Food

Turn Beans Into a Hearty Main Course

Fat, silky butter beans are flavored with pork and colorful vegetables.
Turn Beans Into a Hearty Main Course
This dish of "glorified pork and beans" is inspired by a bean ragout served at a restaurant. JeanMarie Brownson/TCA
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Giant, larger-than-life beans make beautiful entrée offerings. Turning those beans into a hearty main course, flavored with pork and colorful vegetables, brightens up dinner.

The Royal Corona white bean is super fat and buttery, measuring nearly two inches in length when cooked. Same for the giant white lima beans, Christmas lima beans, ayocote morado beans, ayocote negro beans, and scarlet runner beans. All of these giant beans, available by mail-order from Rancho Gordo (RanchoGordo.com), make great substitutes for meat or, at least, help reduce the cravings for lots of animal protein.
JeanMarie Brownson
JeanMarie Brownson
Author
JeanMarie Brownson is a James Beard Award-winning author and the recipient of the IACP Cookbook Award for her latest cookbook, “Dinner at Home.” JeanMarie, a chef and authority on home cooking, Mexican cooking and specialty food, is one of the founding partners of Frontera Foods. She co-authored three cookbooks with chef Rick Bayless, including “Mexico: One Plate at a Time.” JeanMarie has enjoyed developing recipes and writing about food, travel and dining for more than four decades. ©2022 JeanMarie Brownson. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.