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June 3, 2016 26 Comments

Dressed-Up Black Beans and Rice

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Dressed-Up Black Beans and Rice: A simple take on black beans and rice with lots of added veggies. Top with sliced avocado, guacamole, salsa, sour cream, or cheese and serve over spinach and/or rice for a hearty vegetarian meal.Dressed-up black beans and rice that takes 25 minutes to make! Affordable college student meal that's also delicious

As I’ve ventured more into vegetarian cooking over the past few years, I knew it was only a matter of  time before I came up with my own version of classic rice and beans. My mom makes awesome Cuban black beans & rice, but her recipe calls for dried beans that have to be soaked overnight, plus she uses a stovetop pressure cooker. I wanted to make a quicker, college student friendly version that’s still packed with flavor. This one fits the bill and only takes about 25 minutes to make, start to finish.

I can’t claim that this black beans and rice recipe is “authentic” in any way, but I can claim that it’s delicious, packed with veggies, and one of the heartiest vegetarian meals I’ve ever had. I was going to call it “Simple Black Beans & Rice” but I realize that a truly simple version of this recipe is just black beans right out of the can served over microwave rice (and I’m not knocking that version!).

Mine’s “dressed up” with spices and veggies, and it’s served over spinach and rice and topped with as many additions as you’d like– guacamole, salsa, sour cream, and cheese are all great toppings. Step one is sautéing veggies (diced bell pepper, onion, and tomato) and spices together in a large skillet.

Dressed-up black beans and rice that takes 25 minutes to make! Affordable college student meal that's also deliciousStep two is adding tomato paste, broth or water, and drained & rinsed black beans and simmering it all for 10-15 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Then, it’s ready!Dressed-up black beans and rice that takes 25 minutes to make! Affordable college student meal that's also deliciousSince I’m staying at home for a few weeks this summer, I used my dad and brother as taste-testers because they’re tougher critics for healthy dishes than I am. They’re also major meat eaters and typically don’t enjoy vegetarian meals, but they both gave this vegetarian black beans and rice two thumbs up. They did leave the spinach out of their servings, and they ate it out of cereal bowls. Boys.
Dressed-up black beans and rice that takes 25 minutes to make! Affordable college student meal that's also delicious

If you try the recipe, feel free to let me know in a comment or take a picture and tag me @livbane on Instagram. Hope you enjoy!Dressed-up black beans and rice that takes 25 minutes to make! Affordable college student meal that's also delicious

Simple black beans & rice that takes 25 minutes to make! Affordable college student meal that's also delicious
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5 from 1 vote

Dressed-Up Black Beans & Rice

A simple take on classic black beans and rice with lots of added veggies. Top with sliced avocado, guacamole, salsa, sour cream, or cheese and serve over spinach and/or rice for a hearty vegetarian meal.
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Author: Liv

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon cooking oil*
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1/2 cup red or green bell pepper, diced
  • 4 medium garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
  • 4 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 cup water or vegetable broth**
  • 2 14-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, stems removed (optional)
  • Brown rice for serving (I used 1 1/2 cups brown rice, uncooked)
  • Optional: spinach for serving

Instructions

  • Start brown rice first since it typically cooks for about 40 minutes.
  • While rice is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium-low heat and add cooking oil. Sauté chopped onion, bell pepper, and garlic for 3 to 4 minutes.
  • Add spices (chili powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and salt). Sauté for 3 to 4 more minutes, until veggies are starting to soften.
  • Add chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, water or broth, and drained black beans. Simmer uncovered on medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until sauce thickens. If sauce becomes too thick, add a little more water or broth. Add cilantro just before serving, if using.
  • Serve over brown rice and/or spinach and top with guacamole or sliced avocado, pico de gallo, sour cream, or cheese.

Notes

*I use either refined coconut oil or grapeseed oil since both can handle high heat.
**You can substitute chicken broth for a non-vegetarian version.

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Comments

  1. masala girl says

    June 3, 2016 at 1:02 am

    ah, boys will be boys. 😉
    and love the simple recipe! everyone could use more veggies in their life– now if only all college students thought that! hah.

    Reply
    • Liv says

      June 3, 2016 at 7:18 am

      You’re right, we could always use more veggies!

      Reply
  2. Marissa says

    June 3, 2016 at 8:43 am

    That brother of yours sure is cute!

