Grains and Beans

Name: Grains and Beans
Total time: 2 h
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 1 cup whole grains, such as barley, wheat, emmer, einkorn, rye, spelt or wheat berries; 1 quart chicken or vegetable stock, preferably homemade; 1/2 teaspoon salt, more as needed; 6 slices bacon, diced; 1 onion, diced; 1 green pepper, diced; 1 celery stalk, diced, plus celery leaves for serving; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 2 teaspoons thyme leaves, more for serving; 3 1/2 cups (two 15-ounce cans) cooked red kidney beans, drained; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg; Hot sauce, for serving

By Melissa Clark

Total Time: 1½ to 2 hours
Rating: 5(808)
Notes: Read community notes

A play on Southern red beans and rice, this is a spicy, filling and highly nutritious dish. To make this meat-free, leave out the bacon, or substitute sliced mushrooms fried in olive oil for depth of flavor. But do use the hot sauce, preferably one with a vinegar bite to brighten up the dense heartiness of beans and grains.

Featured in: Beyond Quinoa: The New Ancient Grains

Learn: How to Cook Beans

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings

1cup whole grains, such as barley, wheat, emmer, einkorn, rye, spelt or wheat berries
1quart chicken or vegetable stock, preferably homemade
½teaspoon salt, more as needed
6slices bacon, diced
1onion, diced
1green pepper, diced
1celery stalk, diced, plus celery leaves for serving
2garlic cloves, minced
2teaspoons thyme leaves, more for serving
3½cups (two 15-ounce cans) cooked red kidney beans, drained
¼teaspoon black pepper
¼teaspoon grated nutmeg
Hot sauce, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
In a medium pot, simmer grains in chicken stock, adding salt to taste if stock is unsalted. Different grains will cook at different rates, but 35 to 75 minutes is the general range. When grains are just tender, drain, reserving any extra stock.
Step 2
In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate, reserving 2 tablespoons bacon grease in skillet.
Step 3
Add onion, pepper, celery and ½ teaspoon salt to skillet and cook until vegetables are translucent, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and thyme and cook for 2 minutes longer, until garlic is fragrant.
Step 4
Stir beans, black pepper and nutmeg into skillet and cook until vegetables are very tender, 10 to 20 minutes, adding some reserved chicken stock from the grains or water if pan looks dry.
Step 5
Add drained grains to pan and stir until heated through, adding more stock or water if needed. Stir in bacon, and salt to taste. Serve grains and beans topped with celery and thyme leaves, with hot sauce on the side.

Ratings

5 out of 5

808 user ratings

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Cooking Notes

Sarah6 years ago

So good! This is now my partner's favorite dish. We made it considerably easier by putting dried kidney beans and farro in the slow cooker in the morning; all we had to do in the evening was cook up the veggies and bacon and combine.

Sandy6 years ago

Made this with farro and great northerns. Would work with any combo of beans and grains. Excellent!

Lisa6 years ago

Very good. I don't eat bacon so I cooked the vegetables in chicken fat. I threw in some small cubes of roasted butternut squash at the end, and topped it with a fried egg.

Tony)6 years ago

I definitely got the comparison to red beans and rice with this recipe. I used all the ingredients listed but added a small cut up sweet potato with the pearled barley while it was simmering(took an hour). I really simplified the steps to cook, preparing like a soup. I used mushrooms instead of bacon. Loved all the flavors!

Kris6 years ago

This would be good with quinoa or brown rice, both of which are gluten free.

Mandy6 years ago

I used roasted green chili instead of a green bell pepper. It's the NM take on red beans and rice!

Faye5 years ago

Delicious! No changes, used farro and Rancho Gordo Santa Maria Pinquito (brown - looks similar to a pinto bean). Don't worry about dicing the bacon raw - a pain and it's easy to dice after you crisp it. I used 5 slices of bacon because that's what I had. I may cut it down to 3; I love bacon but just for the sake of making a healthier dish. I liked raw cilantro on top better than celery leaves. This is pure comfort food....

Marian V.6 years ago

I made this with wheat berries. I overlooked the fact that I was to cook the grain in chicken stock. It was still good.

Margaret6 years ago

Very good. Made it twice using farro; skipped the bacon, instead used some ground pork and ground lamb the second time. Came out great.

smoke!6 years ago

I left out the bacon, added carrot and red pepper to bulk up the vegetables, used epazote and cumin instead of thyme, and added fresh cilantro. I used farro and kidney beans and it was very good. Hot sauce added spice.

