A good bean cook book please

[MorePlantsPlease]

I'm trying to increase our vegetarian meals. I'm not a veggie or vegan but like to do at least 2 veggie meals a week (cheese and dairy are fine, as are bean recipes that have some meat or fish.)

Any ideas? Nothing too elaborate - I'm all for 5 ingredients making a wonderful dish!

My best bean book is The New Fast Food, which is a pressure cooker book. This may feel more "effort" than you were planning but I find it fab, not that much effort, and it's much cheaper to go with dried beans than canned. Once you've already got the pressure cooker!

Lower effort but great food: the Green Roasting Tin. Veggy and vegan one-tin dinners, shove them in the oven and they come out gorgeous! Lots have beans in.

Also, a lot of things you're used to doing with mince you can just do with a tin or two of beans or lentis instead. Lasagne, spag bol, shepherds pie, etc. It's less trouble because you don't need to brown the meat, just open tin, drain, mix with tin of tomatoes, layer into lasagne.

The Bold Beans books https://boldbeanco.com/products/bold-beans-cookbook?srsltid=AfmBOorkCwZQrACDRmGLOrk04XAXl_WD1RWC4rAOSHvJReg_dnpwmV-m . Lots of recipes on their website as well, the black chickpea and paneer curry is lush

Oh that looks nice I might try that too

I did do an AI search and the Bold Beans book came up.

I've a couple of the Roasting Tin books and I know this sounds awful but I'm not that impressed. TBH I tend to make up my own like hers . I will take a look, so thanks.

The Bean Book by Rose Elliot. First published in 1979 but its still brilliant. Easy, tasty recipes without too many exotic/expensive ingredients.

The Bold Beans one is great, I've really liked the stuff I've made from it so far.

I like One Pan Beans by Claire Thomson (although not all are veggie but hopefully that’s okay)

Claire Thompson (the 5 o'clock apron on insta) has a great one called "One Pan Beans" - I like it because it's not purely veggie, it has lots of recipes that have meat or fish but where the beans/lentils/pulses are integral. There's a recipe in there for pot roasted chicken with cinnamon, cardamom and chickpeas that I make all the time for Sunday night supper.
https://amzn.eu/d/0e3CMC8s

Actually that recipe is here if you want to give it a try before buying the book!
https://www.prima.co.uk/all-recipes/a64606662/pot-roast-chicken/

@mynameiscalypso hah we cross posted!! great minds...

The Bean Book by Rose Elliot for super simple vegetarian bean and lentil dishes.

Thanks PPs One Pan Beans looks great. I will try the recommended recipe first and see how it comes out

@XiaoxiongI love all of Claire Thomson’s book. I haven’t made that chicken recipe but there’s a similar one from one of her earlier books with rice and cinnamon which is one of my favourite things to eat (and I normally hate cinnamon)

I've almost certainly got a copy of this!

The Bold Beans website has lots of good recipes. Here's their link to "Beginners Recipes" to get you started cooking more with beans.

I agree, the curry is an absolute stand out. The aubergine parmigiana with black beans is great too, and the Ottolenghi recipe on the website for the confit chickpeas with orange. Just excellent recipes.

Also have a look at Hodmedods, load of recipes on there. www.hodmedods.co.uk

We got the Bold Beans book, our DD came home and liked it so much we let her have it and had to buy ourselves another copy.

Thanks all- made my choice of book.

Late to the party, but another vote for Rose Eliot. Had my very carnivore brother coming back for seconds.

I also came to say Hodmedods.

They’ve been a revelatory resource for me over the past few years - there’s nothing more satisfying than unpacking my six weekly bulk delivery from them and admiring a parade of their brown paper bags across my larder shelves. It’s not just the dried beans / peas / lentils / oats / seeds but the magnificent range of UK grown flours. I’ve become a better cook and baker through them. (As well as feeling I’m eating better than ever.)

Vast store of recipes as well.