The Bean Book: 100 Recipes for Cooking with All Kinds of Beans, from the Rancho Gordo Kitchen [A Cookbook]

by Steve Sando

From the founder of the acclaimed Rancho Gordo bean company, an authoritative guide to 50 bean varieties and how to cook with them, featuring 100 classic and modern recipes.

Learn how easy it is to cook beans from scratch with the king of beans. Rancho Gordo beans, the legumes with a cult following and Bean Club waiting list more than 20,000 names long, brought attention to heirloom bean varieties through chefs like Thomas Keller and Marcella Hazan.

Founder and owner Steve Sando, with twenty-five years' experience in growing, sourcing, and cooking with beans, is the perfect home cook to present classic recipes as well as new combinations for all kinds of eaters. With more than 100 recipes, there are vegan and vegetarian dishes like Fennel, Potato, and White Bean Soup with Saffron and Pizza Beans as well as full-on meat-lovers' meals like Napa Valley Cassoulet, Southwestern Chile con Carne, and Clay-Baked Pacific Cod Gratin with Onions and White Beans.

The Bean Book includes instructions for cooking beans using multiple methods, then transforming those cooked beans into satisfying dips, soups, salads, mains, sides, and desserts. There is nobody better than the man behind Rancho Gordo to share recipes, tips, and historical background in a beautifully photographed, comprehensive collection, sure to be a classic.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Reference, Food and Drink

287 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 10, 2024

Reviews

[Books_the_Magical_Fruit · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am *all* about beans! They really are the magical fruit. There are a lot of great recipes in here, from many different cultures. There’s Italian, Spanish, Latin-American, Indian, even British beans on toast! The end also has a couple of bean desserts, and I’m excited to try them out.

Try this out in September!

I received a complimentary eARC through NetGalley and Ten Speed Press (thank you!), which did not affect my review in any way.

[Miss✧Pickypants ᓚᘏᗢ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This a great book for anyone who is always on the hunt for delicious bean-based recipes. And since the guy behind this book is also the one who founded Rancho Gordo, which are the best dried beans I have come across so far, you can feel his love of beans radiating off the pages.

Recipes are relatively easy to follow and there are extremely appealing photos of most but not all the dishes. Along with the recipes are pictures and descriptions of 50 dried beans, many of which are used in the book's recipes.

I liked that the recipes often included ways to use the bean broth that is left once the beans are cooked, it always feels wasteful just pouring it down the drain. And vegetarians will appreciate the extra instructions for how to make the non-vegetarian dishes vegetarian.

[Linden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Steve Sando is an heirloom bean advocate and founder of Rancho Gordo. His new book not only has intriguing recipes which actually seem doable for meat eaters, vegetarians, and vegans, but is also beautifully illustrated with color photographs. One of my favorite parts of the book is the description of color, texture, and taste of fifty different heirloom beans. Each one is illustrated and has suggested recipes. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This cookbook is gorgeous.
It seems that the author took a lot of time in the prep for this book - you will see beautiful pictures of bean-inspired dishes that resonate with a variety of cuisines.

Some sample categories:

Bean Dips/Appetizers
Bean Soups & Stews
Beans and Rice Dishes

Just those categories alone cover what I believe most people would be interested in learning from a book like this, but the best part is that there is such much more.

Great book. Thank you to NetGalley and to Steve Sando for providing this title in exchange for an honest review. I will definitely be buying a physical copy for my kitchen.

[Danielle McClellan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Steve Sando's Rancho Gordo bean company is legendary and this gorgeously illustrated cookbook provides numerous delicious recipes that can be used with heirloom varieties or supermarket beans with great success. There are recipes for both vegetarians and meat-eaters alike.

The book begins with a full photographic library of bean types which I found incredibly helpful, especially when thinking about substitute varieties for recipes.(NOTE ADDED: several reviewers here on GoodReads have stated that it is difficult to source some of the bean varieties Sando uses in his recipes, but I found it quite easy to find substitutes if I did not have access to a specific bean. Just refer to the bean library to find appropriate alternate beans if you do not live in a place with a wide variety of options.)

The number of recipes that follow is substantial, with sections on Bean Dips and Appetizers, Bean Salads, Bean Soups, and an additional section on Bean Stews and Stovetop DIshes, then Beans and Grains, Baked Beans, and Bean Patties and Fillings, and then a final chapter on Sweets, Stocks, Salsas and More.

Many of the ingredient suggestions add a real spark to more familiar dishes, such as the introduction of the salty punch of anchovies to a white bean dip or to a pinquito bean salad with celery and lemon, or the addition of a garlic confit (with recipe included) that really elevates an otherwise standard hummus recipe.

I had great luck with the recipes I tried. The Red Beans tossed with Arugula and Pumpkin Seeds made for a satisfying crunch of a salad and the Flageolet spring salad with roasted and raw vegetables successfully marries roasted garlic and tomatoes with beans, herbs and lemons, parsley and crisp red onion and radish. I will definitely be adding the Big White Beans with Roasted Red Peppers and Pepitas to my list of go-to salads.

