Bean and Legume

Jennifer Smith of Tyler, Texas, writes: "Now that I'm a stay-at-home mom, I cook more than I used to. My husband and I have discovered that dining out with a 16-month-old is messy at best, so we tend to eat in. Even then, cooking is a challenge, since my daughter is always underfoot. My husband and I like simple comfort foods, so I don't have to spend too much time preparing elaborate meals. I just keep plenty of garlic and herbs on hand to spice up whatever I'm making. My must-have pantry staple is flavored petite diced tomatoes. They're great in chili and my black bean soup."

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 35 min

Two kinds of just-cooked peas and an Asian dressing make one delicious salad.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 25 min

If you haven't already made the low-fat buttermilk dressing for the buffalo burgers you'll need to allow a little extra time for this recipe. Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 40 min

"When I finished graduate school, I thought I’d have more time for one of my hobbies, cooking," says Catherine Verilli of Silver Springs, Maryland. "But now I’m busy teaching, researching and singing professionally. With my Italian heritage, I like to emphasize flavor, and my schedule often demands speed. This pasta dish meets both requirements beautifully." Pass additional grated Parmesan at the table.

In place of the pasta commonly found in Italian bean soups we've used wheat berries — minimally processed whole grains — for the following recipe.

Succotash is a corn and bean dish introduced to the early settlers by Indians. The Yankees most likely used local cranberry beans, a kind of shell bean, but lima beans have become the preferred, readily available substitute. We've also added tomatoes for their bright color and fresh flavor, even though they probably did not enter the New England culinary mainstream until the nineteenth century.

Offer this hearty and satisfying salad with grilled lamb or tuna.

A pretty and refreshing composed salad that can be made using only one skillet.

Farro, an old-world wheat variety, has taken today's Tuscan cooking by storm. It has been cultivated in the Garfagnana — an area of forests in northern Tuscany — for millennia. Traditionally, the grain was used to make soups and porridge; now it's a part of any number of dishes, including risotto, where it replaces the rice, and salads like this one. If you cannot find farro, use wheat berries.

The success of this dish depends entirely on the quality of your ingredients. Now's the time to use your best olive oil, freshly ground pepper, and a generous amount of a flavorful sea salt.

Served over rice, these peas—in their velvety, spicy sauce—could be a vegetarian main course. Or serve them over a piece of simply prepared fish or lamb. Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 15 min

In Cuba, this versatile side dish is known as congrí. Louisiana has its own version of red beans and rice, of course, but in that one you won't find the oregano, cumin or cilantro.

(MINESTRA DI CAMPAGNA) Creativity with simple ingredients is one of the themes of Sicilian cooking. There's no better example than this bean and vegetable soup, which some say evolved from food that fifteenth-century galley cooks made for mariners. Serve an island dry red wine such as Corvo with this.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 30 min