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This week the Savvy Slow Cooker will be revisiting the topic of salads. I had so many ideas for beans in salads when writing my salad article last week that it turned into another article!
Cooked beans and legumes offer a healthy option to add meatless protein to your meals. They have long been a staple of vegetarian diets but are suitable for carnivores as well. From white beans to kidney beans to lentils, a serving provides a relatively high amount of protein and a high fiber content with little fat and no saturated fat.
They help us feel fuller faster due to their high fiber and water content. Beans also offer substantial amounts of calcium, iron, folic acid, and potassium. They contain antioxidants that help block free radicals from causing damage to the body. Beans are so good for us that dietary experts recommend that we increase our intake to get three cups per week.
To make homemade beans and lentils, all you need is the slow cooker and a little patience. Start by soaking the dried variety overnight and then cooking for several hours on low in the crockpot, until tender. And if you have ever tasted the difference between homemade beans you have cooked yourself and the canned variety, then you know that it’s worth a little extra time. Plus making them yourself can result in substantial money savings at about one fifth the cost for a bag of dried versus the canned variety.
Ever since I was a kid, I have loved cooked chickpeas in my salad (I think I learned that trick from my mom at the salad bars that used to be featured in most restaurants). This is a good way to add healthy protein to a mixed green salad and you can make your own chickpeas in the crockpot. You can substitute any type of bean you like – such as white beans, kidney beans, or black beans.
You start by rinsing and sorting (pull out any bad ones) the beans and then soaking the beans overnight in the refrigerator with water to cover. This step can be done right in your crockpot insert. Then rinse them and place in the slow cooker with fresh water to cover. I add a little flavor by cooking the beans with a small amount of cut up celery, onion, and carrots. If you prefer another type of bean, you can use the same method. Just be sure that your crockpot is cooking the beans at a high enough temperature (especially for kidney beans) and for long enough to make them tender.
Cooked black beans are the perfect addition to any Mexican or Southwestern style salad. If you end up making a lot of beans, the leftovers can be pureed into a delicious hummus or bean dip. You can also store them in Ziploc bags in the freezer for up to six months.
You can make a zesty homemade Three Bean Salad using your crockpot with any combination of the above beans, plus cooked green beans and waxed beans. (cook all beans separately to achieve desired tenderness for each variety) The traditional recipe is below.
Another classic combination from Italian cooking is tuna and white beans. It’s a simple and light salad that you can serve for dinner without heating up your kitchen. Offering protein and omega-3 fatty acids, it’s a super healthy meal that doesn’t skimp on flavor.
So while you are making your healthy end of the summer salads, think of tasty and economical dried beans as a staple from your slow cooker.
©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/pamela-chester/940-cooking-beans/
Healthy and Delicious Beans
This week the Savvy Slow Cooker will be revisiting the topic of salads. I had so many ideas for beans in salads when writing my salad article last week that it turned into another article!
Cooked beans and legumes offer a healthy option to add meatless protein to your meals. They have long been a staple of vegetarian diets but are suitable for carnivores as well. From white beans to kidney beans to lentils, a serving provides a relatively high amount of protein and a high fiber content with little fat and no saturated fat.
They help us feel fuller faster due to their high fiber and water content. Beans also offer substantial amounts of calcium, iron, folic acid, and potassium. They contain antioxidants that help block free radicals from causing damage to the body. Beans are so good for us that dietary experts recommend that we increase our intake to get three cups per week.
To make homemade beans and lentils, all you need is the slow cooker and a little patience. Start by soaking the dried variety overnight and then cooking for several hours on low in the crockpot, until tender. And if you have ever tasted the difference between homemade beans you have cooked yourself and the canned variety, then you know that it’s worth a little extra time. Plus making them yourself can result in substantial money savings at about one fifth the cost for a bag of dried versus the canned variety.
Ever since I was a kid, I have loved cooked chickpeas in my salad (I think I learned that trick from my mom at the salad bars that used to be featured in most restaurants). This is a good way to add healthy protein to a mixed green salad and you can make your own chickpeas in the crockpot. You can substitute any type of bean you like – such as white beans, kidney beans, or black beans.
You start by rinsing and sorting (pull out any bad ones) the beans and then soaking the beans overnight in the refrigerator with water to cover. This step can be done right in your crockpot insert. Then rinse them and place in the slow cooker with fresh water to cover. I add a little flavor by cooking the beans with a small amount of cut up celery, onion, and carrots. If you prefer another type of bean, you can use the same method. Just be sure that your crockpot is cooking the beans at a high enough temperature (especially for kidney beans) and for long enough to make them tender.
Cooked black beans are the perfect addition to any Mexican or Southwestern style salad. If you end up making a lot of beans, the leftovers can be pureed into a delicious hummus or bean dip. You can also store them in Ziploc bags in the freezer for up to six months.
You can make a zesty homemade Three Bean Salad using your crockpot with any combination of the above beans, plus cooked green beans and waxed beans. (cook all beans separately to achieve desired tenderness for each variety) The traditional recipe is below.
Another classic combination from Italian cooking is tuna and white beans. It’s a simple and light salad that you can serve for dinner without heating up your kitchen. Offering protein and omega-3 fatty acids, it’s a super healthy meal that doesn’t skimp on flavor.
So while you are making your healthy end of the summer salads, think of tasty and economical dried beans as a staple from your slow cooker.
Tuscan Tuna Salad
Made with Italian reduced fat salad dressing, red bell pepper, romaine lettuce, (19 ounce size) cannellini or kidney beans, drained, rinsed, (6 ounce size) albacore tuna in water, drained, flaked
Made with Italian reduced fat salad dressing, red bell pepper, romaine lettuce, (19 ounce size) cannellini or kidney beans, drained, rinsed, (6 ounce size) albacore tuna in water, drained, flaked
Serves/Makes: 6
- 10 cups torn romaine lettuce
- 1 can (19 ounce size) cannellini or kidney beans, drained, rinsed
- 1 can (6 ounce size) albacore tuna in water, drained, flaked
- 1/2 cup sliced green onions
- 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
- 3/4 cup Italian reduced fat salad dressing
Toss lettuce, beans, tuna, onions and red pepper with dressing.
Three Bean Salad
Made with olive oil, sugar, cannellini beans, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, celery, red onion, parsley, rosemary, apple cider vinegar
Made with olive oil, sugar, cannellini beans, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, celery, red onion, parsley, rosemary, apple cider vinegar
Serves/Makes: 8
- 1 cup cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 celery stalks, chopped fine
- 1/2 red onion, chopped fine
- 1 cup fresh, finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1 tablespoon fresh finely chopped rosemary
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
In a large bowl, mix the beans, celery, onion, parsley and rosemary.
In a separate small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, sugar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Add the dressing to the beans. Toss to coat.
Chill beans in the refrigerator for several hours, to allow the beans to soak up the flavor of the dressing.
Serves/Makes: 1 batch
- 1 bag (16 ounce size) beans (chickpeas, black beans, cannellini beans, etc.)
- 1 stalk celery
- 1 small onion, cut up
- 1 carrot, peeled and sliced (optional)
- water to cover
Rinse beans under cold water, removing any broken or shriveled beans.
Place beans in crockpot with water to cover by 2 inches. Cover and soak overnight in the refrigerator.
Drain and rinse beans and return to crockpot with fresh water to cover by 2 inches. Add celery, onions, and carrots, if using.
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Beans are finished cooking when they are tender.
Drain and cool the beans. Store in the refrigerator or freeze in plastic bags.
Use as you would canned beans in your favorite recipes.
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©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/pamela-chester/940-cooking-beans/