Cordelia6 years ago

What would be a good grain substitute for gluten free?

Bobbi4 years ago

Very good, family really loved it. Used farro, subbed a poblano for the green pepper, used lots more celery. Threw in several handfuls of fresh spinach to just wilt before serving.

Lynn6 years ago

I made this dish as directed, but found it a bit 'bland' for my taste. I'd never cooked a dish with celery leaves before, but I will say that I really grew to love the very subtle, unique flavor of the leaves themselves. I'm not a huge fan of celery (stalks), but the celery leaves truly have their own unique flavor. As such, I found myself adding a lot of celery leaf to this dish as garnish, and just before eating. I also added a good amount of hot sauce.

Alice Kaiser1 month ago

greater than the sum of its parts. Lovely with fresh, deeply cooked collards or kale.

Eileen5 months ago

So good! I used farro as the grain and, instead of the bacon, I used leftover smoked brisket—yum! I might add more green pepper next time to up the veggie quotient a bit, but will definitely be making this again

Lynn7 months ago

This dish is UNBELIEVABLY delicious. And...I had no idea how much that celery LEAVES could add to a dish, or the unique flavor element that they impart. The thing is, I'm not a huge fan of celery...at least, not on its own. But with this dish, the celery leaves really added a whole 'nother level. In fact, I recommend you make sure to have PLENTY of celery leaf on-hand, as you may end up wanting to add more of that on top of the dish.

sarah8 months ago

This is really easy and really good. I made the grains with water in the IP to speed things up, added a little bit more bacon to finish a pack, and topped with a splash of soy and chili oil to eat. I always look forward to lunch when I make this.

Cynthia8 months ago

What about using fennel? I don’t have any celery on hand, so I think I’ll try it.

Emily10 months ago

Very good recipe! I cooked 1 lb of dried red beans and a cup of barley (separately) in the instant pot. Didn't use bacon but otherwise followed the recipe and then added seasoning like soy sauce, salt, red wine vinegar, lemon, olive oil to taste when eating.

EMH1 year ago

Made with farrow and Jacob's Cattle Beans (because that is what I had). Go to for lunch meal prep.

paul1 year ago

Great recipe but we needed some more spice - added a handful of gochugaru at the end. Took it to the next level. Ask added a poblano pepper along with the bell pepper - next time may add some other spicy peppers too.

MP1 year ago

I've made this twice now. The first time I didn't drain the kidney beans from the can and it ended up being too mushy, texture-wise. The second time I drained it thoroughly, and added more bacon (just a whole packet instead of 6 slices). Delicious and the right consistency. To make it healthier, I would omit the bacon next time and I think it would still be tasty.

CKE1 year ago

This was really delicious and not very difficult to make Once the different components were prepped. I used pearl barley, added a carrot, and used oregano rather than thyme based on what I had already. Also baked the bacon (personal preference). Whole family enjoyed

leslie2 years ago

Made this with barley and 1/3 pound of guanciale. Could go up to half pound of meat. Served with hot sauce and sour cream, could be a good one to make a big batch and freeze some

Rich2 years ago

Regional attributions are tricky. Rice & beans go back to Africa and came here via slavery and via the Spanish/Portuguese conquests. I used farro & Marfax beans. Because they both tend to be nutty, I used bacon (which probably should have been added sooner to give more taste), more garlic and a diced jalapeno, which did its part. I liked the result and will experiment further---I think it needs a broader spice palate and carrots might add more variety to the taste than celery.

John F.2 years ago

Melissa, among the many very talented recipe scribes present, you are a goddess. This goes into my Hall o' Fame for recipes. (abt 25% are yours, by the way) Keep it going! One helpful tweak, perhaps, used quick cook barley and saved abt 45 mins.

Jenn L2 years ago

Easy, inexpensive, healthy, endlessly adaptable, and tasty. Add some carrots, peas, roasted tomatoes, whatever! Top it with cheese, sour cream, hot sauce, olive oil, whatever! Have leftovers for breakfast with a fried egg on top. This is a true kitchen staple

JK2 years ago

Added leftover beer instead of water or stock Made without pepper One can of beans Used 4 slices Black Forest bacon

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