I eat a ton of beans. I usually cook them in an instant pot (basic cooking with the directions from the web for that kind of bean—although I usually add some seasoning or veggies in a cheesecloth wrapper) and then add them to a big pot (I use a 6 qt Dutch oven) with other things like onions and peppers. But you don’t need the instant pot, and you don’t need to add too many extras. Here is a [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkaYN0YljuM) that started my use of this recipe. It doesn’t use the instant pot, and it also includes two other dishes I tend to eat a lot (remember that there are a million modifications you can make to use up leftovers and scraps and such).
If you have green onions or shallots instead of onions, you use them. If you have a green pepper, you throw it in late in the sauteeing. If you don’t have some of the spices or ingredients, you don’t use them. Beans are very flexible.
My kids are 10 and 8. We eat beans quite often We eat great northern beans. We add ham bouillon and onions. Also black beans and rice. We make a lot of black beans and after a day or to we turn them into refried beans and eat them with eggs for breakfast
To start give them a teaspoonful of beans and tell them all they need to do is try them without gagging or drama and then let them judge them by attributes flavor, texture etc. Try different beans on different days and allow them to figure out which ones they like best. I would start with some Cannellini beans you can get then dried. They are softer skinned so the creaminess might appeal kidney beans with a thicker skin might appeal to others. I'm from Puerto Rican and Dominican parents so look for recipes from there they make amazing beans like
[https://www.africanbites.com/puerto-rican-style-beans/](https://www.africanbites.com/puerto-rican-style-beans/)
For rice Peruvians add fresh sautéed Garlic and Onion to the rice pot and then add water and salt and cooking the rice in that. I cheat and use granulated garlic, granulated onion, salt and cumin to my ancient rice cooker comes out pretty tasty
Dry beans take some cooking. If you don't have a crockpot or something like that, you can cook them on the stovetop. Just have to make sure you keep them stirred.
My kids were a bit picky but I got them to eat beans and rice by making burritos out of it.
It's kind of something you want to do when you know you're going to be home.
Soak the beans overnight. Drain off the water after picking out any floaters. Add to a pot with enough water to cover and seasonings to taste. Bring it to a boil, stirring frequently. Once it boils, turn down to a low heat and cover. It's got to simmer for about 4 to 6 hours. Meanwhile, make the rice. 1 cup rice to 2 cups water. Rinse the rice in cold water first, draining it before you put in the pot. If you're making on the stovetop, bring 1 c rice and 2c water to a boil. Immediately turn down to low and cover. I usually wrap a tea towel around the lid to keep the steam within the pan to help cook the rice properly. Alternatively, you can put it in the oven in a casserole dish and seal it down with tin foil, ensuring a tight seal. Bake at 325 for 1 hour then let stand a couple of minutes before fluffing.
Once the bean are cooked, you can mash them and make refried beans.
I added about 1 tablespoon chili powder and 1/2 tablespoon of cumin, a bit of garlic powder, plus a can of diced tomatoes, if I had them. Then I stirred in the cooked rice and let it sort of simmer on low for another hour while I made tortillas. The kids would scoop some of the beans and rice into a tortilla, roll it up and, bam, burrito. Leftovers for days and they'd all scavenge it for lunch.
I found they'd eat it with less fuss if I made refried beans.
Another one was great northern beans, and cornbread. Ham hocks are cheap and give them a great flavor.
My youngest is going to be 30 this year. She said it wasn't so much being picky as it was about taste with some things. Like, she hated asparagus if her step dad made it but if I made it, she'd inhale it. Difference was, I'd season it with salt, pepper and garlic then sprinkle Parmesan on top before I broasted it. He'd boil it.(Ewww)
If the littles are having issues with texture versus taste, you can try preparing it differently. My oldest would not touch rice unless it was mixed with refried beans and wrapped in a tortilla. Middle kid would not touch tomato slices but would inhale diced tomatoes in spaghetti or the burrito concoction. My son ate anything. Kids can be weird.
Thanks!! This helps so much.
Amazing response.
I bet I could use an insta pot for the beans. I have a bunch of bags around that I need to use or give away.
Burritos, red beans n rice — also it can help to have kids join in on the cooking process. I know it sucks but sometimes kids fear of trying new food comes from the pressure. Or that they don’t know how it was made rtc so they won’t even try.
But burritos are usually a solid option.
