Pro Chef Turns Canned Black Beans Into 3 Meals For Under $9 | The Smart Cook | Epicurious

Chef Dan Giusti is back with another edition of The Smart Cook, this time demonstrating the potential waiting within your average can of black beans. Watch as Dan prepares a day's worth of meals, each elevating canned black beans from the mundane to something nutritious and surprisingly delicious. The best part? All 3 dishes come in for under $3 a serving.
Dan Giusti, formerly the head chef of Noma, is the founder of Brigaid, a company that places professional chefs into institutional food spaces like public schools. Brigaid chefs bring their experience, knowledge and technique to institutional kitchens to improve food quality. Similar to how Brigaid works--by bringing professional chefs into institutional spaces to apply their knowledge to new environments-- The Smart Cook intends to do the same by bringing Chef Dan's experience and knowhow into your home with delicious recipes prepared on a budget.
Learn more at www.chefsbrigaid.com/
Follow Dan on Instagram at @dan.giusti and @brigaid
Director/Producer: Mel Ibarra
Director of Photography: Kevin Dynia
Editors: Boris Khaykin, Manolo Moreno
Talent: Dan Giusti
Sr. Culinary Director: Carrie Parente
Producer: Jonathan Bang
Culinary Producer: Kelly Janke
Culinary Associate Producer: Jessica Do
Line Producer: Jennifer McGinity
Associate Producer: Dimitri Lazarashvili
Production Manager: Janine Dispensa
Production Coordinator: Elizabeth Hymes
Camera Operator: Jeremy Harris
Audio: Lily Van Leeuwen
Production Assistant: Anna Kaplan
Post Production Supervisor: Steph Cardone
Post Production Coordinator: Scout Alter
Supervising Editor: Eduardo Araújo
Assistant Editor: Andy Morrell
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0:00 Introduction
0:53 Breakfast: Corn Muffins With Chipotle-Glazed Black Beans
7:04 Lunch: Black Bean Salad With Charred Scallion Vinaigrette
12:22 Dinner: Black Bean Stew With Smoked Turkey Wing
18:00 Wrap Up
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[@danielgiusti6731]

Another video everyone!!!! Thanks for taking the time to watch!!! Let me know what you think!!

[@naomirichards3530]

I just love this guys, please needing more videos. Gracias, te amo.

[@danielgiusti6731]

@@naomirichards3530 thank you!!!!

[@BigIrishLug]

That last one looks amazing, I'm definitely going to make that. Cheers for the inspiration and have a champion day.

[@theepenguini4767]

Really interesting idea adding charred veg to a vinaigrette! Another great episode :)

[@SevenHunnid]

I’m just trying to get it out the mud💯 i ate burger king inside target high as hell in my recent KZbin video 🦅 Anything to make it out the trenches☄️🏒

[@Amodh1257]

I think it's safe to say that you've become the most delectable, fluffy, well baked corn muffin there could ever possibly be Dan

[@danielgiusti6731]

Hahah well thank you :):)

[@lindamon5101]

Well put!

[@ellenoppenheim5956]

L

[@CJ-im2uu]

He certainly proves evven Chefs won't shy away using "canned".

[@table4glasses]

It just blows my mind that we get to learn from a freaking Noma chef, and the emphasis on inexpensive ingredients makes sure that this knowledge and skill is accessible for people. Such a cool concept and fun to watch. Thanks Chef!!

[@streterttrrttrr356]

I don't usually recreate a recipe straight off YT videos because of lack of reviews, but after so many delicious and unique recipes, I've learned to trust Dan enough to cook it myself straight away. Also, thank you for always providing vegetarian options.

[@danielgiusti6731]

Awesome!

[@paulorr4896]

To the editor: Thank you for leaving in the reaction to the pepper and onion cutting. Good to know it's not just me.

