Print Options

Easy Black Beans and Rice Recipe

Filed under Quick, Side Dish, Vegetarian, Wheat-free

Easy Black Beans and Rice

Black beans and rice is such a classic combination, especially in Caribbean or Southern cooking. There are probably dozens of ways to make it; this one is an easy recipe that cooks up quick and tastes great. Now, if you are really serious about your beans you'll soak dry black beans overnight and then cook them for an hour or two first, but then that wouldn't be quick and easy. So we'll save that approach for another recipe. This recipe is better for a "the chicken is on the grill, what am I going to serve it with?" side dish, and uses canned black beans. By the way, my pal David recommends mixing some chopped up canned green olives, the ones with pimentos in them, for giving an additional boost to basic black beans and rice.

Print Options

Easy Black Beans and Rice Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 cup uncooked white rice
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1/2 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced (for added flavor you can substitute roasted red bell peppers or some chopped pimentos)
  • 3 cloves minced garlic
  • 2 16-ounce cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 2 Tbsp white vinegar
  • A few dashes of Tabasco or 1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano or 1 heaping Tbsp chopped fresh oregano
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Optional Lime wedges and cilantro for garnish

Method

1 Cook rice according to package instructions. White rice usually takes 15 minutes to cook once the water is simmering, and 10 minutes to sit.

2 Heat oil in a large skillet on medium high. Sauté onions and bell peppers for 3-4 minutes, until just beginning to soften, then add garlic and sauté a minute more. Add the black beans, vinegar and Tabasco or cayenne. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.

3 Stir in rice and oregano. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 6.

Never Miss A Recipe!

Enter your email address to subscribe to Simply Recipes: (more details)

Posted by Elise on Jun 26, 2007 and indexed Black Beans, Caribbean, Rice, Rice and Beans

  • Print (no photos)
  • Print (with photos)
  • Share on Facebook

Comments

I'm loving the vegetarian friendly recipes from you, Elise!

Hooray!

Posted by: platy on June 27, 2007 5:25 AM

What a fantastic quickie version! This one is definitely going in my "go to" file, though I'll avoid the olives, we use those for my wife's Puerto Rican Rice.

Posted by: Jerry on June 27, 2007 5:39 AM

Great quickie recipe.
For me, black beans and rice is pure comfort.
But, it is also one of those great dishes where you can change up the garnish for a whole new taste.
Spanish - Pimento olives and a little smoked paprika.
Mexican - chillies & cilantro
Asian - lime juice & sesame oil
Yum, yum, fun, fun!

Posted by: Tori on June 27, 2007 8:50 AM

Mmm.. In Costa Rica we call this Gallo Pinto, it's our typical breakfast dish. It needs special "Lizano" sauce added in the end, but the idea is the same! Also in the caribbean coast it is prepared with coconut milk and jalapeños. Always delicious!

Posted by: itzpapalotl on June 27, 2007 9:51 AM

I make versions of this all the time with whatever I have on hand, and I love it! I make it extra spicy and I love to put lots of cilantro leaves on at the end. Alas I can't make the quickie version because I live in a small town in France and there are no canned black beans here. But it's really no trouble to soak and boil the dried ones -- it only requires foresight, not work, so I don't mind.

Posted by: Preeta on June 27, 2007 10:53 AM

Silly cooking question: I recently purchased Cuban Flavored Black Beans from Trader Joe's and think that they would be fantastic with this recipe, but I am a little uncertain as to how to use them. Do I still drain and rinse them? If so, does that make them loose all of their lovely flavor? Any thoughts? I fear that if I don't rinse them, my rice will be blue and a little gross looking...
Thanks!

Posted by: me on June 27, 2007 11:48 AM

A variation: if you cook the beans on a slow cooker (not the canned type, but from scratch), and add epazote (while cooking) instead of oregano, you will always remember the unbelievable taste of such herb.

Posted by: Mau on June 27, 2007 5:55 PM

Looks fantastic!

Posted by: L on June 27, 2007 6:40 PM

Beautiful photography. I had a craving for beans last night. i'll have to try this for dinner tonight :) Thanks for the recipe!

Posted by: Linda on June 28, 2007 6:17 AM

me - You can rinse the TJ Cuban black beans, and they'll still have flavor. I use them to make quick black bean burgers - just rinse and drain, mash 'em up, add some bread crumbs and an egg, and bake.

Posted by: A on June 28, 2007 5:48 PM

Thanks for the great recipes. A little cinnamon adds great flavor as well!

Posted by: c on June 28, 2007 6:57 PM

Being from the South, I love beans and rice in any form or fashion...however, my boyfriend, who is from Chicago, just does not get it! I am having the darndest time convincing him that beans and rice is not only a tasty meal, but healthy. However, the tips presented here, especially the olives, which he loves, perhaps will make them more palatable to him. Although, I am sure they will never replace Polish sausage, Italian beed, and Gino's East pizza in his mind and heart!

Posted by: Karen Hunter on June 28, 2007 7:35 PM

Instead of using red bell peppers, try, if you can , to locate cachucha peppers. That is what the authentic cuban recipe calls for. My wife's grandmother also uses plenty of lard AND tocino (salt pork). After the rice is cooked, the put it in with the beans and cook it until it's lost most of the liquid. It's called congris (cone-gree).

Not the most healthy food for a white man, but delicious!

Posted by: James on June 28, 2007 8:09 PM

Nothing beats some good black beans and rice. When cooked together us Cubans call it Moros y Christianos. It signifies the dark skinned Moors (the black beans) and the white Christians (white rice). Interesting I think. To the poster with the canned bean question, when you buy cans of Cuban black beans they just add cumin and vinegar to the sludge. You get less beans and more liquid in the can but I'd rinse them anyways and add my own seasonings.

Posted by: Stephen on June 28, 2007 11:13 PM

I'm from Brazil, and black beans and rice is a huge part of our everyday menu - specially in Rio de Janeiro (other states favour brown beans for everyday use, and black beans - feijoada - for special occasions).

There's no better way to cook black beans than soaking overnight, then cooking in high pressure for an hour or two. You can cook it with a fat slice of bacon, or some calabrese sausages. It goes great with roasted garlic and onions, too.

Posted by: Fred Leal on July 4, 2007 9:04 AM

I was a bit dubious about this as I'm not really into beans and definitely never heard of beans and rice (good Kiwi girl). Anyway, these were delicious and my little bub loved them too. Thanks

Posted by: Jenny on July 15, 2007 5:35 PM

Uuummm!!! black beans and white rice ( arroz y caraotas in Venezuelan or Moros y Cristianos as in Cuba )are delicious in any combination, by themself or other dishes companion. There is not right or wrong, the best way to make them is the way how you like them.

Posted by: Elena on March 29, 2008 1:34 AM

I love this recipe! I did cilantro instead of oregano, and added a few dashes of cumin. I also topped it with fresh avocado!!! It finishes the dish off perfectly!

Posted by: N on April 29, 2008 2:28 PM

Post a comment

(Your comment may need to be approved before it will appear on the site. Thanks for waiting. First time commenting? Please review the Comment Policy.)

Link to this recipe

Bookmark this page using the following link: http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/005208easy_black_beans_and_rice.php

Do you have a website? You can place a link to this page by copying and pasting the code below.

<a href="http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/005208easy_black_beans_and_rice.php">Easy Black Beans and Rice</a>