I have many pages digitally flagged for future cooking adventures. I am particularly eager to try the Sauerkraut and Hearty White Bean soup and the Alubia Blanca with Clams and Spanish Chorizo when it cools down a bit more this Autumn, I also expect to experiment with Sando's two versions of Cassoulet: The Classic French Cassoulet and the slightly simplified Sarah Scott's Napa Valley Cassoulet. There are also two Italian recipes that look fantastic to me: the Italian Pasta e Fagioli and the Polenta with Borlotti Beans and Tomato Sauce.

There is no doubt in my mind that I will be purchasing for my home collection as soon as it is released. My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an opportunity to read and cook from an ARC copy.

[Lindsay Nixon · Rating 2 out of 5]

A better title would be “the heirloom bean book” or “the rancho gordo bean cookbook”. This is a cookbook made by a company (rancho gordo) that sells heirloom beans.

I’m not sure why they needed to write an actual cookbook (promotional piece?); seems like it would have been better to have these recipes on their website. I’m not sure anyone who doesn’t belong to their bean buyer club can use the cookbook 🤷🏻‍♀️

That said…

I had no idea so many different varieties of heirloom beans exist. The front part of the book is an index of them and gives several methods for cooking beans.

I can’t get many of the varieties used in the recipes where I live (PNW) and imagine that’s true for most of us (sadly). You would need to order them from rancho gordo or substitute one of the more common dried bean varieties (eg pinto, navy, black) which I’m sure isn’t “the same” but will execute.

I’d say half the recipes are vegan or vegetarian. There are new ideas for sure and also recipes for bean dishes you have seen many times before. I was shocked at how much oil is used in the recipes (4-5 tbsp min often as much as 1/2 cup).

These recipes, while relatively short in terms of ingredients, are not particularly quick to make, even if you’ve already cooked your beans. It has the “a chef wrote this” vibe, with recipes being multiple long paragraphes, sometimes 2 and 3 pages across. I can’t understand why the directions are so wordy and complicated sounding.

There are a smattering of pictures throughout and they are progressional. I would have liked more photos.

RECIPES I TRIED:

I prepared the enfrijoladas (tortillas in a black bean sauce) substituting 3 cups black beans for the heirloom called for. The only other ingredients were 2 tbsp lard or oil, plus 1/3 cup oil, 1 white onion, 3 garlic cloves, 2 cup cooking bean liquid (ew) or stock (I used vegetable broth), tortillas, cheese, optional cilantro.

To say this recipe fell flat and was extremely bland would be an understatement. If I had used salted beans it would have been marginally better but since home cooked beans aren’t salty I figured the no salt canned ones were the closest choice. I even bought the expensive organic brand which I find more flavorful on their own than, say, cheaper brands (which I use plenty! But in recipes with more spices).

The only deviation I made was baking my tortillas to be crispy rather than deep frying them. I also tried air frying for comparison. I can’t see how either made much difference in terms of flavor (or lack thereof) especially with the black bean sauce part.

I’ve also had this type dish a few times before (other recipes) and it wasn’t greasy or bland. I ended up calling upon those recipes to add spices (chipotle, cumin, oregano) to improve this meal.

I also tried to make a dish that uses a type of white heirloom bean since I had two boxes of jacks beans (the best) on hand. The only other ingredients were evoo, salt and pepper, lemon for serving, thyme/other fresh herbs and a large white onion. Plus you lay cod on top for 10 minutes, which I didn’t do.

I used a yellow onion as I find them more flavorful, a lot of salt and pepper, and more thyme than called for. It didn’t help. The beans were meh. I ended up adding some Dijon, nutritional yeast, and high quality balsamic drizzle. I also mashed a portion of the beans and mixed it with almond milk to make the meal less dry. We normally eat jack’s beans straight up out of the box so it wasn’t my beans that were the problem.

Finally a complaint about organization:

Instead of organizing the book by meal type, I would have preferred it be organized by bean used. If I want to use, say, cranberry beans, I can’t easily find a recipe to use them unless I have a kindle version with a search feature.

Thanks netgalley

[Sacha · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars

Look, I'm vegan, so beans are an especially vital part of my life. I love cooking with them, eating them, and, it turns out, learning more about them. I discovered that last part while tearing through this fantastic, aptly titled book about, well, beans.

Non-vegans, don't be scared. Most of this book is targeted to your diet. Fellow vegans and nearby vegetarians, rejoice. You'll be able to adapt nearly all of these recipes with minimal effort. I bookmarked over a dozen of them, and most fall into that aforementioned group.

This is an incredibly visually appealing read. Most folks who engage with this book will see and hear about certain varieties of beans for the first time. The ideal scenario is obviously to access these specific beans directly, but even home cooks with less excellent access will be able to find workarounds.

From the appealing photos to the clear recipes to the adaptable content, there's a little something for everyone here. I can't wait to try out quite a few of these recipes!

