When the sun’s high in the sky and warmer weather’s on your radar, it’s cool and creamy bean dishes that are most appealing for munching throughout the day. From salads and dips to wrap sandwiches, this collection of refreshing recipes offers something for everyone – whether you’re in search of an easy weeknight dinner, a backyard BBQ side, a quick patio lunch, or an afternoon snack.

White Bean Antipasto Salad

Featuring our Great Northern Beans and fresh veggies in an herby dressing, this antipasto salad makes a great addition to a cheese and charcuterie board.

Red Bean Mediterranean Salad

Developed by Molly Kimball with nutrition in mind, this Mediterranean salad gets extra credit for color and flavor.

Wrap Sandwich with White Bean Hummus and Greens

Roll up White Bean Hummus, Greens, julienned bell peppers, and feta in a large tortilla, and you’ve got a nutritious wrap sandwich that comes together quickly and easily.

Black Bean Hummus

Black Bean Hummus swaps out the usual garbanzos for black beans, lime juice replaces lemon juice, and smoked paprika add deep, smoky flavor.

Tuna White Bean Salad

As a sandwich filling or green salad topping, Tuna White Bean Salad is one of those simple, versatile recipes that’s healthier than traditional tuna salad and mayo-free.

Avocado Cilantro Hummus

For a gorgeous green tint and additional heart-healthy fat, fiber, and potassium, try adding 1 ripe avocado, 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, and 1/2 lime, juiced to 2 cups prepared hummus.

Pasta with Bean Salad

Simply toss made-ahead Cowboy Caviar (which features a great, zesty dressing) with your favorite cooked pasta to make a fresh tasty pasta salad.

Black Bean Quinoa Salad

Full of color and freshness, this Black Bean Quinoa Salad is simple to make, nutritious, and keeps well in the fridge. Great for grabbing on the go – whether it’s a picnic or lunch at the office.

Warm Asparagus, Mushroom and White Bean Salad

Wonderful as a salad but hearty enough to be considered a side, serve this dish with fish or chicken for great taste all around.

Pinto Bean Burrito Bowl

When it comes to burrito bowls, almost anything goes. This recipe combines cooked Pintos with shredded lettuce, cabbage, chopped cooked chicken, tomatoes, corn, and crumbled cheese.

Whether you’re vegan or vegetarian, or simply interested in adding more meatless bean recipes to your regular rotation, you’ll want to stash these delicious dishes in your back pocket. From versatile basics and hearty soups to bean salads, dips, and a red beans & rice favorite — these recipes offer up a lot of flavorful bean goodness without the meat.

Instant Pot White Beans

This foolproof Instant Pot recipe is perfect for flavorful beans that can be enjoyed as is, or used in dishes like White Bean Hummus, White Bean Pesto Pasta, and White Bean Veggie Burgers.

Cajun Caviar

Serve with chips as a dip, over greens as a salad, or wrapped up in a tortilla for quick lunch. Works well with any combo of Camellia Brand beans and peas you like.

White Bean & Spinach Soup

Fresh sprigs of thyme and rosemary make this soup fragrant, while wilted leafy greens add a pop of color. Warm and satisfying!

Hummus

A classic recipe for traditional hummus, made with fresh lemon juice and tahini. Because homemade is always better than store-bought, and saves money, too.

Vegetarian Louisiana-Style Red Beans & Rice

Liquid smoke adds wonderful savory flavor to meatless red beans & rice. Remember, a little goes a long way!

Blackeye Pea Salad

A delicious recipe from our friend, Chef Jennifer Hill Booker, this dish comes to life with a tangy apple cider vinaigrette and red pepper flakes.

Beans & Greens Soup

We say any beans & greens mixture is a match made in heaven, and this soup is no exception. This brilliant “master” recipe is meant to be personalized to your tastes.

Instant Pot Black Beans

This versatile recipe makes flavorful beans that can be served over rice with your favorite toppings — or used in other vegetarian dishes like Black Bean Quinoa Salad, Black Bean Hummus, and Black Bean Burgers.

Vegetarian Pinto Bean Chili

One of the easiest chili recipes around, this one comes together quickly and will stick to your ribs.

