Eating one cup of beans a day can help you reach almost any nutritional goal you might have.
Want to add extra protein to your meal? Beans. Improve your gut health? Beans. Reduce inflammation? Beans. Eat fewer ultra-processed foods? Beans.
Few know this better than Amelia Christie-Miller, the 32-year-old founder and CEO of Bold Bean Co., a UK-based premium bean brand whose jars of fat chickpeas and butter beans, among others, can be found on the shelves of most upmarket delis or grocery stores in London.
Christie-Miller is on a mission to get people eating more beans, partly to improve their health and partly to tackle the climate crisis, as beans are more sustainable than animal products and improve soil quality.
“They really are the answer to so many of our world’s problems,” Christie-Miller told Business Insider.
Eating beans provides many health benefits
The tiny — and cheap — nutritional powerhouses are excellent sources of both plant-based protein and fiber (a cup of black beans, for example, contains around 15 grams of both). There’s ample evidence to suggest eating them regularly can help with far more than just smooth digestion.
In one 2025 study published in the journal Current Developments in Nutrition, 72 participants with prediabetes were split into three groups and asked to eat either a cup of chickpeas, black beans, or white rice daily for three months.
By the end of the study, those who ate chickpeas reduced their cholesterol levels by around 10%, from high to normal, and those who ate black beans saw a significant drop in their inflammation levels.
Here are three tasty bean recipes from her latest cookbook, “Full of Beans: Delicious Beany Recipes to Obsess Over.”
1) Cosy chicken and white bean soup
Feeds four
Takes 45 minutes
Ingredients:
- 250g (9oz) leftover roast chicken, shredded, skin reserved for the crispy topping
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil, plus extra to serve
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1 celery stalk, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 to 2 rosemary sprigs, leaves picked and chopped
- 1 teaspoon of dried oregano or thyme
- 100g (31⁄2oz) kale, chard, or cavolo nero, roughly chopped
- 750ml (25fl oz) chicken stock
- 250ml (9fl oz) milk
- 570g (1lb 41⁄2oz) jarred white beans, with their bean stock
- 1 bay leaf (optional)
- salt and pepper
- lemon wedges, to serve
Method:
1. If you have any leftover chicken skin from your roast that’s gone all cold and flabby, this is the moment to turn it into something the table will be fighting for. Peel it off the chicken and heat a deep, heavy-bottomed saucepan over a medium—high heat (you don’t want the stovetop too hot, or you’ll risk burning the chicken skin). Add one tablespoon of the olive oil, then lay the chicken skin in the pan in a single layer.
Fry for three to four minutes on each side, moving the pieces around so they crisp up evenly. Once crisp, remove them using tongs and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Leave all the rendered fat in the pan to start your chicken soup.
2. Add the remaining oil to the pan (use a bit less if you had lots of chicken fat), reduce the heat a little, and chuck in the onion, carrot, and celery. Season, stir to coat the veggies in the oil, then gently cook for 15 minutes to soften.
3. Chuck in the garlic, rosemary, and oregano, and cook for a further few minutes, then add the chicken and kale, and stir everything together. Season again, then pour in the chicken stock and milk. Add the beans with their bean stock, and bring to a simmer. Add a bay leaf at this point, too, if you like. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes.
4. Divide between deep bowls, then top with an extra splash of olive oil and a handful of the crispy chicken skin. Serve with lemon wedges on the side for squeezing over.
2) Chickpea, tomato, and harissa stew with herby yogurt
Feeds two
Takes 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 250g (9oz) cherry or baby plum tomatoes
- 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
- 570g (1lb 41⁄2oz) jarred chickpeas, with their bean stock
- 2 tablespoons of good-quality harissa, a North African chile pepper paste
For the herby yogurt:
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- Zest of 1 lemon and a squeeze of the juice
- 15g (1⁄2oz) dill or parsley, finely chopped
- 3 teaspoons of capers or a handful of green olives, drained and chopped
- 250g (9oz) Greek yoghurt
Serve with:
- warm flatbreads
- couscous or quinoa
Method:
1. Heat the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan over a high heat. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook for five to six minutes until blistered, soft, and slightly charred. Lower the heat to medium, then add the garlic and fry for one to two minutes, stirring, until fragrant.
2. Add the chickpeas, along with their bean stock, and bubble for three to four minutes until reduced by half. Stir through the harissa and simmer for two to three minutes more.
3. Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the herby yoghurt. Adjust the seasoning and acidity to your taste, adding a squeeze of lemon juice if you like it very lemony.
4. Spoon the chickpeas into warm bowls and top with the herby yoghurt. Serve with warm flatbreads and/or cooked couscous or quinoa, if you like.
3) Black bean Makhani with kachumber salad
A makhani is a Punjabi dish typically made with lentils, but this version swaps them for black beans. The Bold Bean contributor Raina Patel said: “This recipe is my tribute to my grandma — cosy, comforting flavours from my childhood with a little twist.”
Feeds four
Takes 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons of neutral oil, such as sunflower or rapeseed oil
- 1 onion, roughly chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed or finely grated
- Thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, finely grated
- 1 chile, finely chopped / 1⁄2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, to taste
- 3 teaspoons of garam masala
- 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon of paprika
- 1 teaspoon of ground turmeric
- 150ml (5fl oz/1⁄4 pint) passata or 2 large tomatoes, blitzed in a blender
- 1 bay leaf (optional)
- 570g (1lb 41⁄2oz) jarred black beans, with their bean stock
- 100ml (31⁄2fl oz) double cream or Greek yoghurt
- A pinch of white sugar (optional)
- Juice of 2 limes, plus wedges to serve
- Salt
- Greek or coconut yoghurt, to serve
For the kachumber salad:
- 1⁄2 cucumber, diced
- 2 vine or cherry tomatoes, diced
- 1⁄2 red onion, very finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
- A pinch of chile powder
- A small handful of mint or coriander
Method:
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Tip in the onion with a pinch of salt, and cook for eight to ten minutes until softened. Add the garlic, ginger, and chile or cayenne pepper, and cook for a further two to three minutes until fragrant.
2. Stir in the garam masala, cumin, paprika, turmeric, and another good pinch of salt. Continue to cook for one minute or so, stirring constantly to prevent the spices from burning. Add a splash of water if it begins to stick.
3. Add the passata and the bay leaf, if using, and stir for two to three minutes. The mixture will begin to thicken. Now add the beans and their bean stock. Increase the heat to medium—high and bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Once bubbling, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Add a splash of water if needed.
4. Meanwhile, make the kachumber salad. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and taste for seasoning. Set aside for later.
5. If you’re happy with a chunkier makhani, you could partially mash the beans with a potato masher, then add the cream or yoghurt. However, for something closer to the traditional Punjabi classic, carefully transfer a third of the mixture to a blender, making sure the bay leaf isn’t in there. Pour in a splash of the cream or yogurt to cool it slightly, secure the lid tightly, and blend until smooth. Pour the blended mixture back into the pot and stir to combine.
6. Taste for seasoning. At this stage, you may want to add a little sugar to balance. Stir in the remaining cream or yoghurt. Add the lime a little at a time, tasting as you go.
7. To serve, spoon the makhani into bowls, and top each one with a dollop of Greek or coconut yoghurt and a big spoonful of the kachumber salad. To make it into a full and hearty meal, serve with basmati rice, naan bread, or tortilla chips.
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