Get ready for a week’s worth of delicious meals full of versatile, plant-based protein. With great make-ahead bean recipes and so many ways to serve them, you’ll fill your fridge and satisfy your family – whether they’re hungry for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Below, find our make-ahead favorites – cooked on the stovetop and in the Instant Pot – plus lots of tips and recipes that use those beans in everything from snacks and dips to tacos, pastas, salads, and sandwiches. Read on for a nutritious taste of what’s on the menu.

Easy Make-Ahead Pinto Beans

This is an easy stovetop pinto bean recipe that yields 5 cups of perfectly cooked beans. Toss some of those cooked pintos into hearty Bean & Bacon Breakfast Tacos with scrambled eggs and shredded cheese, and start your day off right. 

Bean & Bacon Breakfast Tacos

Want lots more ways to use those savory pintos? Find out how to turn 1 pot of pintos into 5 meals. 

Instant Pot Black Beans

This recipe is super fast and cooks a pot of beans with no hands-on attention required. Take 1 ½ cups of the cooked black beans, and whip up a Black Bean Quinoa Salad with corn, red bell pepper, and spices for a tasty, protein-packed lunch.

Black Bean Quinoa Salad

Still hungry? Check out Easy Instant Pot Black Beans = 3 Delicious Dishes for more ways to use them.

Instant Pot White Beans

This basic recipe is perfect for flavorful beans that can be used in many different ways. One of our favorites is White Bean Hummus – cool and creamy, with a slight green tint from the addition of fresh parsley and green onions. Enjoy it as an anytime, healthy snack.

White Bean Hummus

Put all those white beans to good use. Check out how to turn 1 pot of white beans into 5 dishes.

Why not get creative with your make-ahead beans? With more tasty recipes like Easy Refried Beans, Black Bean-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes, White Bean Pesto Pasta, and Tuna White Bean Salad, the possibilities are endless.

If you’re not familiar with meal prepping, it’s simply a thoughtful way to plan out several days worth of meals for you and your family. And what’s not to love about that idea? It’s like taking the age-old question “what’s for dinner?” and turning it on its head.

In the spirit of making life a little less stressful and a little more delicious, our take on meal-prepping involves a collection of versatile recipes that 1) can be easily made ahead of time (Sunday afternoon, here’s looking at you!), 2) make a lot of servings, 3) keep well in the fridge, 4) offer a variety of flavors, colors and textures, and 5) can be combined in creative ways, so that you don’t feel like you’re eating the same thing every day.

Read on for the recipes, a game plan with tips on preparing, extras you’ll want to have on hand, and how to create different combinations throughout the week that will keep things tasty and interesting.

MEAL PREPPING RECIPES:

Instant Pot Pinto Bean Chili

White Bean Hummus

Cowboy Caviar

Buttermilk Cornbread

Greens

EXTRAS:

• Additional veggies like grape tomatoes, avocado, bell pepper, green onions, jalapenos, celery sticks, baby carrots, and olives
• Grains and breads like rice, pasta, tortillas, pita bread, chips and crostini
• Dairy/cheeses such as cheddar, feta, sour cream or Greek yogurt

GAME PLAN:

• Familiarize yourself with the recipes, and make a grocery list. Set aside a few hours of weekend time to shop, chop, and cook. Make sure you have lots large food storage containers on hand.
• Note that the chili is made entirely in the Instant Pot, while the hummus and cowboy caviar are cold dishes made with pre-cooked, cooled beans.
• Use your Instant Pot or a pressure cooker as much as possible. Or, multi-task by cooking one batch of beans in the Instant Pot while cooking another batch on the stovetop.
• Feel free to double the White Bean Hummus recipe, which calls for 2 cups cooked Camellia Brand Great Northern Beans. (Cook the entire 1-pound package, and you’ll have 4 cups cooked beans.)
• Cook a batch of your favorite rice and a pound of your chosen pasta. They’ll keep well in the fridge, re-heat easily, and are part of our recommended meal combos.
• The Greens recipe is simple and customizable. Any dark leafy greens will work, such as kale or mustard greens. Cooked greens keep well, can be eaten cold, room-temp, or warmed, and add a healthy punch to meal combos.