[@TheDuckofLaw]

This is my favorite series on all of KZbin. I've learned so much from Chef Dan and want to thank him for putting his knowledge out there for the betterment of the world. Thanks to the Epicurious team for making it all possible!

[@danielgiusti6731]

So happy you enjoy them! Thanks for watching!!

[@rochellevenecia3365]

I love this show! I love Dan! The recipes are so minimalistic, in a good way. His tips and techniques are what I'm here for, they are absolute gold! And he's so chill! I feel like he's the kind of guy who not gonna yell at you to fold the laundry but bring it to you and ask if you want help. AKA the perfect man.

[@Blue28485]

Everyone, I just tried the salad, it’s a huge success and doesn’t take that much efforts either! Thanks again Dan, will definitely try other menus too!

[@AMYKNZ]

Crazy that the bell pepper was the most expensive ingredient in that first recipe!

[@mommaramirez780]

Yummy!! I am totally gonna make all of these, except throwing that bean salad in a tortilla or over tortilla chips. 😋

[@applegal3058]

The Instant Pot is the easiest way to always have beans on hand for cheap and cook so quickly. The beans come out so creamy in a half hour.

[@kelsie8667]

Another great video! Love that you use unpretentious and accessible ingredients. Can’t wait for the next one.

[@danielgiusti6731]

Thank you!

[@Herculesbiggercousin]

I love this chef and the affordable/budget entrees! Thank you and please keep them coming!

[@Jennifercox]

I was also the weird kid eating raw veggies in the playground. Carrots and avocados! To make it worse I once sneezed and a carrot went up my nose. I feel your pain, Dan!

[@harperwood8998]

We love Dan!!

[@ShunataS]

Where have you been all my life? 🤣🤣 Just discovered these recipes, Chef you are it! I'm addicted! Amazing recipes! Amazingly simple ingredients, instructions, and presentation. Simply Wow!

[@Andreadexxo]

I am in love with these videos. I’ve made so many recepies already, they are amazing! And Dan is so enjoyable! Thanks to YOU for taking the time to make these videos for us!🥰 ps: most people that don’t like cilantro is because of a gene mutation that makes them more sensitive to a molecule that’s present both in soap and in cilantro, which makes cilantro taste like soap!🌸

[@515aleon]

What a great idea of a series. Epicurious has the best chef ideas. I've made the Roteserrie chicken salad over and over. The black bean breakfast looks wonderful. The other two look great too. Just love those corn muffins.

[@missVmilne]

Schnmokin' hot and yummy - nailed it again. Love this series. Can you please share some non cooked meals for keeping cool in the scorchio summer we're having?

[@saraherber1887]

Thank you for sharing. Your instructions were very clear.

[@McCulleyJr]

Thank you, I bought a smoked turkey wing for a gumbo (which I never made) and I have lots of canned black beans. I'll make all these recipes and great tutorial.

[@jonathananonymouse7685]

Love it! I'm definitely trying the breakfast one in the near future, and the rest... eventually. Thanks for the ideas!

[@Steveofthejungle8]

“I need as much encouragement as possible to actually eat breakfast” can’t relate

[@loualcaraz6497]

Here in Mexico, many of us enjoy our black bean soup with chicharron. It gives the beans a ton of flavor.

[@AliciaBottsfunny_stuff247]

These look great! Very keen to try all of them

[@marox79]

Dan Giusti vídeos. Keep them coming. Even if We don’t use canned black beans in Spain, lol.

[@goszkkkka]

You can get them in any bigger food chain though, if not next to chickpeas in the "foods of the world" section :)

[@marox79]

@@goszkkkka they do sell them, it'# just they're not very popular. The preserved beans we normally use, kidney beans, lentils etc come in glass jars. The ones in the video are for Mexican food, not very popular here.

[@reginabillotti]

Do you have dried black beans?

[@NeilGirdhar]

​@@marox79 I agree with you about the value of these videos. I'm sure you can come up with good combinations using the kidney beans that are more available. I think that's the value of these videos: they teach us how take ordinary, common things and make them appetizing.

