Beyond toast: 10 ways with beans

Turn minestrone soup into 'beanastrone'.
Turn minestrone soup into 'beanastrone'. Photo: William Meppem

Whether they're slow (soaked overnight) or fast (straight from a can), beans are cheap, healthy and hearty. Here are 10 ideas that go beyond beans-on-toast.

1. Pile leftover homemade baked beans into a baking dish, cover with garlicky breadcrumbs, dot with butter and bake until crisp.

2. Scatter white beans over pizza with roasted cauliflower, mozzarella and anchovies.

3. Whizz a can of white beans with a can of tuna in oil, smoked paprika and cumin, and serve with baby cos leaves or potato crisps for dipping.

4. Beans and eggs are legendary together. Add chilli beans to an egg and bacon roll with avocado and coriander.

Best buds: Bean, egg and bacon breakfast buns.
Best buds: Bean, egg and bacon breakfast buns. Photo: William Meppem

5. Sounds weird, but a ladleful of braised tomato beans folded into risotto at the last minute is delish.

6. Load your nachos with black beans, corn kernels, cheese and chilli salsa.

7. Bulk up a Texy-Mexy lunchbox salad with kidney beans and nutty brown rice

8. Oven-baked sausages + beans + roasted tomatoes = heaven.

9. Toss wilted silverbeet with beans, smoky bacon and lots of chilli.

10. Turn minestrone into beanastrone with a three-bean mix of borlotti, lima and cannellini.