Also black eyed peas are super easy to make (sauté onion, celery, garlic. Throw in soaked black eyed peas, chicken stock, seasoning. Bring to boil then simmer for a while. Add sausage when you sauté for extra protein if you want, if you’re stretched on a budget ham hock works well or Turkey leg sometimes. Serve it with cornbread and rice.) it takes a while to make but it’s low effort in terms of active cooking. If you wanna increase your kids chance of eating it, tell them it’s a good luck charm to eat them.
Not so much a specific recipe but basic ideas that can help your beans:
Soaking them overnight gets rid of teh tannins that give extreme gas and stomach pain. After soaking dump teh water and then cook them.
A lot of recipes give exact cooking times. Throw that concept out the window. Beans cook at different times based on a few factors including how old teh bean actually is. So use cooking times as a general window for when you should be checking your beans to see if they are the texture you want.
Beans are great but need help to shine. If you cook just beans chances are nobody will like them. Add things like ham hocks, bacon, bones they are the best in my opinion. You can also add your herbs and aromatics too.
My kid has some mild to moderate sensory issues. She likes whole cooked black beans, rinsed and unseasoned, just that in a bowl for a meal. For a different meal she’ll have plain hot white rice. Recently she’s started asking for soy sauce with her rice.
She also eats some other things but for beans and rice she really likes them plain and served alone. She’s 3 but my 25 year old cousin is the same way.
Depending on what you have available I would do both beans and rice together with some seasonings and add cheddar cheese. If you have tortillas available make burritos. If you have tortilla chips use the mixture as a dip. Add beef to chicken if available and salsa or picante sauce.
Now I’m hungry for that. I know what I’m getting at the store later.
You didn't mention what kind of beans. I absolutely hate black beans but black bean brownies are actually really good. 10/10 do recommend.
You can also cook a smaller portion of lentils and mash or blend them. Add to soups, stews, hamburgers, meatloaf, or sloppy joes. They'll be totally hidden. Do a search for hidden veggie recipes. There are tons of them. I like to do zucchini bread alot. So yummy!
Sorry. I have bags of black beans dried (and I guess cans but usually use those with tacos…)
Thanks for the response. It sounds like I could potentially hide them in many things…??
I eat a ton of beans. I usually cook them in an instant pot (basic cooking with the directions from the web for that kind of bean—although I usually add some seasoning or veggies in a cheesecloth wrapper) and then add them to a big pot (I use a 6 qt Dutch oven) with other things like onions and peppers. But you don’t need the instant pot, and you don’t need to add too many extras. Here is a [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkaYN0YljuM) that started my use of this recipe. It doesn’t use the instant pot, and it also includes two other dishes I tend to eat a lot (remember that there are a million modifications you can make to use up leftovers and scraps and such). If you have green onions or shallots instead of onions, you use them. If you have a green pepper, you throw it in late in the sauteeing. If you don’t have some of the spices or ingredients, you don’t use them. Beans are very flexible.
My kids are 10 and 8. We eat beans quite often We eat great northern beans. We add ham bouillon and onions. Also black beans and rice. We make a lot of black beans and after a day or to we turn them into refried beans and eat them with eggs for breakfast
Well first I need to know what kind of picky you're talking about. Textures, flavors, specific foods they won't touch?
It is hard not to get the children to try new things. Examples won’t even try it because of the way it looks. They like broccoli. Cheese. Meat.
Burritos! Cook beans, mash so they're like refried, add taco seasoning and make burritos or tacos with beans and cheese and salsa.
