Bean and Legume

This no-cook quickie dinner is less than 18 percent fat. Dig in!

It's the classic brunch dish—in salad form. Frisée, edamame, radishes, and red onions are sprinkled with prosciutto, then topped with a poached egg and hollandaise.

These palm-size pockets can be frozen for up to a month and fit perfectly in a lunch box.

The resulting dish is brothy but thick; it can be thinned with stock for a more traditional soup.

These tasty (no-allergy!) nut alternatives are great to have out around the holidays. Give them to the kids in rolled-up parchment-paper cones (as shown).

Dried beans don’t always need to soak overnight. Just prepare them as instructed below.

Few can resist this soup-stew of tender cannellini beans, silken pork shoulder, tomatoes, and herbs. We give the cherry tomatoes a little extra love in the oven to boost their flavor before we stir them into the beans. Rosemary is a natural in this dish, but it’s the generous amount of parsley added at the end that’s the real revelation. The herb adds a zesty top note to the beans. Simple side dishes—garlic bread, a green salad—complete the picture.

Mashed potatoes are a tried-and-true side dish with steak, but for something new, try an Italian purée of white beans—it's just as creamy and much faster.

This one-pot dinner has lots of things kids love—chicken, peas, and rice—while saffron gives the medley adult appeal.

Hold the marinara! For a change of pace, dress ravioli with a quick and creamy sauce that gets added taste and texture from tiny pieces of string beans and prosciutto.

Food editor Gina Marie Miraglia Eriquez's grandmother used to serve tender green beans tossed with mashed potatoes—so this is straight from Nonna's kitchen.

This homey soup—a piquant start to a satisfying Mexican-style dinner of tacos or enchiladas, or a main dish when paired with a grilled cheese sandwich and a salad—gets its fire from a chopped jalapeño.

Chicken soup is an automatic crowd-pleaser, but this Mexican-inspired tortilla soup does the classic one better. Homemade broth is key here, providing a base for brown rice, black beans, and chunks of sweet potato. Cooling pieces of avocado play off of a warm, earthy undercurrent of chipotle chiles.

Far from being a culinary museum piece, the pressure cooker deserves a place in the 21st-century kitchen. One reason: You can make this hearty Italian meal of incredibly tender lamb with vegetables and saucy beans in about an hour.

If fresh peas are out of season, look for high-quality frozen brands such as Cascadian Farm.

The restaurant switches up this dish from time to time, substituting scallops or foie gras for the duck. The lentil puree would also be a great accompaniment to chicken or pork.

Filets de Rouget et Haricots Verts Sauté aux Fruits Secs Highly prized for its firm, mild flesh, red mullet is a darling of French and Mediterranean chefs. Here, it sits on a splendid textural bed of haricots verts, dried apricots, and pine nuts.

Transform your picnic into un pique-nique to remember with this elegant arrangement of tangy potato salad, peas gently mashed with marjoram, and salty ham softly set in parsleyed gelatin.