    Reply
    • Liv says

      June 3, 2016 at 11:08 am

      Hah! My sister and I tell him that all the time and he rolls his eyes 😉

      Reply
  3. Rebecca Lindenbach says

    June 3, 2016 at 8:57 am

    This looks so great!! I’ve been looking for some easy beans-and-rice recipes to keep costs down with groceries for me and my husband, so I’ll be trying this out for sure! 🙂

    Lovely pictures, too, Liv!

    Rebecca Lindenbach | Life as a Dare

    Reply
    • Liv says

      June 3, 2016 at 11:08 am

      Awesome!! Beans and rice are such a cost effective meal! Hope you enjoy it 🙂

      Reply
  4. rachel @ Athletic Avocado says

    June 3, 2016 at 10:50 am

    What a tasty version of the classic recipe! I can totally see myself using this as a dip for tortilla chips too!

    Reply
    • Liv says

      June 3, 2016 at 11:07 am

      Mm I didn’t even think of that, but it’d be awesome as a dip!

      Reply
  5. Paula says

    June 3, 2016 at 11:07 am

    This looks wonderful! I’m going to give it a try tonight. =) Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Liv says

      June 3, 2016 at 11:09 am

      Awesome, you’ll have to let me know what you think! 🙂

      Reply
      • Paula says

        June 4, 2016 at 7:45 pm

        It was absolutely wonderful! I had to make a modification due to a food allergy I have (I’m allergic to bell peppers, so I just used half again as much of the onion and carrots) and I used kale rather than spinach and ancho chili powder because that’s what I had on hand. I cut the recipe in half and had half for dinner Friday and just ate half for dinner tonight, with a quarter avocado and a tablespoon of sour cream (and a bit of sriracha). Definitely a keeper and I’ll be making it regularly because it’s easy, healthy, and affordable.=) Thank you so much!

        Reply
        • Liv says

          June 4, 2016 at 11:04 pm

          I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed it, Paula! All of your modifications sound delicious. Thanks for reporting back! 🙂

          Reply
  6. Heather says

    June 3, 2016 at 1:40 pm

    It looks SO good – but I’m allergic to beans 🙁 I have come to learn that putting avocado on anything tends to make it even better 😀

    Reply
    • Liv says

      June 4, 2016 at 10:50 pm

      Oh no! I bet lentils would be great instead if you can have those. And so true about avocado!

      Reply
  7. Kristy @ Southern In Law says

    June 4, 2016 at 12:25 am

    This is definitely my kinda meal! This would be the perfect topping for so many things too – whether you use it in tacos or mix it with pasta – SO many possibilities!

    Reply
    • Liv says

      June 4, 2016 at 10:51 pm

      Mmm I bet this would be delicious in tacos!!

      Reply
  8. Ellen @ My Uncommon Everyday says

    June 4, 2016 at 1:32 pm

    I love easy, flavor-packed meals like this! And I totally use my dad to tell me whether a healthy recipe is too healthy-tasting, too 🙂

    Reply
    • Liv says

      June 4, 2016 at 11:05 pm

      Dads make the best taste-testers! 🙂

      Reply
  9. Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says

    June 4, 2016 at 4:05 pm

    A classic that never fails to satisfy!

    Reply
  10. Chrissy @ Snacking in Sneakers says

    June 5, 2016 at 1:53 pm

    This looks super tasty! We LOVE rice & beans in our house because I’m so frugal. I love the little extras that you added to this version to add more depth of flavor. Can’t wait to try it.

    Reply
  11. Fiona @ Get Fit Fiona says

    June 5, 2016 at 7:28 pm

    Looks like a delicious recipe. I love having ideas for vegetarian recipes.

    Reply
  12. Carly @ Fitliving Eats says

    June 8, 2016 at 7:42 am

    This looks delicious! I love the addition of the other veggies. I pinned for later!

    Reply
    • Liv says

      June 8, 2016 at 9:06 am

      Thanks for pinning, Carly!!

      Reply
  13. Dave LeBlanc says

    July 6, 2016 at 11:30 am

    We have this for dinner several times now and it’s become a family favorite. That it’s fast, tasty and cheap makes it all that much better. Thanks for sharing this.

    Reply
    • Liv says

      July 6, 2016 at 12:02 pm

      I’m so happy to hear that your family has enjoyed this meal, Dave! Thanks for the feedback!

      Reply

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Hi, I’m Liv! I originally started blogging to share easy meals I made in my college dorm kitchen. Years later, as an attorney now, my goal is still to share delicious, approachable recipes with simple ingredients. You can most often find me running, eating ice cream, and making a mess in my kitchen. More...

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