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Ten Speed Press for this arc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a cookbook all about how to prepare different kinds of beans and bean dishes. The photos throughout are great! The recipes I'm most excited to try are Smitten Kitchen's Pizza Beans, Norman Rose Tavern's Black Bean Burger and  Homemade Croutons. I would recommend this! Special Thank you to Steve Sando, Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Amy Borgstrom · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this cover to cover last night. Sandi’s story is compelling and there’s lots of good recipes here. I’m looking forward to ordering some fresh heirloom beans from his company Rancho Gordo and making cassoulet this fall

[E · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was hesitant to buy this book because I already have so many cookbooks, and I'm often disappointed by recipes that are mediocre mixed in with just a few gems. However, I found this book on sale at my favorite bookstore and decided to give it a try. I have been very pleasantly surprised by how delicious the recipes I've made have all been. I started using Rancho Gordo beans last year and this book makes it really easy to match the heirloom beans from Rancho Gordo to recipes that cook them beautifully and highlight their unique qualities.

[Yvonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is a lot of enthusiasm for beans in this book!

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love beans! I have always loved them, but since I began eating a whole food, plant-based diet, I eat them all the time. I immediately requested a review copy of The Bean Book when I saw it on NetGalley. Sadly, I was disappointed in its contents. Most of the recipes didn't excite me at all. The book also feels like a sales pitch for a certain bean company. I'm sure you could substitute with beans from a local grocery store, but it might be tricky to find a match with all of the recipes using heirloom varieties.

[Fizzle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was disappointed. I grew up with long lived family members. Most live into their mid 90's if not longer. They're frugal people. At least once a week a big pot of dried beans were cooked. Usually large red kidney beans, large white beans or black beans. I've been cooking beans and eating them for a long time,probably longer than the author .
I've had bad experiences with dried beans at my local grocery stores. I would look for a " best used by" date on the popular major brands at my grocery stores and their usually wasn't one. I would come home from the store open the beans and a lot of the time the beans were shriverly. So I knew they were old. I then tried the off brands of dried beans as they had a " best used by date" but I still got home only to find when I opened the grocery store bag of beans that they were shriveled and old most of the time.
Old beans don't taste as good. Old beans take longer to cook. Because they're old they can cause more bloating and gas once eaten. All beans should be eaten within two years of harvest.
The problem is the dried bean companies usually make up a "best use by" date. Sometimes they put a date of anywhere from 3 to 10 years on the package. Usually bean companies in the USA don't put a "HARVEST" date on the package so the consumer has no idea of how old the beans actually are.
Beans like Olive oil should be consumed within a year of harvest. Most Companies in the USA be it Beans or Olive oil do not put a "Harvest date" on the packaging. There's one Bean company sold in my area of the USA found in the "International" aisle that does put both the Harvest date and their use by date( of three years) on their bean package.
The only problem is that in my area only Black or Pinto beans are sold by this company.
In desperation I recently started buying Rancho Gordo dried beans on the Internet. I really like all the " Xoxoc Project " beans, the small " Ceci Piccoli" chickpeas , and the heritage beans that I've bought from Rancho Gordo. The beans are EXPENSIVE. In 2024 It was usually about $8.00 a pound plus shipping for the Rancho Gordo Beans. That's a lot comparied to beans sold in local grocery stores.
Rancho Gordo beans are always " fresh dried" and they have a large selection of beans that can not be easily found ,if at all , in local grocery stores.
I brought this book looking for recipes that showcase the Rancho Gordo beans that I buy from them. Sadly this book only uses a few of the beans sold by Rancho Gordo. Most of the bean recipes in this book are for common beans easily found.
People new to Rancho Gordo heritage and Xoxo project beans looking for recipes for them and more information will be disappointed.
I have been cooking for a long time. I know how to make a basic stovetop pot of beans and I make killer cornbread. I used an old recipe printed on Quaker's Aunt Jasmine corn bead as a base recipe for cornbread for years. I tried the cornbread by Steve and it is not something that my family enjoyed.
This is a good book for beginners on their bean journey. It's a mainstream cookbook good for most commonly used beans. I thought that a lot of the guest recipes were either really good or really bad. It's not really written for Rancho Gordo bean customers.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recipes from Rancho Gordo's acclaimed kitchen are included in The Bean Book by Steve Sando. It is embarrassing and regrettable that I had no prior knowledge of Steve Sando and Rancho Gordo Beans until I read The Bean Book. Now I'm hooked. When I saw this book was up for review, I was so excited. My knowledge of beans has grown tremendously and I have found many delicious new recipes. It never occurred to me that there was a cult following for beans! There was a waiting list on Rancho Gordo's website for their Bean Club. Hey Gordo, want to hook me up?

Bean lovers won't be disappointed with this collection of delicious, nutritious, and delectable recipes.

It's the dog days of summer in Texas, so I'm excited to see recipes for: Bean Salads, Beans & Grains, Baked Beans, Bean Patties, Sweets, Salsas, and Dips & Appetizers. Other recipes, such as soups and stews, will have to wait until cooler weather returns.

