Beans have a lot going for them. (The term beans is often deployed as a catchall term for the larger family of legumes, which includes beans as well as a subset called pulses; here, I’m talking about all of them.) These tiny packages pack a nutritional punch—so much so that the advisory committee for the 2025 U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommended upping the daily serving size of legumes and promoting them as a protein source over meat and seafood. (The meat-happy published guidelines did not incorporate this suggestion.) Navy beans, for example, are especially fiber-dense, and lentils are protein powerhouses. To the farmer, beans are a boon: The plants store nitrogen in their roots, so they require less fertilizer and leave soil healthy once they’re harvested. They are significantly gentler on the climate than meat. Cooked well, they are creamy, tender, and excellent vehicles for flavor.