So…if you are like me and LOVE to cook, you know how many cans of black/white/navy/kidney beans you go through! I am always using my canned beans in TONS of delicious recipes, like Taco Soup, Creamy White Chicken Chili, BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad, Cafe Rio Salad/Burritos, Chili’s, Taco Salad, etc. The other day I had a panic attack that my year supply of canned beans was not enough (if you know me, that’s funny because I store A LOT of beans :0). 
So, I have done a lot of research to find where you can buy your dried beans for less. I figure that my canned beans are great when I need them for quick meals or salads, but for when I am making a soup, chili or stew, I can sacifice a few hours and soak my beans and cook them from dry form. Why you ask? Because they are SOOO much less expensive! The cheapest place I have been able to find dried beans are at the LDS Cannery. They sell their black beans, pinto beans and white navy beans for MUCH less than you can find anywhere!! I LOVE the cannery! Buy the beans in BULK for only $12-$14 for a 25 lb. bag. If you don’t feel like you will ever use 25lbs. in 30 years, buy your beans at Walmart for only .98 for a 1 lb. bag. This is more than the cannery, but is still a good price for dried beans! These will last for 30 years and are an important part of your food storage. Beans have a lot of protein and nutrients and are great for you! Another added benefit of using dried beans instead of canned beans is that you save yourself all of the sodium that comes from canned beans. All around, beans are a fabulous item to have in your storage!!
Here is one of my ALL TIME favorite soups! It is SO easy to make (with or without dried beans) and tastes delicious on a cold winter night. This recipe is also a great food storage recipe because everything can be found in your food storage (if the chicken in your freezer was gone you could use the TVP Chicken or canned chicken as a substitute)–of course you probably wouldn’t be able to get avocados or sour cream, but it would still be great!!
White Bean Chicken Chili
2017-01-09 23:22:07
Ingredients
- 6 cans of white navy beans, drained (or about 1 lb. dried white beans--soak them overnight or boil for 1 hour or until tender)
- 2 c. water or chicken broth (or more depending how thick you want it)
- 1 jar of salsa
- 1 can green chilies
- 2-4 chicken breasts
- 1/2 onion, diced (or you can use dried)
- 1 c. shredded colby or cheddar cheese
- 1-2 cloves garlic (or you can use powdered)
- 1 T. cumin (or more, I like a lot of cumin)
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- 1 T. McCormick Chicken Base (or you can use chicken bouillon)
- Cayenne Pepper
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Instructions
- Garnish with fresh cilantro, sour cream, diced avocados, fresh lime squeezed & more shredded cheese.Put all of the above ingredients into a large pot. Simmer until beans and chicken are tender and cooked through (I just throw my chicken breasts in raw and let them cook in the water. When they are cooked I take them out and chop them up. They give the broth more of a chicken flavor). Garnish with the above ingredients. Yum!!
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Why don't you can your beans yourself? It's quick and easy and then you don't have to worry about soaking your beans overnight or cooking them all day. It's so slick I do it once every couple of months (just a few pounds at a time) and then I don't worry about it again until my pint jars are all empty again.
So if you buy the beans at the cannery, you don't actually have to can them? Can they just be stored in the bags or how do you store them?? Thanks!
Awesome ideas – that chili recipe sounds SO good! Especially in this "chilly" weather (haha, I'm so funny)
Thanks for doing the research on the beans. I plan to go stock up at the cannery! I like to support them anyway.
We love black beans. I crock pot them for a few hours, then bag them into seperate sandwich size bags for the freezer. We take a bag out almost 3 times per week for adding to almost all our meals.
I live a few hours from the closest cannery…so I haven't gone yet, but I do have some 1# bags in my food storage. I do want to know how Jill cans them. I thought all I had read said you shouldn't can beans.
Oh, and while you might not be able to store avacado's long term you can store sour cream substitute. Its powdered milk, water, and some vinegar chilled. Not exactly the same taste, but it works.
Danno, here's a link on how to can beans: Canning Beans and Peas.