This book contains the following contents:

Introduction

50 Heirloom Bean Varieties

Bean Dips & Appitizers

Bean Salads

Bean Soups

Bean Braises, Stews & Other StoveTop Dishes

Beans & Grains

Baked Beans

Bean Patties, Fillings, Sauces & More

Sweets, Stocks, Salsas & More

Acknowledments

Index

Unlike many crops that draw nutrients from the ground where they grow, bean plants do not function in this manner. Nitrogen from the atmosphere is transformed into a biological form in the bean plant, which is essential to plant growth.

When making beans, there are many variables to consider:

How old are the beans?

How hard is your water?

How do you store beans?

What pot will you use to cook your beans?

What is the weather like?

There is a Master Recipe for Pot Beans.

THE BEAN-LOVER'S PANTRY

Dried Herbs and Spices

Chilies and Chile Powders

Vinegars and Oils

Other Essentials

50 HEIRLOOM BEAN VARIETIES

Alubia Blanca

2. Anasazi

Bayo

Black turtle

Buckeye

For all 50 beans there is a picture of the beans along with a write up on the bean. I will share with you about the Black Turtle bean.

BLACK TURTLE

In some regions of the world,

"beans" means black beans.

Black turtle beans have a rich,

fudgy texture and inky bean

broth that needs little more to

make a soup. It's easy to think of

them for beans and rice, Brazillian

feijoada, or Oaxacan enfrijoladas,

but they're also delicious in

salads or chilis.

Rancho Gordo's Midnight

Black bean is a classic, versatile

black turtle bean that hold its

shape through lots of cooking

yet retains its famous creamy

interior.

RECIPES: Norman Rose Tavern's

Black Bean Burger, page 231,

Midnight Black Bean Soup,

page 122, or Moros y Cristianos,

Page 186

After making a large pot of beans who doesn't love refried beans or hummus! There are recipes for Glorious Refried Beans and Simple Hummus.

ALL of the recipes look amazing!

I would highly recommend this book.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

The Bean Book is a fresh tutorial guide to the staple versatile legumes written by Steve Sando, with recipes curated by the author. Due out 10th Sept 2024 from Penguin Random House on their Ten Speed Press imprint, it's 288 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.

Beans (and other legumes) are often shoved to the side in most dishes. There are relatively few recipes where they are really allowed to shine. Beans are used to provide protein and bulk to soups and stews. The author is a true believer and the 100 recipes here are both traditional and innovative. Additionally, the author invites readers to learn about the different types of beans and their uses, and the book is full of minutiae and interesting tidbits about origins and species of bean, and how to showcase them at their best. This -is- a book full of heirloom beans (which the author's company sells), but he provides alternatives in the recipes to rarer heirloom beans.

The introductory tutorials (how to choose, how to grow, general how to cook, and pantry/staples lists), a very handy primer on bean types, leads directly into the recipes, arranged thematically: bean dips/appetizers, salads, soups, braises stews & stovetop dishes, beans & grains, baked beans, patties fillings sauces & more, and sweets stocks & salsas.

Recipe ingredients are listed bullet style in a sidebar, followed by step-by-step prep instructions. Ingredient measures are given in imperial (American) units. The recipes do not have nutritional info listed. The ingredients will mostly be readily available at any well stocked grocery store in North America. Some of the bean varieties might require a specialist grocery store or international grocer. The emphasis is on whole ingredients and the recipes are fairly light on premade/convenience ingredients, which is a plus. The author does use items like premade hot sauce/pepper sauce, but otherwise very few convenience items.

About 20% of the recipes are accompanied by one or more photos. The dishes are professionally styled, colorful, appealing, and appropriate.

This is a good "everyday" recipe book and will find a home in casual home kitchens. Not all the recipes are vegetarian/vegan friendly (many are), but there are a generous number of entries which are without meat or animal products and most of the others can be adapted fairly easily.

Five stars. This is a very attractive colorful and useful book. It would be an excellent choice for public library acquisition, home use, smallholding, gardening club library, or similar uses.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Bean Book was an excellent introduction to cooking whole beans. I recently got more interested in using high quality sources of plant protein in recipes. My partner loves to cook and is a huge fan of heirloom beans from Rancho Gordo. When I came across a cookbook from the founder of Rancho Gordo, I had to check it out!

At first, I was put off by eating beans due to the association with bloating and bland, canned bean flavors but they are truly a magical superfood. Studies involving centenarians show that beans are a key ingredient in their diet. “Beans are the cornerstone of every Blue Zones diet in the world: black beans in Nicoya; lentils, garbanzo, and white beans in the Mediterranean; and soybeans in Okinawa.” -from the bluezone.com website.

This gorgeous book introduces a variety of cooking methods, equipments (from a clay pot to a slow cooker), and highlights 50 varieties of heirloom beans, there is a recipe for each variety. I first learned about the term heirloom in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life. Heirloom means that the genetic makeup of the plant is the original, unmodified version. With the onslaught of GMOs in American farms, it is refreshing to have access to heirloom varieties. When the quantity of a crop becomes more important than the quality, it comes at a cost: flavor.
Also, heirloom means that the seeds have been preserved so that they’ll produce the same crop every time.