[@sarahmsosa]

Yay my favorite segment! I’m always checking for another episode of the smart chef. Dan all the way

[@TheGlamorousLifeofNae]

Everything looks delicious Chef Dan!!! Thank you! ☺️ Smoked turkey wings really are underated.

[@craftypod]

Another work of genius. Thanks so much Dan!

[@danielgiusti6731]

Well thank you!!

[@katsala918]

I’m starting grad school next week and I’m so glad I found this series!!! I’d love to see what you could come up with for instant ramen

[@joshsanchezxD]

LOVE the smoked turkey wing plate. A traditional Native American meat to accompany the rich king of carbs - black beans. Amazing!

[@lyndawadland5453]

Excellent presentation. I love your enthusiasm, humour and confidence. Good recipes, particularly at this money crunch time! Thank you.

[@keeganharricharan]

Can’t wait to try these recipes!!!

[@laurawilliams1991]

Dan, you are THE MAN! Another awesome videos with recipes I can trust to be tasty! Thank you, Chef.

[@danielgiusti6731]

Thanks so much!!

[@meshkatabedi4681]

Epicurus,Keep this show going!

[@qytj1182]

As a kid he wanted to grow up to be a corn muffin 😭

[@dawnkindnesscountsmost5991]

Lol, I'm sticking with soaking and cooking dry black beans. Soak 8 to 12 hours (over night or all day) drain off soaking water, rinse in cool water for a few minutes, put into a rice cooker (I have a 6-cup Oster rice cooker) with chicken or vegetable broth (bowl should be no more than ⅔ full), put lid on bowl, turn on rice cooker. Check liquid level every 30 minutes, top of with broth or water to keep beans covered with liquid. Cook until beans are tender; I cook the beans for 2 hours. This can also be done on the stove in a traditional stock pot over low heat; still check the liquids & top off as needed to avoid burning the beans. A 2-lb bag of dry black beans cooks up to the equivalent of at least 6 to 8 cans of black beans, and costs the same as about 3 or 4 cans of black beans. I prefer the economy of the dried beans; they're not too difficult to cook, just takes some planning and preparation.

[@irene6749]

You’re the gift of giving Chef🌶🤩

[@sandymac7153]

Just love these videos- thanks so much 🙌

[@danielgiusti6731]

Thank you!!

[@bexfisch80]

All of these recipes sound amazing, but I'm excited to try that stew! Yum!

[@HomeCookingEmakFathan]

Omg. Wow recipe. Thank you

[@smartin5888]

You had me at corn muffin and black beans 😍

[@KitchenStories_Berlin]

Great ideas 😍 We definitely have to try them out!

[@danielgiusti6731]

Thank you! Let me know how they come out!

[@annettevarughese220]

I LOVE your content! You’re so entertaining, knowledgeable, and great at what you do! Can you do a video with canned tuna please?

[@lexjude]

Instant click!! I'm excited to try these!! I have a few cans in my pantry haha

[@GwynneDear]

I was canning roasted hatch chilis last summer and made the mistake of wiping the sweat from my brow without washing my hands when I went to take a break. My face was on fire for a good 30 minutes.

[@marilynnishimura6999]

Delicious black bean with muffin recipe. I just substituted my own cornbread batter for the boxed stuff & jalapeños, because I had them. Thnx for the inspiration.

[@ToddCarnes]

When he tasted the pepper... LOL!

[@ss-gt7ky]

Yay! Excited to see you Dan .

[@danielgiusti6731]

Thank you!

[@andrespeters6478]

the stew looks like a great recipe to do after thanksgiving!

[@sandrasmith-dickens2339]

Absolutely loved it

[@DrBrunoRecipes]

Amazing 😍 Greetings from Scotland 😊 Have a great day everyone 🌻

[@triskaknee3548]

I dig this guy I watch every video he is in .

