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Cowboy Bean Pasta Recipe

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This cowboy bean pasta recipe is a high protein lunch or dinner, made with 3 types of beans, pasta, pantry staples, and loaded with fresh vegetables & spices! It’s tasty, inexpensive, and easy to make.
 
A hearty high protein meal with canned beans and fresh or frozen veggies that is ready in about 30 minutes. I love serving this up for a quick lunch or dinner with an old fashioned creamy cucumber salad and some oven baked garlic bread.
 
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I’ve been making tons of new bean recipes lately, and this cowboy bean pasta has been one of my favorites.  Cowboy or Cowgirl beans, we’re all for equality here!  It’s a hearty and plant-based dinner that comes together quickly, and will keep you full all day.
 
This recipe is high in fiber and protein, and has a great texture from using 3 different kinds of beans. This stew is like meatless chili, but has a fun southwest flavor from the barbecue sauce.

This Cowboy Bean Pasta Recipe Is

  • Smoky
  • Sweet
  • Hearty
  • Satisfying
  • Loaded with Vegetables
  • Flavorful
  • A great recipe to use up canned beans
  • Vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, and high protein
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Meal Prep Bean and Pasta Recipes For the Win!

This cowboy bean pasta is the perfect recipe for homemade meal prep.  I am a huge fan of meal prepping, batch cooking, and making recipes ahead.  I love the convenience of cooking once and being able to enjoy esy homemade meals during the week when I don’t have time.

There’s a whole section of TheHerbeevore.com dedicated to my favorite tried & true meal prep recipes.  With just a little planning and prep, you can have a week’s worth of recipes ready in the time it would take to make one portion.  Just batch cook, divide into individual containers, and place in the fridge or freezer for later! 

What’s In This Vegetarian Bean and Pasta Recipe?

See the recipe card below for full ingredient amounts and recipe instructions!

  • Macaroni Noodles – you can use regular or gluten free if needed.
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Onion
  • Garlic
  • Pinto Beans: are super creamy and protein-rich addition to this pasta.
  • Kidney Beans: These boxed kidney beans are a really fantastic alternative to canned beans. 
  • White Beans: like the kidney beans above, these low sodium cannellini beans are a great addition to this soup.
  • Diced Tomatoes:  I only use no salt added diced tomatoes, these boxed tomatoes are really great to stock up on!
  • Bell Pepper
  • Corn
  • Vegetable Stock
  • BBQ Sauce: We absolutely love this fantastic BBQ sauce that you can find on Amazon… I like this one you can get online here!  It has a nice spiciness and isn’t too sweet – perfect for this recipe. It’s vegan, gluten free, paleo, naturally sweet – so it gets the OK for my pantry.
  • Jalapeno
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Easy Pasta & Bean Dinners with Frozen Veggies

I used a few frozen vegetables (bell pepper and corn) for this recipe instead of  fresh produce. Frozen produce is a great option for finding fresh and flavorful vegetables in the off season.
By using freezer ingredients, I can stock up when they are on sale, and use them in all kinds of great dishes. It saves me a trip to the store, and I can add amazing veggies right into the recipe. Frozen vegetables are often picked at peak ripeness, so they are a much better option than canned. 
 
Check out all my recipes that use Freezer Ingredients on The Herbeevore – great for those nights when you want dinner ready fast! And check out my Top 125 Plant-Based Pantry Staples for long-lasting staples that I always keep on hand.
 

A Great Pantry Pasta and Beans Recipes

This vegetarian cowboy pasta recipe is a fantastic pantry-staple meal!  It uses almost all ingredients you would have in your dry pantry or cupboards – most of which you probably have on hand. Keeping a well-stocked pantry makes it easy to come up with delicious meals using a few staples you can rotate. 

I made a list of my Top 125 Plant-Based Pantry Staples that always keep stocked. And you can check out all my favorite pantry staple ingredients in my Amazon shop here.  By stocking up on whole ingredients you can cook delicious recipes without a trip to the store!

How Do I Make This Cowboy Beans and Noodles Recipe?

  1. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over low heat. Add the onions and garlic and sauté over low heat for 5 to 6 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften.  Add the beans, chili powder, onion powder, diced tomatoes, bell pepper, corn, vegetable stock, and barbecue sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes over low heat.
  3. After the beans have cooked for 30 minutes and the veggies have softened, stir in the barbecue sauce and the cooked pasta. Test and adjust seasoning to taste.
  4. When ready to serve, top with jalapenos if desired and enjoy!
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More Pasta and Beans Recipes You’ll Love

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Cowboy Bean Pasta

Kelly Jensen
This cowboy bean pasta is a hearty high protein lunch or dinner, made with pinto, navy, and kidney beans and loaded with fresh vegetables & spices! A tasty recipe with pinto beans and fresh or frozen veggies that is ready in about 30 minutes.
5 from 8 votes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Dinner, Lunch, Pasta
Cuisine American, Southwest
Servings 8 servings
Calories 251 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 12 ounce box pasta I used macaroni noodles
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 sweet onion diced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 14-ounce can pinto beans drained and rinsed
  • 1 14-ounce can navy beans drained and rinsed
  • 1 14-ounce can kidney beans drained and rinsed
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 14 ounce can Diced Tomatoes with juice
  • 1 medium bell pepper diced
  • 1 cup sweet corn
  • 2 cups Vegetable Stock
  • 2/3 cup barbecue sauce
  • 1 jalapeno sliced

Instructions
 

  • Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
  • While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven over low heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute over low heat for 5 to 6 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften.  Add the beans, chili powder, onion powder, diced tomatoes, bell pepper, corn, vegetable stock, and barbecue sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes over low heat.
  • After the beans have cooked and the veggies have softened, stir in the barbecue sauce and the pasta. Taste and adjust seasoning to taste.
  • When ready to serve, top with jalapenos, fresh herbs, and cheddar or sour cream if desired and enjoy!

Notes

Dietary Modifications

To make this recipe gluten free, ensure all ingredients you are using are certified gluten free (like the pasta, and any canned or packaged ingredients), and always check the labels of ingredients before using.

Nutrition

Calories: 251kcalCarbohydrates: 44gProtein: 11gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 774mgPotassium: 601mgFiber: 9gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 645IUVitamin C: 23mgCalcium: 86mgIron: 3mg
Did You Make This Recipe?Please leave a rating and comment below, let us know what you loved about it!

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Posted in American, Dairy Free, Dinners, Easy Weeknight Meals, Fall Recipes, High Protein, Lunches, Meal Prep, Nut Free, Pantry Recipes, Pastas, Southwest, The Herbeevore Recipes, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes

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