Legumes (e.g., beans, lentils, chickpeas and peas) are a budget-friendly, nutrition-packed addition to any meal. Whether you're trying to eat healthier, save money, or reduce your environmental impact - adding more legumes to your plate is a great place to start.
Benefits of legume packed meals
1. Good for your health as they are
- High in fibre which helps your bowels work well and keeps you feeling fuller for longer.
- Rich in iron and folate, which help your body make healthy blood.
- A good source of protein.
Eating legumes regularly may lower cholesterol and your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers.
2. Great for your wallet
- Dried and canned legumes cost much less than meat. Adding legumes to meat dishes is a great way to get more food for less money!
3. Good for the planet
- They help improve soil health, which allows farmers to grow better crops. Growing legumes creates fewer greenhouse gases than raising animals for meat.
Easy Ways to Add Legumes to Your Meals
Legumes complement many different flavours and can be used in lots of different dishes! Boost your soups and stews, power up your salads, snack smart, or enjoy some meat-free days.
You can buy legumes canned or dried. Canned legumes are super convenient - just drain, rinse and warm (if you're making a hot dish). Dried legumes are often cheaper and great for batch cooking, though they take a little longer to prepare.
To ease into using legumes in meat dishes, try swapping out 125g of meat for one can of drained legumes. Adjust the ratio to suit your taste. You can freeze any leftover meat or double the recipe and freeze portions for later.
Dish | Swap/add | NMNT recipe inspo |
Spaghetti Bolognese | Swap some of the mince for brown lentils. | |
Tacos or nachos | Swap some of the mince or meat for kidney beans or black beans. | |
Pasta dishes | Add chickpeas, cannellini beans, butter beans, or a 4-bean mix. | |
Casseroles or tagines | Add chickpeas, cannellini beans, or butter beans. To thicken casseroles: Add about 3 tablespoons of red lentils (3 tablespoons for every 500mL of liquid) at the start of cooking. After about 15- 20 minutes they will break down and help to thicken the dish. | |
Curries | Add chickpeas or lentils. | |
Burger patties | Swap the meat (or a portion of the meat) for mashed kidney beans, black beans, or lentils to make a vego-friendly burger patty. | |
Mashed potato | Add a can of drained white beans in the last 2 minutes of cooking. Mash as usual. | |
Rice dishes | Mix a can of brown lentils through any type of rice – works best with medium or long grain rice, basmati or brown rice. | |
Soups | Soups are made for legumes! Simply stir through cooked/canned beans or lentils, or blend through with other ingredients until smooth. | |
Salads | Add your favourite canned legumes (drained and rinsed) to any salad to turn a simple salad into a filling meal or side dish. |
Pure plant-protein meals
Want to skip meat altogether? Try some of our vegetarian recipes:
Breakfast
Lunch and dinner
Sides
Snacks
- Hummus served with wholegrain crackers or vegetable sticks
- Creamy white bean dip served with wholegrain crackers or vegetable sticks
Share your beany creations! Send us your favourite bean or legume recipes or post them on the Easy Healthy Eating with NMNT Facebook page.