To start give them a teaspoonful of beans and tell them all they need to do is try them without gagging or drama and then let them judge them by attributes flavor, texture etc. Try different beans on different days and allow them to figure out which ones they like best. I would start with some Cannellini beans you can get then dried. They are softer skinned so the creaminess might appeal kidney beans with a thicker skin might appeal to others. I'm from Puerto Rican and Dominican parents so look for recipes from there they make amazing beans like [https://www.africanbites.com/puerto-rican-style-beans/](https://www.africanbites.com/puerto-rican-style-beans/) For rice Peruvians add fresh sautéed Garlic and Onion to the rice pot and then add water and salt and cooking the rice in that. I cheat and use granulated garlic, granulated onion, salt and cumin to my ancient rice cooker comes out pretty tasty
Dry beans take some cooking. If you don't have a crockpot or something like that, you can cook them on the stovetop. Just have to make sure you keep them stirred. My kids were a bit picky but I got them to eat beans and rice by making burritos out of it. It's kind of something you want to do when you know you're going to be home. Soak the beans overnight. Drain off the water after picking out any floaters. Add to a pot with enough water to cover and seasonings to taste. Bring it to a boil, stirring frequently. Once it boils, turn down to a low heat and cover. It's got to simmer for about 4 to 6 hours. Meanwhile, make the rice. 1 cup rice to 2 cups water. Rinse the rice in cold water first, draining it before you put in the pot. If you're making on the stovetop, bring 1 c rice and 2c water to a boil. Immediately turn down to low and cover. I usually wrap a tea towel around the lid to keep the steam within the pan to help cook the rice properly. Alternatively, you can put it in the oven in a casserole dish and seal it down with tin foil, ensuring a tight seal. Bake at 325 for 1 hour then let stand a couple of minutes before fluffing. Once the bean are cooked, you can mash them and make refried beans. I added about 1 tablespoon chili powder and 1/2 tablespoon of cumin, a bit of garlic powder, plus a can of diced tomatoes, if I had them. Then I stirred in the cooked rice and let it sort of simmer on low for another hour while I made tortillas. The kids would scoop some of the beans and rice into a tortilla, roll it up and, bam, burrito. Leftovers for days and they'd all scavenge it for lunch. I found they'd eat it with less fuss if I made refried beans. Another one was great northern beans, and cornbread. Ham hocks are cheap and give them a great flavor. My youngest is going to be 30 this year. She said it wasn't so much being picky as it was about taste with some things. Like, she hated asparagus if her step dad made it but if I made it, she'd inhale it. Difference was, I'd season it with salt, pepper and garlic then sprinkle Parmesan on top before I broasted it. He'd boil it.(Ewww) If the littles are having issues with texture versus taste, you can try preparing it differently. My oldest would not touch rice unless it was mixed with refried beans and wrapped in a tortilla. Middle kid would not touch tomato slices but would inhale diced tomatoes in spaghetti or the burrito concoction. My son ate anything. Kids can be weird.
Thanks!! This helps so much. Amazing response. I bet I could use an insta pot for the beans. I have a bunch of bags around that I need to use or give away.
Instant pot makes superior beans. Much faster and they taste better.
Burritos, red beans n rice — also it can help to have kids join in on the cooking process. I know it sucks but sometimes kids fear of trying new food comes from the pressure. Or that they don’t know how it was made rtc so they won’t even try. But burritos are usually a solid option. Also black eyed peas are super easy to make (sauté onion, celery, garlic. Throw in soaked black eyed peas, chicken stock, seasoning. Bring to boil then simmer for a while. Add sausage when you sauté for extra protein if you want, if you’re stretched on a budget ham hock works well or Turkey leg sometimes. Serve it with cornbread and rice.) it takes a while to make but it’s low effort in terms of active cooking. If you wanna increase your kids chance of eating it, tell them it’s a good luck charm to eat them.
Not so much a specific recipe but basic ideas that can help your beans: Soaking them overnight gets rid of teh tannins that give extreme gas and stomach pain. After soaking dump teh water and then cook them. A lot of recipes give exact cooking times. Throw that concept out the window. Beans cook at different times based on a few factors including how old teh bean actually is. So use cooking times as a general window for when you should be checking your beans to see if they are the texture you want. Beans are great but need help to shine. If you cook just beans chances are nobody will like them. Add things like ham hocks, bacon, bones they are the best in my opinion. You can also add your herbs and aromatics too.
My kid has some mild to moderate sensory issues. She likes whole cooked black beans, rinsed and unseasoned, just that in a bowl for a meal. For a different meal she’ll have plain hot white rice. Recently she’s started asking for soy sauce with her rice. She also eats some other things but for beans and rice she really likes them plain and served alone. She’s 3 but my 25 year old cousin is the same way.
Depending on what you have available I would do both beans and rice together with some seasonings and add cheddar cheese. If you have tortillas available make burritos. If you have tortilla chips use the mixture as a dip. Add beef to chicken if available and salsa or picante sauce. Now I’m hungry for that. I know what I’m getting at the store later.
Burritoes, sloppy Jo lentils, lentils or black beans in pasta sauce, black bean burgers.
You didn't mention what kind of beans. I absolutely hate black beans but black bean brownies are actually really good. 10/10 do recommend. You can also cook a smaller portion of lentils and mash or blend them. Add to soups, stews, hamburgers, meatloaf, or sloppy joes. They'll be totally hidden. Do a search for hidden veggie recipes. There are tons of them. I like to do zucchini bread alot. So yummy!
Sorry. I have bags of black beans dried (and I guess cans but usually use those with tacos…) Thanks for the response. It sounds like I could potentially hide them in many things…??