There is a section that outlines pantry basics to go along with your beans. It lists herbs, spices, chiles, etc.
This book includes a wide variety of recipes including Persian, Spanish, Italian, North African, Jewish, Indian, and Latin American influences. There are dips, salads, soups, stews, baked beans (with meat, in a casserole, or ) and even sweets. I even saw a recipe for cornbread. corn is a bean? Didn’t seem right so I looked it up and beans and corn are seeds, however corn is a fruit, not a legume. Maize is a grass but because corn comes from the flowering part of the plant, it is considered a fruit.

More Fun Facts:
-the majority of heirloom beans used within 2 years of harvest don’t need to be soaked prior to cooking.
-bean broth can be used to make bread, it’s highly nutritious and safe for babies to eat as a first food meal.
-beans fed civilization: appears they were domesticated in Mexico and Peru.

I cannot wait to make some warm savory stews and pies from The Bean Book this Fall. I will be purchasing multiple copies. I know some folks who’d love this as a gift.

Thank you to Netgalley and Ten Speed Press for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! From the very beginning you can tell Steve is very passionate about beans. Beans being one of those humble foods & plants many don’t think much about but the author has invested a lot of time & energy into knowing as much as possible about this humble but delicious & healthy little food.

His passion for heritage & heirloom beans is shown on every page of this cookbook. The introduction includes information on the history & cultivation both at home & commercially. He highlights the different flavors in various varieties & the type of dishes they work best in.

While Steve does highlight his farm, Rancho Gordo’s, heirloom beans in the recipes he also includes more readily accessible & less expensive grocery store varieties as well. There are some rare recipes where he notes, that the grocery store varieties are not likely to achieve the same depth of flavor, ie “proceed at your own risk” but most seem to be delicious even if obtaining the heirlooms isn’t accessible for you.

Steve does like some luxury or harder to source ingredients in some of the dishes & in his pantry. Banana & pineapple vinegars, come to mind. They also sound delicious! He does suggest alternates in the actual recipes if you can’t source those.

I’ve been cooking with dried beans all of my adult life. This book introduces ideas & dishes I’ve never thought of let alone heard of. The dishes origins span much of the globe. With the exception of the dishes that feature seafood (my personal ick) there are precious few recipes in this that I’m not eager to try. Even the seafood recipes look intriguing, so if seafood *is* your thing, you likely won’t be disappointed. He may have even convinced me that anchovies in the fridge & in my cooking might be an excellent idea. My mother has been trying to do that for decades!

While some recipes are naturally vegetarian (some even vegan) he does provide suggestions on how to make at least some of them vegetarian. Who knew Kalamata olives & garlic could sub in for anchovies? Not me, that’s who. Other recipes it would be easy enough to do by swapping broths. However, if you’re looking for a strictly vegetarian bean book…this is not it.

Some dishes do use stock & salted meats to layer in flavor, but others rely on the bean’s natural flavor and the complementary ingredients. Steve definitely believes beans without stock & ham can be just as flavorful & should be tried. I concur. There’s nothing like a nice pot of beans to fill you up, especially in the autumn.

This is a cookbook that could easily double as a coffee table book. The dishes & beans are photographed as glamorously as any supermodel in a fashion magazine thanks to photographer, Ed Anderson. Really, this is the glow up that beans needed but we didn’t know they needed it.

[Marisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Bean Book is the newest cookbook by Steve Sando of Rancho Gorda. Rancho Gordo is a company that sells heirloom, small-batch beans as well as other items such as spices, hot sauces and specialty vinegars. Rancho Gordo also features a quarterly bean club with a waitlist of over 20,000 people! (Disclaimer: I am a proud bean club member. Rancho Gordo’s beans far surpass anything I can find in my supermarket.)

The Bean Book is a wonderful cookbook whether you buy Rancho Gordo beans or you buy your beans elsewhere. The book gives a lot of basic information on the types of beans, the history of beans in the Americas, growing heirloom beans and cooking beans as well as Steve Sando’s story. The Bean Book features the basics of cooking dry beans from scratch using a pot, an oven, a slow cooker and a pressure cooker. There is a useful and illustrated list of 50 heirloom bean varieties such as anasazi, eye of the goat and good mother stalled.

This book features many recipes divided into the categories of: Bean Dips & Appetizers; Bean Salads; Bean Soups; Bean Braises, Stews & Other Stovetop Dishes; Beans & Grains; Baked Beans; Bean Patties, Fillings, Sauces & More; Sweets, Stocks, Salsas & More.

The master recipe for pot beans is a great recipe to start with to make a simple yet seasoned pot of beans. These beans were delicious on their own in a bowl though I also enjoyed them spooned over toast or made into tacos/burritos! The glorious refried beans recipe is so simple and so delicious. I have made this recipe using olive oil instead of lard. The recipes In this book are not all vegan or vegetarian but many of them are easily customizable for vegetarian diets. One more recipe that I loved is the recipe for the Gigandes Plaki (Greek baked beans). These beans are best made with a large white bean such as Royal Corona or Large white lima bean. In this recipe, the beans are baked in a delicious garlicky tomato sauce.