[@feeeyniac]

Our chef coming back, bless this man! My father said that ur like a bearded Johnny Sins💀

[@lesliehunt3841]

I love you Dan, I enjoy your videos so much.

[@jlsoler3575]

DUDE! YOU ARE A SMART CHEF. AMAZING FUN COOKING..LOVE IT!..

[@emilycreager2269]

So, I also eat bell peppers like an apple, much to my husband's chagrin. Also, Jiffy's mix tastes very similar to my mother's cornbread, so I love it! Final thing: How on earth did you get the muffin wrappers to come off so cleanly?!?! Especially since you didn't grease them!

[@LBellatrix]

I had black beans in my freezer that I'd precooked with a ham hock and mirepoix. So I left out the turkey wing and veggies and added the other ingredients (chipotle pepper, tomato paste, and more garlic because why not). 3 cups of water was too much so I just let it cook down to a consistency I liked. The extra flavors rounded out my original recipe, plus the extra cooking (30 mins) gave my beans a much nicer texture. Served over rice...chef's kiss 😘😘 Thanks, Chef Dan!

[@itscelestial666]

Discovering what soothes Dan to sleep 😳

[@emilianoluna7873]

Actually good and easy recipes.

[@recipesquicksimple1750]

WOW top done !!

[@kaemincha]

i love beans omg so excited to watch and use some of these tips

[@danielgiusti6731]

Let me know how things come out!

[@thecookinghour]

Wow! Your dish looks amazing! 😀

[@elisabasta]

Man, I love this series.

[@rawritsataco]

What do you do with the rest of the can when you only use one tbsp out of the can of tomato paste or one chili & 2 tbsp of sauce oiut of the adobo can?

[@kristidaemon4709]

Wonderful recipes! Can't wait to try them out :) P.s. I noticed that washing yours hands not always help with hot pepper oil (maybe my long nails to blame?), so now I always use gloves to cut it, cuz I before had quite a few... bad day after my cooking xD

[@newyork21741]

Loved the salad 🥗

[@OldJimboX]

Fantastic!

[@ColombianLNP]

Dude you are awesome!!! Cheers from Colombia amigo!

[@danielgiusti6731]

Thank you!!!

[@suziequzie]

I freaking love black beans. Thanks for the video!

[@beantownbonanza]

Wow so good

[@AsianThunder0]

Dan used my suggestion for a black beans episode! (Bring back the og victorinox knife . . .)

[@Ratiofxrm]

I love these videos

[@danielgiusti6731]

Thank you!!

[@lizh4933]

As soon as the heat and humidity leaves, I will be baking up those corn muffin. I will be putting my egg, tomato, spinach and feta mix (Starbucks copy cat recipe) on those muffins. The salad and stew look great and never thought of buying a smoked turkey part, but I will now. Thank you.

[@cosmor7521]

Wanting to be a corn muffin as a child is a universal chef fever dream. 11/10 love this series

[@jojosantovenia]

I love that you make videos about how to make delicious food with humble ingredients. Write a cookbook, PLEASE. I'll help you write it, if you need help!

[@jjacks50]

Breakfast looks divine. I'd rather have red pepper condiment. Gonna try it. Thanks for the vegetarian friendly recipes.

[@oneshine8072]

Finally our July video has dropped hope we get at least one more this month as you haven’t posted in some time perhaps your busy but maybe you been thinking of a way to surprise your fans

[@joerecoveryjoerecovery5781]

Would you folks please put the recipes or recipe links in the video description? I generally watch channels with recipes I want to make, and it is very helpful to have the written recipe to reference. Thanks! Oh, gross. You guys are Conde Nast.

[@pingpong6861]

The seeds of a chili are not hot/spicy at all. The membrane that wraps around the seeds is the spiciest part of the chili. So it is easy to see why most people think the seeds are spicy.

