These 8 sneaky ways to add beans and lentils to your meals make them a lot less noticeable. From blending them into pasta sauce and smoothies to baking them into muffins and brownies, these ideas are perfect if you’re just not a huge bean person or even if you’re just trying to eat more of them!
Beans seem to be everywhere lately – and for good reason. They’re extremely versatile: of course, you can just throw them into a variety of meals and snacks.
But you can also disguise them in foods you already love. Blend them into sauces, make hummus, bake them into brownies or add them to chicken salad. The possibilities are endless!
This post specifically focuses on some of the less obvious ways to use beans. For more traditional ideas, check out my guide All The Best Ways to Use Beans.
Why Beans Are So Beneficial
Beans are one of my favorite foods to recommend as a dietitian because they provide both protein and fiber—two nutrients that can be helpful for building more balanced, satisfying meals. They’re also an affordable source of nutrients including folate, iron, phosphorus and other vitamins and minerals.
The fiber in beans includes both soluble fiber and resistant starch, which can help support beneficial gut bacteria. Soluble fiber may also help lower LDL cholesterol and slow the rise in blood sugar after a meal. Regularly eating legumes has also been associated with benefits for cardiovascular health.
And considering most Americans still don’t get enough fiber, beans are an easy food to add more often. The good news? You don’t have to love eating a bowl of beans to get the benefits. The recipes below blend, mash and bake beans into foods you may already be eating.
1. Blend beans into sauces
White beans are one of the easiest beans to blend into sauces because they have such a mild flavor and naturally creamy texture. Cannellini, navy, and Great Northern beans all blend up really smoothly, adding fiber and nutrients while also making the sauce feel a little richer and creamier.
They’re also a dairy-free alternative to heavy cream but create a similar richness. You can even just incorporate them into your favorite store-bought sauce by using an immersion blender!
Homemade Creamy Tomato & White Bean Sauce
This is a creamy, homemade marinara sauce with just a few simple ingredients.
If you struggle to meet your fiber intake for the day, the sauce itself has 5 grams of fiber – plus, add in some higher fiber noodles and this can be a great way to increase overall fiber intake. It’s quite a difference compared to most store-bought sauces, which have about 1 gram of fiber per serving.
Also try: Blended White Bean Sauce from Bites of Wellness. If you’re looking for a white bean alfredo-style sauce that feels comforting but still fresh, this is a great option. It works with anything where you would normally reach for a creamy sauce – a classic pasta dish or drizzled over roasted vegetables.
2. Mash them into chicken or tuna salad
This is one of my favorite hacks when incorporating beans: mashing them into chicken salad for a protein and fiber boost! If you want some chunky texture, leave them more whole or completely mash them and you will never know they’re there.
Pepperoncini Chicken Salad
Try this tangy, briny pepperoncini chicken salad with a creamy yogurt and mayo dressing! This recipe makes about 4 servings! Each serving has 298 calories, 31 grams of protein, and 4.4 grams of fiber!
Honey Mustard Apple Walnut Chicken Salad
If you love that sweet and savory combination, this hidden chickpea chicken salad adds crisp and crunchy apples and walnuts with a sweet and tangy honey mustard dressing.
3. Add beans or lentils to familiar meat-based meals
Adding beans to classic ground meat meals is such a budget-friendly way to stretch the recipe while adding more fiber and plant-based protein.
Cooked brown or green lentils have a similar hearty texture and blend in especially well with ground beef or turkey in dishes like tacos, sloppy joes, pasta sauce, casseroles, and meatballs.
Even replacing just a portion of the meat with lentils can add more fiber, plant-based protein, and nutrients while still keeping the familiar flavor and texture of the original recipe.
Meal Ideas
- Saucy Beef and Lentil Meatballs (The Real Food Dietitians)
- Lentil Sloppy Joes (Food Network)
4. Blend beans into creamy soups
Blending white beans into soups is an easy way to make them thicker and creamier while also adding more fiber and plant-based protein. Their mild flavor works especially well in soups like tomato, cauliflower, potato, or vegetable-based soups where they can blend right in without making the recipe taste overly “bean-y.”
Simple Roasted Tomato Soup (The Oregon Dietitian)
A classic, flavorful roasted tomato soup that is cozy and comforting. Blend 1 cup of cooked white beans or red lentils for extra protein and fiber without altering the taste!
Other ideas this would work well for are pumpkin soup or butternut squash soup.
5. Sneak lentils into casseroles
Casseroles are another easy place to sneak in lentils because there are so many other flavors and textures going on. I have two recipes where this little trick works especially well.
Italian Quinoa Casserole
A cheesy Italian-inspired casserole where the lentils essentially disappear among the ground turkey, quinoa, marinara and cheese. It is very filling and easy to meal prep!
Cheeseburger Quinoa Casserole
This cheeseburger quinoa casserole is one of my favorite examples of how easily lentils can blend into a ground meat dish. The lentils are mashed right into the ground beef, then baked with quinoa, cheese, and all those familiar cheeseburger flavors.
You still get the hearty texture and flavor of a classic ground beef meal, but with an extra boost of fiber and plant-based protein from the lentils.
6. Add them to smoothies
One trend I’ve been seeing a lot lately is adding beans to smoothies. It sounds a little strange at first, but mild beans like white beans can blend in surprisingly well – especially with stronger flavors like coffee, chocolate, banana, or berries.
They add fiber, some plant-based protein, and extra creaminess without making the smoothie taste like beans.
Vegan Coconut Coffee Breakfast Shake (Strength and Sunshine)
A smoothie with ingredients like coffee, coconut milk/yogurt, cashews and ½ cup white beans blended completely into the smoothie. And, of course, you don’t even taste them!
More Options
- Banana Bread and Chickpea Smoothie (Sarah Gold RD)
- Tropical White Bean Smoothie (The Heart Dietitian)
7. Blend beans into dips and spreads
Whipped Avocado White Bean Dip (the Healthy Epicurean)
A yummy homemade dip where chickpeas/white beans are completely puréed with avocado, herbs, lemon and garlic. The beans essentially disappear and you’ve got a higher-protein, higher-fiber snack or appetizer.
Also Try:
- Chili Hummus (The Healthy Epicurean), which blends kidney beans with tomato, spices, lime, onion and jalapeño into a smooth dip.
- Pumpkin Pie Dessert Hummus (Haute and Healthy Living).
8. Bake them into brownies, blondies and snack bars
There are endless recipes of baked goods with hidden beans inside, and they are surpisingly delicious!
Chickpea Blondies (Living Chirpy)
The chickpeas are completely blended into a blondie batter with peanut butter, maple syrup, oat flour, walnuts and white chocolate chips. There is no bean taste – just delicious treats with a little extra nutrition.
Chickpea Cookie Dough Bites (Haute and Healthy Living)
If you’re a cookie dough lover, you will enjoy these chickpea cookie dough bites. These make for a quick, easy and nutritious snack – even when you’re on the go. No baking required!
Peanut Butter and Banana Chickpea Muffins (The Toddler Kitchen)
Soft, moist and delicious muffins with that classic peanut butter and banana flavor combination – but with a healthy twist! The chickpeas lend to these soft texture of these muffins and you don’t taste them at all.
More Baked Goods:
- Black Bean Brownies (Chocolate Covered Katie)
- Lentil Banana Muffins (The Lean Green Bean)
- Cookie Dough Nice Cream Cake (Chelsea Amer Nutrition)
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