Last Sunday I was making my weekly grocery list and noticed I immediately started with the same 5 items: eggs, milk, bread, spinach and apples. Those are staples in our house.. It doesn’t matter what else we’ll be eating. I know I can count on having those few things around to whip up a quick meal when needed. But as I wandered over to our cluttered pantry I noticed (between the half opened boxes of granola bars, dried pasta and tubs of flour and sugar) I always have a can of black beans lying around too. Tacos, nachos, chili…it somehow always finds a place at the table.

And while a seemingly boring can of beans isn’t anything to write home about (yet, here I am writing about just that) it’s a staple in my pantry for a reason. Cheap and healthy, these beans can be added to just about anything to boost flavor and nutrition. And since sweet potatoes are having their moment let’s encourage this little friendship by bringing them together in fun new dishes your family is sure to love.

These favorites check off all the boxes: healthy, affordable and most importantly, well liked. Because I don’t care how easy it is to open a can of beans, if my kids won’t eat it I’m already defeated.

So the next time you are checking off those recipes on Gather’d, be sure to include an extra can of beans. I promise you’ll be glad you did.