How to eat more legumes and pulses

Autumn is our favourite time of year because it’s the perfect time for slow-cooking meals.

Italian Sausage Stew recipe

It’s the time of year when our diets yearn for hearty, warm meals that keep us filled with nutrients and are easier to digest. If you were thinking of incorporating more legumes and pulses into your diet, now’s the time to do it. 

Italian Sausage Stew recipe

Italian sausage stew

From Mediterranean to Mexican cuisines, legumes and pulses are a delicious way not only to bulk up a meal, but are also available in a rainbow of colours. They add flavour, texture and goodness to your meals helping you create delicious lentil curries, black bean stews and chickpea dips.

Chicken and broad bean fricassee

Chicken and broadbean fricasse

Try white beans in Italian casseroles, Puy lentils in French stews or black beans Mexican tacos.

Mexican_bean_bake_final

Mexican bean bake

Even Mexican refried beans are a delicious way to amp up your intake. These simple, budget-friendly ingredients are economical and should be part of a well-stocked pantry. 

Bean Pot

Bean pot

One of the most important things to remember if you’re using dried legumes and pulses is to prepare them like Gran did. That means they should be soaked overnight in a bowl of water (except for lentils or split peas, which you can simply wash before cooking).

Lentil and celery stew

Lentil and celery stew

Don’t add any salt to your legumes or pulses until you’ve finished cooking as the sodium will toughen the skins and prevent them from softening properly. 

lamb-and-butter-bean-curry-xlarge-ori.jpg

Lamb and butter bean curry

More ways to cook with budget-friendly ingredients

How to turn a can of lentils into dinner

Budget dinners using pantry staples

50 recipes with money-saving ingredients

Originally published as How to eat more legumes and pulses