Watched a neighbor turn 3 cans of beans into dinner for 6

Last Sunday at a block party in Chicago, my neighbor Sarah pulled out three cans of black beans, corn, and diced tomatoes from her pantry. She threw them in a skillet with some cumin and garlic powder, served it over rice, and fed her whole family plus two guests. I asked her how she kept costs down and she said she always buys store brand canned goods for under a dollar each. Has anyone else tried stretching meals with just pantry staples like this?

2 comments

2 Comments

noah_palmer4213d ago

I have to push back on this a little. Three cans of beans and tomatoes over rice for six people sounds like roughly 4-5 ounces of food per person if you're lucky. My family of four goes through a whole 2-pound bag of dried beans and a big pot of rice just to have leftovers the next day. Store brand cans are cheap but they're mostly water and salt. You're paying for the convenience of someone else cooking and canning it, not really stretching a budget in a meaningful way.

the_wendy13d ago

Totally agree, dried beans actually have way more fiber and protein per dollar when you cook them yourself.