I am eager to continue to try out the recipes in this book! Thank you to the publisher and net galley for the digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Kerry Croucier · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I received THE BEAN BOOK by Steve Sando with Jillian Newberry, even my mother laughed because she couldn’t think of a more perfect cookbook for me. She was right, I was on Rancho Gordo’s website loading my cart with heirloom beans before I finished the introduction. Since, I have found a (fairly) local place that carries the beans, so I can have almost instant gratification with acquiring the beans that Steve Sando is very passionate about, so passionate that he founded Rancho Gordo to share heirloom beans and keep them front and center, so they don’t get lost in history.
Not only does the cookbook contain recipes, but there are also pictures and descriptions of 50 heirloom beans, information on ingredients and tools, as well as instruction for different methods for basic cooking of beans. The recipes are easy to follow and many are beautifully photographed
A pot of pinto beans has been a staple in the house all my life; red beans and rice are in constant rotation; and now, Cuban black beans make a regular appearance. Well-loved bean meals that I love and can only be made better with heirloom beans with fresher flavor. I was pleased to see that my recipes for these were similar to those in the cookbook. I am also excited to add cooking garbanzos/chickpeas, especially the heirloom varieties. I can’t wait to tap into more of my heritage with the Basque-Style Bean and Kale Stew or the Spanish Fabada, to name a few. There are a hundred recipes in THE BEAN BOOK that cover cuisines from all over the world: the Americas, Africa, Europe, and Asia. I am so excited about adding so many bean recipes to my repertoire. I highly recommend this cookbook to anyone who likes beans but isn’t sure how they should cook them. It’s also great for those that cook beans but would love to expand to different types or cuisines…maybe a French Cassoulet or Greek Gigandes Plaki? Arnab Chakladar’s Chana Masala? There are so many options! By the time I cook my way through the rest of the cookbook, my family will love beans as much as I do!
Thank you to Ten Speed Press for the opportunity to read a gifted copy of the cookbook. All opinions are my own and
freely given.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I need to state right out that I am a longtime fan of Rancho Gordo beans. As a practiced home cook (and avid reader/collector of cookbooks), I have for years seen chefs reference the quality and taste of these beans. About eight years ago, I took the plunge and placed an order myself. I was not disappointed. Like so many, I spent a long time on the waiting list for the Rancho Gordo Bean Club, and just a few weeks ago, I got the nod. My first shipment arrived last week. And my family is celebrating, because these are the best beans we’ve found anywhere.

The exceptional care Steve Sando takes with his Rancho Gordo beans translates into an exceptional cookbook in The Bean Book. It is written like a casual conversation with a friend, yet is very informative. Most importantly, every recipe I’ve tried (so far) is delicious and a hit with my family and friends. And it’s more than just recipes. The book includes: the history of beans and of Rancho Gordo, identification of 50 bean varieties, and a detailed recipe of cooking a basic pot with multiple heat sources. I’ve been using the pressure cooker version of that recipe for years now, and it works every time. On top of that, the book is beautiful – laid out by dish type with stunning photography.

Some recipes included were already family favorites, from Smitten Kitchen’s Pizza Beans to versions of Simple Hummus, Pan-Fried Garbanzos with Spices, and New Orleans Red Beans and Rice. We have fallen in love with the Italian-Style White Beans on Toast, Midnight Black Bean Soup, and Sarah Scott’s Napa Valley Cassoulet. And we have so many more on our list to try!

It is, of course, not necessary to purchase Rancho Gordo beans for these recipes. And the book makes that clear on every page. The reader simply benefits from the extensive knowledge of Steve and his team here. In summary, if you love to cook and eat beans, this book is absolutely one you’ll want on your shelf.

Many thanks to Ten Speed Press and NetGalley for providing this copy for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm working on expanding my diet to include more beans because my body just seems to digest beans easier than meat.

This book comes from Rancho Gordo, a company that specializes in heirloom beans. So I figured they would put out an excellent bean cookbook. Totally on target! This book not only shows information about different types of beans, but gives cooking tips, and a nice variety of recipes.

I've been reading my way through a lot of bean cook books lately looking for recipes that fit what I'm looking for, and it's been a bit of a challenge. I don't eat pasta at all, or polenta. I rarely eat bread or grains like rice. And I don't need recipes for things I already make like chili, hummus, basic soups mixing beans with other veggies/tomatoes, etc. So I've ended up saving a recipe here or there, from this book and that book, but mostly coming up short.

