Incorporating canned beans in soups and stews is a great way to create a hearty dish. However, adding your beans earlier in the cooking process can truly elevate the dish.

Give your beans around 30 minutes to simmer down with the other ingredients so they can cook down and pick up the flavors of the recipe without becoming soggy or overcooked.

While draining and rinsing beans before use is often recommended to remove excess sodium and additives, retaining some of the starchy liquid can enhance the thickness of soups.

So whether to rinse depends on your preference and the recipe you’re cooking. For instance, a saucy pot of black bean soup will benefit from the extra liquid in your canned beans.