MEALS & MEAL COMBOS:

Buttermilk Cornbread in Cast Iron Skillet

Instant Pot Pinto Bean Chili served hot, topped with cheddar, sour cream, and jalapenos — and yummy Buttermilk Cornbread on the side.

Pinto Bean Chili Burrito Bowl

A combo of hot and cool, ladle warm Instant Pot Pinto Bean Chili over rice. Add colorful grape tomatoes, half of a sliced avocado, a sprinkling of chopped green onions, and a hunk of Buttermilk Cornbread.

Pinto Bean Chili Nachos

Spread layers of tortilla chips on a sheet pan, top with dollops of Instant Pot Pinto Bean Chili and layers of shredded cheese. Broil until browned, and sprinkle with grape tomatoes, avocado, green onions and cilantro.

Mediterranean Bowl

A colorful mixture of White Bean Hummus, Collard Greens, and rice (served cold or room-temp — your choice), plus grape tomatoes, olives, and crostini – which are great for dipping/spreading the hummus.

Hummus & Greens Wrap

White Bean Hummus, Collard Greens, julienned bell peppers, and feta, all wrapped up in a large tortilla and served with crunchy crudité like celery sticks and baby carrots.

Cowboy Caviar Pasta Salad

Mix Cowboy Caviar with cold pasta and additional chopped cilantro for a fast, easy lunch.  (The Cowboy Caviar marinates in a nice dressing. Be sure to scoop some  dressing from the bottom of the storage container to toss with the pasta.) A sprinkling of feta cheese is a nice addition.

Peas & Greens Trio Bowl

Cowboy Caviar, Collard Greens and Buttermilk Cornbread, all in one bowl. (Served cold or room-temp – your choice.)

Peas, Greens & Hummus Pita Sandwich

Line a pita pocket with White Bean Hummus, and fill with Collard Greens and Cowboy Caviar for a quick bite.

Meal prepping can be a great timesaver during busy weeks. Since many of us are working and learning remotely, a little meal planning and prepping can go a long way to reduce the stress of feeding yourself and your family around the clock. The fact is, there are lots of popular ways to meal-prep, but here, we’ll focus on individually portioned meals, as well as cooked ingredients (yes, beans!) ready to be used in recipes.

The recipes and ideas below offer you quick, protein-packed lunches, help you get meals on the table faster, and cut down on weeknight cooking time. Setting aside a couple of hours on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon for chopping and cooking ingredients is the key to making meal prep really work. Sound like a plan? Let’s get started.

Individually Portioned Mason Jar Meals

Mason jar meals involve prepping and cooking ingredients, assembling them in mason jars, and storing in the fridge, so that they’re ready to go as soon as hunger pangs strike. Get our best tips, tricks and recipe ideas for how to keep them crisp, delicious and nutritious.

Easy Instant Pot Black Beans = 3 Delicious Dishes

Cooking a pot of beans, washing and chopping veggies, making a batch of grains, and baking some potatoes are all great ways to have cooked ingredients on hand for making different meals throughout the week. The Instant Pot offers set-it-and-forget it meal prep, making things even easier. Try Instant Pot Black Beans, Black Bean Quinoa Salad, Black Bean Hummus, and Black Bean-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes.

How to Turn 1 Pot of Pintos into 5 Meals

With Easy Make-Ahead Pinto Beans, it’s only a few more steps to whip up Easy Refried Beans, Pinto Bean Burrito Bowls, Chipotle Pinto Bean Tortilla Soup, Cheesy Bean Quesadillas, and Bean & Bacon Breakfast Tacos.

How to Turn 1 Pot of White Beans into 5 Dishes

With simple Instant Pot White Beans, you’ll have quickly cooked white beans that are ready to be tossed into everything from hummus to pasta. Try delicious White Bean Hummus, White Bean, Basil and Sun-Dried Tomato Burgers, White Bean Pesto Pasta, Tomato & White Bean Bruschetta, and Tuna White Bean Salad.