10 bean recipes to make during any season

WORDS Ella Jane PHOTOGRAPHY Courtesy Instagram PUBLISHED Tue, 21 Sep 2021 - 3:45 pm

Like many, I could write a hundred love notes to beans. Unfortunately, with editorial considerations in mind, I will have to stick with just one, unless I were to start a bean-themed fan blog, but this is a concept for another day. There is very little to not love about beans in their many forms. Whether you prefer yours like my dad, who blanches crunchy green runners in salted water and smothers them in lemon and salt, or you're more partial to the ever-versatile white bean, for its luscious, creamy interior and unsuspecting exterior, these days it feels safe to claim that beans are an increasingly popular topic.

And thank goodness for that! A bean-less life would be a sorry life to lead indeed, especially when they give so much of themselves throughout their many stages of life. There are the tender greens, the string beans and the broad beans which thrive in spring and summer and can be crunched on straight from the vine, hot from the heat of the sun, their cousins - the peas, an equally satisfying treat. Then come the dried beans. Kidney's, Cannellini, Borlotti, Butter and Fava, when dried for long-lasting preservation, they are hard and durable, but when treated well and simmered for hours, they become soft and pliable as butter.

Perfect for all seasons and extremely easy on the wallet, below, we are rounding up bean recipes for endless occasions. From fava paste, to cacio e pepe white beans, beans in broth and crispy beans. It's a bean's world, and we're all just living in it.