Not faulting those cookbooks at all. All of the cook books I have been getting from the library have had amazing recipes inside that most people would just really love cooking and eating. My diet is just super specific due to a surgery I had in the past, and the limitations get annoying when I'm trying to find vegan/vegetarian recipes I can eat. And, it doesn't help that I don't like tofu. The problem is me.....not the cook books. ha ha :) (Medically restricted diets are a pain in the rear! lol)

So, I will be continuing to grab a recipe here or there to try...while staying within my limited diet. The challenge of the hunt and picking up tips/tricks here and there is fun!

This book had several recipes included that I'm going to try! As well as full color photos of dishes and different types of beans. Just a lovely book! The best one I've looked at so far!

NOTE: This bean cookbook is not vegan/vegetarian, but the recipes could be easily modified to remove animal based foods.

[Michelle Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars,

As a vegan, I love beans, love them. From oven roasted spiced garbanzo beans, northern white bean dip with home baked bread, to a non-tahini garlic hummus like dip (severe allergies), three bean chili, and soups galore, beans are a giant staple of my diet and I was so excited to see a new bean cookbook, and am so thankful to have received an early copy.

This book is laid out cleanly, with an easy to read font, and extremely appealing photons.

Recipes I’m particularly interested in - it’s currently still too hot for soup but I am awaiting the cooler months so I can make a bunch of these.
*Summertime White Bean and Tomato Panzanella - making this over the upcoming weekend to nosh on with sourdough.
*Red Beans tossed with Wilted Arugula and Pumpkin Seeds (no eggs)
*Fennel, Potato, and White Bean Soup with Saffron (with vegan butter)
*Poggio Etrusco’s Classic Tuscan Vegetable-Bread Soup
*Jeremy Fox’s Yellow Eye Soup
*Midnight Black Bean Soup
*Staffan Terje’s Royal Corona, Swiss Chard, and Mushroom Stew (with vegan parm)
*Lalabi
*Arnab Chakladar’s Chana Masala
*Italian Pasta E Fagioli (minus pancetta, with vegan parm)

I could go on with my list, but I’ll leave it the current ten.

This isn’t a fully vegan cookbook, or even a vegetarian one, but a vast number of the recipes are vegan, or easily veganizable, and the end results look absolutely amazing and delicious.

My one issue with this cookbook that didn’t work was most of the recipes measurements were in cups, not metric.

Issue aside, this is one I’ll be getting for my ‘frequent-use cookbooks’ collection.



Thank you to Ten Speed Press and NetGalley for the PDF

[Gina Mahalek · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a “Bean Person”—one of the lucky ones with a subscription to the Rancho Gordo Bean Club. I love the accompanying materials that come with my quarterly bean shipment, but I also like to be organized and have all of my best bean info at the ready. At last, The Bean Book: 100 Recipes for Cooking with All Kinds of Beans has arrived to provide me with a single, beautifully designed volume that answers just about all of my questions regarding how to cook and use my beans to best advantage. I am also something of a “Bean Evangelist,” and The Bean Book would make a spectacular gift (especially when paired with a bag or two of beans) for friends and family who already love—or are just finding their way with—beans. All beans are overviewed in a single chapter for easy reference, cross-referenced with inspired recipes from the likes of Smitten Kitchen, Heidi Swanson, and, of course, the Rancho Gordo Kitchen. In addition to the fabulous bean recipes, there’s also an essential chapter on “Sweets, Stocks, Salsas & More” to take one’s enjoyment of beans to the next level. I love cookbooks, but I have learned to be very selective about which ones to add to my collection. The Bean Book is a must-have and a new favorite! Thank you to Ten Speed Press and NetGalley for allowing me an early look!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the fifth or sixth photo I took to capture a recipe, I closed the reading app and called my local indie bookstore to preorder this. (I had already preordered copies for my public library.). This brings my total number of owned cookbooks to 8–2 of them ordered this year thanks to NetGalley ARCs.

The author always cites their own brand of beans (as well as some other purchase-able basics), but there is a bean primer and enough info that the reader can feel pretty empowered to swap as needed— many of the recipes are flexible with the type of bean used (any white bean, or, another firm bean, sort of thing).

Photos were a bit lacking— not all recipes had photos; photos weren’t labeled (in this eARC), so it’s not always clear what we’re looking at; and a few of the photos are just ingredients, kinda stock images, which seems like a waste.

Recommended above Cool Beans: The Ultimate Guide to Cooking with the World's Most Versatile Plant-Based Protein, with 125 Recipes. eARC from NetGalley.

[DustyBookSniffers - Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Bean Book by Steve Sando is a delightful and inspiring compilation of bean recipes that had me eager to dive into the kitchen. From the moment I opened its pages, I was captivated by the creativity and versatility of the dishes presented.

What truly sets The Bean Book apart is the depth and detail with which Sando explores the world of beans. He covers everything from the various types of beans to growing heirloom varieties, harvesting them, and ultimately cooking them to perfection. This comprehensive approach makes the book not only a cookbook but also a valuable resource for bean enthusiasts.

The book's layout is both aesthetically pleasing and user-friendly, allowing for easy navigation and seamless execution of the recipes. Whether you're a seasoned chef or a novice, you'll find the instructions clear and concise, making the cooking process a joy.

