As someone whose day-to-day diet includes some sort of pulse (the amount of beans and lentils I eat per week is a little wild), I feel like I’m qualified enough to talk about pulses. So think of this column as big bean 101/pulses pr haha!

What Are Pulses?

Pulses are the dry edible seeds of legumes, which include chickpeas, dry beans, lentils, and peas.

Quick note that not all legumes are considered pulses. Soybeans, peanuts, fresh peas, and fresh beans are all plants that are part of the legume family, but are not considered pulses.

Also, I feel like we all know how important pulses are from a nutrition standpoint – they’re packed with fiber (both soluble and insoluble fiber), protein, and a host of important vitamins and minerals. If you want to read more about nutrition, linking a wonderful resource here. So rather than touching on nutrition, I thought I’d highlight my favorite pulses and how I cook with them/my favorite dishes to make. Because once you cook pulses right, you’ll fall in love.

I actually have more beans/lentils in my pantry than just these lol

Canned, Dried, and Jarred Beans

Canned beans are the beans I reach for most often – they’re cheap, they’re convenient, and so easy to whip up into a meal on a weeknight. One caveat here, quality and brands do matter; the beans will have a metallic tin flavor. My go-to for both white beans (butter beans and cannellini beans) and chickpeas is Strianese. They’re an Italian brand that does canned beans so well – they’re perfectly cooked and salted.

Dried beans are my favorite to cook with, but unfortunately, since they do require forethought, they’re not something I’m cooking with daily (I wish lol working towards this). Since you control all parameters for cooking dried beans, they shine best in dishes where they are the hero ingredient (like a bean salad). Again, this isn’t a strict rule; I use canned beans in my bean salads all the time!

My go-to brand for dried beans/lentils is Rancho Gordo, they have standard beans (like butter beans, black beans, etc.) as well as fun heirloom varieties.

Jarred beans are the best of both canned and dried beans. They tend to have a better texture and flavor than canned varieties, while also having the same convenience and ease.

so many beans!!

My Favorite Pulses & How I Cook with Them 

I do cook with almost all pulses, but these are the ones that I always keep fully stocked in my pantry (both dried and canned) for cooking throughout the week.

Chickpeas

Braised, roasted, crisped, blended, there are so many applications for chickpeas, and I love them all, haha. Hummus is a classic chickpea dish that never gets old (linking my hummus method here). Also, love this harvest salad w/ crispy chickpeas, and this warm chickpea salad that’s perfect for the end of summer.

honeynut squash harvest salad

White beans

I love white beans such as cannellini beans, large lima beans (aka butter beans), and heirloom varieties like caballero beans. They’re a creamy, blank canvas that pair well with almost anything: bean salads, soups, grain bowls, etc. Large lime beans/butter beans are probably the white beans I used most (I have a butter bean problem).

This za’atar bean salad is my favorite summer application for white beans, and in the cooler months, I love throwing them in soup – specifically this brothy carrot butter bean soup.

tuscan white bean soup (left) and carrot butter bean soup (right)

Black beans

Admittedly, I haven’t branched out much in terms of the dishes I make with black beans. Typically, I like to warm black beans, toss them with lime and kosher salt, and serve them as a side with enchiladas, tacos, etc. Also love making this black bean salad in the summer – it tastes phenomenal as a chip dip!

Red lentils/Masoor dal

Probably the most used lentil in our household (I pretty much grew up eating masoor dal weekly). Red lentils break down very soft and almost porridge-like, so my favorite applications are dal and soups. I typically make Indian-ish dishes with masoor dal (simply because that’s what I grew up eating and what I know best).

My favorite application for red lentils is this simple coconut dal that was my mom’s go-to weekly dinner staple when we were kids (and even now). Other iterations of dal that I love are this spiced dal and spiced koginut squash dal. Additionally, this red lentil tomato soup is a cozy, spiced soup that blends in masoor dal for body, nutrition, and texture.

koginut squash coconut dal

Black lentils

Admittedly, I don’t cook with black lentils as much as red lentils, but I do love making a black lentil tadka-style salad. Black lentils are more versatile than masoor dal in my opinion, and pair well with Indian-esque spices, as well as Middle Eastern or even Italian flavor profiles.

Other Resources

Putting together a “how to cook dried beans 101” post – coming soon. In the meantime, drop any questions below and linking my pulses recipe collection here.