Flourless Black Bean Brownies

A vegetarian treat that’s rich, fudgy, and yep, features black beans.

Beans & Greens – A Dynamic Duo

Beans & greens is a Southern staple — and one of those classic combinations that conjures up fond memories of home-cooked family meals around the dinner table. Cooked down, seasoned and flavored in countless different ways, any beans & greens mixture is a match made in heaven — from Southern Blackeye Peas snuggled up next to Collard Greens, to Shiitake Mushrooms, Butter Beans & Southern Greens over cheese grits, to Pork, Collard & Blackeye Pea Gumbo. Here, we bring you another delicious way to cook the dynamic duo — with a Beans & Greens Soup “master” recipe that features basic guidelines and quantities but is meant to be personalized to your tastes.

In our Beans & Greens soup, we used Green Baby Limas, leeks, shallots, white onion, red onion, celery, carrot, bell pepper, fennel, vegetable broth and Swiss chard.

Beans & Green Soup: Step-by-Step How-To

This how-to is as simple as slowly simmering your favorite combination of beans, onions, vegetables, broth and greens. And whether you make it vegan, vegetarian or cook with chicken or beef broth, you’ll love the end result. You’ll start with a little bit of fat, add some spices throughout and end with a couple of tablespoons of vinegar for a wonderful, bright finish. For a complex, flavorful soup that’s incredibly satisfying, we used Green Baby Limas with a variety of onions and vegetables, plus vegetable broth. A real winner.

1. Sauté onions in fat. Our master recipe calls for heating up 2 tablespoons of your favorite fat in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat — like olive oil, avocado oil or butter. Then, add 2 cups of chopped onion, such as white, yellow or red onion, leeks, shallots or any combination of these. (We found that the greater variety of onions you use, the deeper the flavor.)

2. Add aromatic vegetables. Next, add 2 cups of chopped vegetables — anything from carrots and celery to bell peppers and fennel. Your choice. Then sauté all for a few minutes, add some garlic, and cook another minute more. The aroma is amazing.

3. Add broth or stock. Then it’s time for 8 cups of broth or stock. It might be vegetable, chicken, beef, mushroom or ham. Whichever you prefer will work; each will add a unique richness to your soup. (Got some homemade stock in the freezer? This is a great time to use it.) The master recipe is vegetarian, so broth or stock is where you can add a hint of meatiness, if desired.

Use whichever dried beans you have in your pantry. Got a 2 lb. bag? Double the recipe for an easy freezer meal.

4. Add rinsed and sorted beans. A 1-pound bag of rinsed and sorted Camellia Brand Dried Beans goes in the pot next (or if you have a 2-pound bag on hand, double the recipe for an easy freezer meal). You might like Great Northerns, Navy Beans, Lentils or Green Baby Limas. Any of our bean varieties will add their own special flavor and texture; to make your choice, think about how light or how hearty you’d like the soup to be. And keep in mind the cooking time required per the bean variety you choose. For basic cooking times for all of our dried beans, peas and lentils, refer to this bean cooking chart. Soaking, as always, is optional but not necessary.

5. Simmer till beans are tender. The recipe then calls for a sprinkling of red pepper flakes and bringing the whole mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer till beans are tender — mashing as you go if you prefer a creamier soup.

6. Add greens and seasonings. Once the beans are tender, stir in 3 cups of chopped greens — from kale, collard, spinach or arugula to Swiss chard, cabbage or watercress — or any combination of these, plus the vinegar, which might be red wine vinegar, cider, champagne, mirin or white balsamic. Season with salt and pepper and cook until greens are wilted. The more delicate greens will have a lighter texture and wilt quickly, in just a minute or two, but heartier greens (such as collards or chard) may take up to 10-20 minutes. Got some leftover greens? Throw them in and cook till just warmed through.

7. Enjoy! When done, you’ll be rewarded with a hearty, comforting pot of soup that’s satisfying in every possible way. Warm, filling and full of protein, fiber and nutrients — who could ask for a more perfectly pleasing dish? Top a bowl with some fresh Parmesan or croutons, make sure the cornbread’s warm, and sit down to enjoy.