I am excited to share these bean delights with my loved ones, and I am sure this cookbook will become a cherished addition to my kitchen library.

Thank you to NetGalley and Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press for generously providing me with an e-book copy of The Bean Book in exchange for an honest review.

[Nev · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, this is a gorgeous book. Who knew beans could be so impressive!

Growing up, the only types of beans I would see at the farmer's markets where I live would be "basic white" beans and some type of cranberry beans. You could mayyybe find some butterbeans every now and then but they were not as common as the other two.

So, imagine my surprise and amazement when I got into gardening during the pandemic and discovered beans in all colours, shapes and sizes! I spent hours on seed catalogues all over the world and wanted to grow them all but the problem was, I didn't know what to do with them after harvest. I mean, I knew a recipe or two that utilized beans but you can only repeat them so many times before getting bored.

Well, this book definitely solved that problem! It was really fun to read and so inspiring. I wanted to jump into the kitchen try out all the recipes immediately. And the quality of the book was of course what we have come to love and expect from Ten Speed Press.

I received and e-arc through NetGallet, so thanks NetGalley and Ten Speed Press for this opportunity!

[Marinna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was excited to see a cookbook dedicated to beans and with a title like 'The Bean Book,' this certainly felt like the perfect opportunity to add more beans to my diet. Unfortunately, this book fell into the category that many cookbooks do - the ingredients are not easily accessible. I did not realize that this cookbook comes from a company that sells heirloom beans until reading more into it. This makes most of the recipes very niche and not accessible to the "normal" person with access to average joe beans at their local grocer.

I did appreciate the basic recipes for refried beans and a simple hummus. Beyond these, however, the recipes are likely not something I would try as they are very time intensive and not realistic for a mom with two toddlers who most likely will reject my well-intentioned bean centric meal.

Overall, this is a beautiful book for the niche heirloom bean lover, but this was not for me!

Thank you to NetGalley, Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press, Ten Speed Press, and the author Steve Sando for an ARC of The Bean Book!

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a Rancho Gordo Bean Club member, I am already a devotée of Steve Sando and the incredibleness of heirloom beans. You'll often find me gifting Rancho Gordo beans to anyone just to demonstrate how delicious a deceivingly simple bean can be. But now, I think I'll need to start adding a copy of this book to the mix as well. The beginning of the book gives a wonderful background on the beans themselves as well as excellent tips on what to keep handy in your pantry to make them sing. Best of all, the base bean recipe is a classic that folks should have at hand whenever they just want an excellent pot of beans. I also appreciated that the recipes included in the book aren't overly complex, making ideal options for quick recipes with the beans as the shining star. I can't wait to have an occasion to bring over one of the delicious bean salads to share with everyone. I highly recommend this cookbook whether you are just starting off in your bean journey or are a seasoned pro with beans.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Ten Speed Press for the advanced copy.

[Laura Leaney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this at the "The Bean Monologues" event (this last October) directly from Steve Sando, owner of Rancho Gordo, heirloom bean guru, and all-around inspirational guy. My proximity to bean greatness is not why I gave this book five stars. I've been making my way through the recipes, and they've all been great. I'm rather mystified by another reviewer's lack of success -- but I'll share my thoughts on some personal favorites.

First, I love the descriptions of the types of beans available and their attributes. I'm vegan, so I cook quite a lot of beans and legumes and those descriptions (with photos) come in handy, even when I'm cooking using another book - like Joel Yonan's Cool Beans.

The recipes in this particular book are easy AND require fewer ingredients than many other cookbooks. The pages are made of thick paper, and the photographs are lovely. Many recipes involve meat, which I don’t eat, but quite a few are veganizeable, while the rest are naturally plant-based.

Second.......personal favorites: "A Simple Hummus," "Glorious Refried Beans," "Red Beans Tossed with Wilted Arugula and Pumpkins Seeds," "Smitten Kitchen's Pizza Beans," and now (as of tonight) "Heidi Swanson's Christmas Lima Stew." This last inspired my review. It was freaking unbelievably good. It's basically a chopped celery, green onion, garlic, tomato, giant lima feast of the senses. A little celery salt and crushed carraway seeds flavor the beany liquid, and the dish is topped with lemon and chopped oily black olives. I could not stop eating it. I ate it with homemade sourdough and felt like nothing could ever be that good again.

[Beckster · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this cookbook to anyone who wants to decrease their meat intake, improve their diet, improve their health, and decrease the planet's burden on animal products. I realize these claims may sound exaggerated, but this has all been scientifically proven. And you can do all of that while eating delicious beans! If you are not a current bean lover, this book will make you appreciate beans. If you are a current bean lover, it will certainly improve your skill in cooking beans. I have been a Steve Sando and Rancho Gordo fan for quite some time, and while his beans are far superior to most others, these recipes will improve your knowledge and ability to cook all types of beans. I highly recommend this book because it is chock full of great information, and did I mention it is a beautiful book? My sincere thanks to Ten Speed Press for allowing me to see an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. It was a pleasure.