Healthy Bean Recipes For a Nutritious Start To The New Year

Comforting soups, spicy chili, and an easy roasted sheet pan meal. Healthy bean recipes for a nutritious start to the new year!

A Nutritious Start to the New Year!

Today I am joining four other creator-friends to share healthy recipes.

What a great way to start the year!

As it would happen, ensuring I am getting all the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients my body needs is something I want to focus on in 2025.

And cooking healthy food is the best way to lay the foundation for that.

You can read about my plans and intentions for 2025 in last week’s blog post: Farewell 202! Let’s Get 2025 Started!

You might remember that I am a vegetarian. But whether you eat meat or not, adding more veg-forward, and even plant-based, meals to your weekly rotation creates a well-rounded diet.

Consuming less meat is also good for the environment. Another reason to eat your veggies!

Today I have chosen to share a NYT Cooking recipe for Sheet Pan Feta With Chickpeas and Tomatoes. It comes together in minutes, then roasts in the oven until the feta is soft and creamy, the tomatoes are jammy, and the chickpeas are just a little crispy.

So easy and so good!

And, because I love beans, I am also linking some of my other favorite bean recipes — from comforting soups to spicy chili.

Plus, you can jump over to see my friends healthy recipes at the bottom of this post!

Why Beans are a Superfood

Did you know that beans are considered by many to be a super food?!

But what exactly is a “super food”?

The Cleveland Clinic describes superfoods as “natural foods that are especially nutrient-dense while generally being low in calories.”

Eating super foods can improve heart health, promote a strong immune system, reduce inflammation, lower cholesterol, and even help to prevent some cancers.

Wow, those really are super foods!

The small but mighty lentil is generally on the super food list, and other beans have super-food powers too.

All beans are high in fiber and an excellent source of plant-based protein. Beans contain folic acid and minerals such as potassium, zinc, magnesium, and iron. They are also full of anti-oxidants!

I know that beans have a reputation for causing bloating and gas. (That is all that healthy fiber at work…) I personally don’t have a problem with them. If you aren’t so lucky, though, there are a few things you can do that will help.

Introduce beans into your diet gradually.

Add spices such as cumin, coriander, fennel, and ginger that help to calm your digestive tract.

And lastly, take a supplement such as Beano before consuming beans. It contains a natural enzyme that breaks down the complex carbohydrates in beans and makes them easier to digest.

With all that out of the way, are you ready to get cooking?!

NYT Cooking Sheet Pan Feta With Chickpeas and Tomatoes

This recipe is so easy and comes together in a snap!

Open, drain, and rinse two cans of chickpeas, and spread out on a large sheet pan. (I lined mine with a silicone baking mat.)

Add two pints of cherry tomatoes. Nope, you don’t even need to cut them up! I used a mix of red and yellow.

Slice a shallot and add to the sheet pan.

Season with salt and some red pepper flakes, then drizzle with olive oil and honey. I skipped the red pepper flakes and used hot honey. If you haven’t tried hot (as in spicy) honey yet, you must! It is so good!

Give everything a good stir to combine. Then spread in a single layer in the pan.

Lastly tuck in some slices of feta. Always use the good, sheep’s milk feta! I like Trader Joe’s Authentic Greek Feta in brine. The Olympiana 100% Greek feta (in brine) is also good and available at my local grocery store. Cow’s milk feta will not work in this recipe. And definitely don’t use crumbled feta!

Place the pan in a 400° oven and roast for about 30 minutes until the feta is creamy, the tomatoes jammy, and the chickpeas just a little bit crisp and golden.

I like to serve this dish over farro — a healthy high-fiber ancient grain, which, like beans, is loaded with nutrients.

I then top each serving with a handful of arugula and a drizzle of balsamic glaze.

Yum!

The Recipe

Other Favorite Winter Bean Recipes

I am such a big fan of beans, that I have many bean recipes in my rotation.

Here are links to a few of my favorites this time of year!

White Bean, Rice, and Dill Soup:

Another favorite from NYT Cooking.

This soup is nothing fancy, but I find its simplicity is so comforting.

Definitely go with the fresh dill instead of dried. I use at least twice the 1/4 C the recipe calls for. The more dill, the better, in my book!

For a chunkier soup, I cut the veggies in small chunks.

I substitute fennel for celery and fresh lemon juice adds brightness. I add the juice of a whole lemon after cooking.

Black Bean Soup:

I don’t generally follow a recipe when I make black bean soup. I might look at a recipe or two for general quantities.

This recipe or this one are both good starting points.

Canned black beans, tomatoes, onions, garlic, carrots, and celery form the base. Then add more veggies if you like — a red pepper or jalapeno if you want it spicy. You could even add sweet potato. And spices — chili powder, coriander, cumin, paprika.

I keep a can of tomatoes with chipotle peppers on hand. It adds a nice depth and kick to black bean soup. Also, instead of broth I use water with a large spoonful or two of veggie Better than Bouillon.

Again, some lime juice at the end adds a bit of zing to the soup.

Finish with your favorite toppings: cilantro, crumbled tortilla chips, avocado, feta cheese, greek yogurt… Utterly sublime on a chilly day, served with simple cheese quesadillas on the side!

Lentil Soup:

Lentil soup might be my favorite kind of bean soup. It is another soup for which I don’t really follow a recipe.

When I make the trek to Trader Joe’s this time of year I always pick up the ingredients for the TJ’s Lentil Veggie Soup. This soup recipe was popular on social media last year.

It is made from TJ’s Holiday Hash, steamed lentils, a can of tomatoes, and veggie broth. It comes together in minutes and then simmers on the stove for a warm, nutritious, and tasty quick meal.

I shared the link to the original recipe on Instagram in my blog post Winter Blues | Cozy Living Room Inspiration in my Signature Color.

Whatever lentil soup recipe you use, if you find the result to be a bit bland, add a few dollops of good balsamic vinegar at the end. It makes a huge difference!

Vegetarian chili:

The vegetarian chili recipe from Love and Lemons is a good one.

It has both pinto and kidney beans, plus chipotle pepper in adobo sauce for smoky depth and a spicy kick. Corn kernels add a little sweetness.

I shared the recipe for an easy skillet vegetarian chili last year in my post A Cozy Faux-Fireplace Bedroom Reading Nook. It called for pickled red onions as a topping. These are easy to make and were a delicious addition to a traditional chili recipe.

More Healthy Recipes to Start Your New Year

Now let’s check out what healthy recipes my friends are sharing!

Mary Ann: Classic Casual Home

Cindy: Cindy Hattersley Design

Annie: Most Lovely Things

Elizabeth: Pinecones and Acorns

That’s it for today! I would love to know what you think, if you try any of these recipes!

I’ll be back with you again on Saturday!