Beef prices in the U.S. are soaring. The ground stuff is running $6.32 a pound—a nearly 14% jump compared to this time last year. But that's not the only bad news on meat's balance sheet.
The climate cost of cattle is well established: Around 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from raising livestock, which is why the one of the best things anyone can do for the planet is ditch the beef. That could mean opting for the growing range of plant-based mock meats—a quarter-pound of ground beef nets nearly six times the emissions of an equally sized Impossible or Beyond patty—but there are even more-affordable ways to go.
What’s that mean? You guessed it: Beans! Here are four of our favorite plant-based takes on classically meaty recipes that trade beef for legume-based canvases—be that straight-up beans or even some shredded tofu:
Gardener’s Pie (lentil shepherd’s pie)
If a shepherd’s pie is made with lamb and a cottage pie calls for beef, then we’re dubbing this version—overflowing with lentils and veggies in an umami-rich gravy—gardener’s pie. This recipe relies on a few cheat codes to get maximum flavor in the shortest time possible. The filling leans on precooked canned lentils, frozen veggies, canned tomatoes, and Marmite, a go-to pantry umami-booster.
Confident Joannes (TVP sloppy Joes)
TVP is an veggie protein made from soybean flour that’s been pressure-cooked and dehydrated. It can do pretty much everything the Beyonds and Impossibles of the world can, and is high in fiber and protein (13 grams per ¼ cup). Plus it’s shelf-stable and cheap: A 12-ounce bag costs less than five bucks and, once rehydrated, makes more than 2 pounds’ worth of “meat.”
Black bean smash burger
Our smash burgers skip a few superfluous steps to get these patties from mixing bowl to griddle in less than 20 minutes. We use a base of black beans and leftover rice, the latter of which is a cheat code for adding texture, chew, and those blessed crunchy bits. The other major time-saver: We skip the sautéed onions and garlic a lot of recipes rely on for umami, and instead add cumin, smoked paprika, tomato paste, and nutritional yeast.
Faux-rizo beer chili
Chili cookin’ comes with lots of opinions. Meat or no meat? Beans or Texas-style (beanless)? We’re of the opinion that the best ones have both. Ours has three different beans and chorizo-spiced crumbled tofu—plus some dark beer, to bring out the “meaty” flavors. You can make this chili up to three days ahead, and it gets better as it sits and the spices have had time to mingle.
