to flavor them. Find out what you need by watching this video from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Quick Steps: 

1. Remove debris
2. Soak
   1. Overnight – place a pot in room temperature water. Make sure to leave room in the pot as the beans will expand!
   2. Boil – Bring a pot of water with the beans to a boil, remove from the heat and let soak for 1 – 2 hours.
3. Discard water and rinse beans.
4. Cook
   1. Cover the beans with fresh water – about 6 cups per pound of beans.
   2. Add seasonings but hold off on salt and acidic foods until end of cooking.
   3. Add a quarter teaspoon of oil to keep water from foaming.
   4. Partially cover and simmer until done. Time will depend on type of bean.