5+ Southern bean recipes that are a perfect taste of the South

Cooktop Cove
Southern-style brown sugar baked brown beans
The best Southern dishes include rich, smoky, cured pork as an anchor flavor, and baked beans are no different. The South’s baked beans always include delicious bacon. The recipe below does an excellent job of making sure everyone at the party gets to enjoy those crispy morsels of flavor — and you don’t have to precook the bacon separately, either. Get the recipe here.

Cooktop Cove
Southern-style red beans and rice
When I first started living on my own, I’ll be honest, rice was not my starch of choice. I usually bought bread, boiled pasta, or roasted some potatoes to round out a meal. That's because during my childhood I burned rice more times than I’m comfortable admitting. But beans were always on the menu: in stews, salads, on tacos … they’re a cheap and cheerful way to add protein and substance to any meal. I have since overcome my phobia of cooking rice, and this recipe is the perfect one for a quick weeknight meal. Get the recipe here.