[@fabe61]

Common food myth but no, the seeds aren’t the spiciest bit. It’s the ribs or white pith that holds most of the capsaicin. Seeds are spicy because they’re nestled among that pith and so become hot through contact.

[@Ava-oc1dg]

I never liked peppers until recently now I love them.

[@debbiejohnson3418]

I would scoop the top of the muffins, put the beans inside and replace the top.

[@susandempsey8139]

I don't eat meat but that turkey wing recipe looked CRAZY delish!

[@_Toxicity]

I'd love to see a challenge where Dan has to make 3 meals under $10 using X ingredient--but the catch is the meals have to be appeasing for a family with picky children at home!

[@danielgiusti6731]

I like it :)

[@_Toxicity]

@@danielgiusti6731 Thanks! :)

[@_Toxicity]

After all, thinking of little kids I know and when I was a kid myself, I don't know how many children could eat many of the meals in this video because of how spicy there are--a good number of kids would find jalapenos and chipotles to be painful in the mouth.

[@iamasquidinspace]

"This might not be spiy at all." "..." "Thats's spicy... that's very spicy." *coughs Laughing so hard about that one! What a great guy, perfect fit for this channel!

[@Lampshadx]

We want a tofu episode!

[@dubya13207]

Bonus dessert: 1 brownie mix + the entire contents of one can of black beans (including water, purée smooth). Bake as directed (don’t add oil or eggs or anything)

[@6122ula]

… nest of Shredded lettuce under the salad/sour cream on the corn muffin before the black beans… Nice recipes… God bless America…🇺🇸

[@Ava-oc1dg]

I make jiffy muffins all the time and I like them. But I also wish I knew how to make them like store bought with the dense cake like sweetness

[@Blue28485]

I haven’t bought canned beans in a while… now that has to change!

[@danielgiusti6731]

Do it!

[@justintr4888]

Are there cheaply-available peppers like the canned chipotle with less spice? These recipes look absolutely delicious but my father-in-law lives with me, and he's got health reasons for avoiding that kind of heat.

[@chocolatefrenzieya]

This might not even be spicy *wheeeeze* hahaha!

[@LoG2891]

Lots of Dan lore in this episode

[@danielgiusti6731]

Hahaha what do you think?

[@LoG2891]

@@danielgiusti6731 I'm sorry you didn't get to live your dream and I think it's really mature for you to be able to bake corn muffins and not be overcome with jealousy and disappointment

[@spicy_cthulu]

Are any of these recipes typed up someplace? I tried finding the lunch one on the website and can't find it.

[@GabrielMHoffman]

Is there a place to reference a written recipe?

[@GrumpyOldBastard]

Chef, I disagree one does not have to "soak" dried legumes aka beans as it relates to this video. Additionally you have complete control over seasoning components. Now this is not intended to deminish the value or use of canned beans and they are quite handy at times, but in my humble opinion one should always have an assortement of dried legumes they enjoy on hand.

[@farrex0]

0:23 True, but there are easier ways to cook dry beans. One of them is to put them in the instant pot if you have one. You do not need to pre-soak them. Just put the amount of beans with the amount of liquid you want, and all the ingredients. Cook in high pressure for 35 minutes, and boom, you have freshly cooked black beans. Instant pot is relatively cheap, and has a lot of uses, so you get a lot of bang for the buck. You could cook, big batches of beans and freeze some of it. Dry beans are extremly cheap and in my opinion, freshly cooked will always taste better than canned beans. Not to mention that you can make them how you would like them. Doing something like, cooking it on your stock of choice, it will end up amazing. In the long run it will be cheaper, healthier and tastier that way, with little to no effort.

[@irishwristwatch2487]

I loathe the taste of black beans and even I thought this looked good! Also dont feel bad about wanting to be a muffin, I wanted to be a bin lorry/garbage truck. Not an operator, the truck itself

[@Mr.Ciobanu]

8:00 well I fking died laughing

[@danielgiusti6731]

Hahaha