I’m a big fan of mujaddara. It’s easy to make and you could substitute another kind of bean if you don’t care for lentils or use white rice instead of the brown. But don’t leave out the caramelized onions (I cook mine until they’re much darker than that). They really make the dish.
Some Spanish names you may want to google recipes for:
Fabada (the base should be a specific variety of large, white beans, but that’s unfindable in most of the world so just use white beans like 95% of Spain does)
cocido (the base is chick peas - there are tons of varieties, half the towns in Spain seem to have a version)
potaje: it’s a general name which just means “half beans, half carbs”. Gallo pinto is an example of a potaje.
Alubias con sacramentos, alubias con todos los sacramentos: red or black beans, usually without potatoes or with barely enough potatoes to claim there were some around, and a bunch of different pieces of cooked pork (these are usually served to the side so each person can add back those he likes, although they’ve been cooked with the beans). They’re “sacramental beans” because well, that hill of pork isn’t exactly kosher/halal.
Mom’s recipe for garbanzos con espinacas (spinach chick peas): mix previously-cooked chickpeas, spinach, cut up hard-boiled egg and tomato sauce. The spinach and chick peas need very different cooking times, which is why they shouldn’t be cooked together; we usually cook the chick peas just before mixing the rest in, so there is no need to heat it all up.
The best bean dish in the world is rapini with white beans.
Unfortunately it’s really hard to find rapini (broccoli rabb if you prefer) out of season but when you do find it try this…
Cut some Italian sausage into bite sized chunks and sauté in olive oil in a really big skillet or you can use a pot.
Roughly chop the rapini and then blanch it in salt water, changing the water at least once; this is important or the rapini will be bitter.
When the rapini is wilted (you changed the water a few times, right?) throw it in with the sausage and add a can of rinsed white beans (canellini beans).
Add some more olive oil to coat the whole thing and sprinkle in some crushed red pepper flake to taste.
It should look like this
Get some good bread and wine, put on some Sinatra, and imagine your a Wiseguy while you have a wonderful dinner.
I’m not a fan of vegetarian burgers, but black bean burgers are da bomb (does anybody say that any more?). Sample recipe.
There’s also Cowboy Beans, which uses sliced hot dogs and/or cooked ground beef instead of ham.
When I was in my Vegan mode, I ran across a webzine that intrigued me:
Scroll down the right hand side of the page, and click on “Using Your Bean.”
~VOW
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White bean, kale and linguica soup (probably any other smoked sausage would do): onion/celery/carrot and garlic, maybe half chicken stock and half water, cooked beans, sausage (sliced and maybe fried by itself to get some flavor), and chopped kale.
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Minestrone: Onion/celery/carrot/lots of garlic, crushed tomatoes, oregano/basil, white beans. If you have any rinds from fancy Parmesan cheese, chop them into 1-2" pieces and put them in early on. When it’s done, put it in a bowl, pour a little good olive oil over it, and grate some Parmesan over.
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Cuban black bean soup: Onion/celery/carrot, green peppers, garlic. Lots of cumin. Crushed tomatoes, black beans. Serve over rice with salsa and sour cream.
I’m suprised no one has mentioned pasta fagioli.
There’s about a 1000 recipies on the internet.
Oh yeah, mixed bean soup. You can buy packages of mixed beans for this, or just throw together handfuls of all the kinds you have. Generally it includes lima beans, navy beans, pinto beans, various lentils, split peas, kidney beans, and/or whatever strikes your fancy.
I generally do the same saute as for red beans, and add diced ham and/or sliced andouille. You don’t have to have the meat, though.
After the beans have cooked for about an hour, add a can or two of whole tomatoes. Break them up a bit as you put them in.
Use lots of liquid, this is supposed to be a thin broth with beans, not a thick soup. Obviously, some flavored liquid is good, bouillon works fine as long as you don’t add salt.
Yum. I love beans.
Cornbread definitely for most beans, although red beans get baguettes. If you make cornbread with little or no sugar, and use whole grain cornmeal (and whole wheat flour, if your recipe calls for flour), it’s dern tasty and good for you. Corn masa makes a tasty cornbread, too, with a very different texture. My latest fave is Alton Brown’s recipe, with a can of corn added. Mucho yum.
I’m not a huge fan of the classic Texas red chili, although the SO makes a good one. My fave chili has no tomatoes, but does include two kinds of beans, two kinds of corn, and mushrooms. It’s always a huge hit, but chili purists would have a cow. 
It’s not gourmet, but my Mom makes this recipe that’s easy, fast and REALLY good. I think she got it off the Food Network site.
Chunky Chili (sorry chili purists ;))
2 T butter
1/2 onion finely chopped
1 jar marinara (Newman’s, Barilla or your own if you make it)
1 to 1-1/2 pounds ground beef
2 cans beans, drained (red kidney or white northern work well)
1-1/2 T chili seasoning
pinch (or more!) red pepper flakes
1 t. sugar if you like less-tart chili
Melt butter and add onion; saute until softened. Crumble ground beef and brown. Add beans, marinara and seasonings, combine thoroughly. Simmer 15 minutes.
I’m not a chili purist, not by any stretch, but to call that conglomerate “chili” is pushing the envelope!
And any of several dozens of variations of either sweet potato/yam or a any squash such butternut or pumpkin with a dark green leafy (kale, collards, etc.) and any bean. It can be spiced as a Southern American dish (do black-eyed peas) or South American (add in some corn and serve with a salsa) or curried (besides a good curry mix add some coconut milk) … so on. All yum.
Why be so nasty? So much for encouraging people to share.
It would be easy for a busy parent to fix for their family, and done right somewhat healthy.
You know what? I had another recipe, but fuck it, I’m out of this thread.
I knew I should have added a smiley.
Please be assured that no nastiness was intended, and you must admit that adding a jar of marinara sauce is at the very least an unusual choice for chili?
It certainly came across as nasty. I don’t see anyone else’s recipe getting criticized. Yes, marinara is unusual for chili, but here it works quite well. I hope you haven’t discouraged someone from trying it.
I really think it was gentle ribbing.
We get a LOT rougher than that around here, even in jest.
Hell, I’ve been bitch-slapped many times for the things I do to chili and other dishes. Just be like ol’ mother duck and don’t give a quack. If YOU like it and call it chili, well then just call it Helena’s Chili and you’ve covered the bases. If I want to call soup a sandwich, a bunch of characters on a message board aren’t going to change my mind.
If you like good old fashioned ham and beans, try boiling up a chicken (or chicken pieces) first, stripping the meat and making white beans and chicken with the meat and broth. I make it plain with a dash of salt, but if you like your bean soup with onion, etc, you can gussy it up however you like.
I LOVE chicken beans!
I also make a simple soup with chickpeas, sausage, and greens in broth; add some onions and garlic and you have a nice soup. You can add a titch of heavy cream if you’d like.
Chickpeas can be seasoned and roasted, too…recipes on allrecipes.com. They’re tasty-addictive.
Thanks for the ideas, everyone. Some of these look really tasty, and I will be trying quite a few. Even though my son just said he’s sick of beans! He’s just going to have to get used to them- he knows how I get with my phases.