This quick and easy recipe for Black Beans and Rice is delicious! Made with sofrito, canned black beans and long-grain rice.
Black Beans and Rice
Serve these rice and beans as a meatless main dish with avocado or a side with steak, pork chops, grilled chicken, and more. My husband is half Puerto Rican, and rice and beans are his love language, so I make this delicious dish all the time! This healthy Black Beans and Rice recipe is similar to my Cuban Arroz Congri, with a few differences. They’re so easy to make and always a hit. A few more of my favorite Latin bean recipes are Dominican Beans, Arroz con Gandules, and Mexican Pinto Beans.
Are black beans and rice healthy?
Rice and black beans both have protein, and beans are full of fiber. Paired together, they provide a very filling meal. One serving has 6.5 grams of protein and 4.5 grams of fiber. They also both have a variety of vitamins and minerals.
Ingredients
- Sofrito: Sofrito is a sauce made of onion, peppers, and garlic that I use in so many stews, beans, and meat dishes. I like to make a big batch and freeze it in ice cube trays, so I always have some available.
- Black Beans: Using canned beans saves time.
- Rice: Buy long-grain white rice.
- Water to cook the rice and other ingredients in
- Sazon: Sazon is a Latin spice blend with achiote, coriander, cumin, oregano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. The achiote is what gives the rice the yellow color. You can make homemade sazon or purchase a packet at the supermarket.
- Bouillon: For vegetarian choose vegetable bouillon, but chicken will also work.
- Salt to flavor
How to Make Black Beans and Rice
- Cook the Sofrito: Heat a medium pot over medium heat and pour in the oil. Add the sofrito and cook for a few minutes until fragrant.
- Boil: Stir in the rinsed beans and rice and then the water, sazon, bouillon, and salt. Bring it to a boil over medium heat and let it cook until the liquid is almost absorbed and just skims the top of the rice.
- Simmer: Cover the pot with a lid and cook on low for 15 minutes. Remove it from the heat and let it sit for 5 to 8 minutes without lifting the lid.
How to Freeze Black Beans and Rice
Leftovers are good in the fridge for up to five days or in the freezer for a few months. Store them in smaller airtight containers for individual portions or larger ones to pull out for dinner for the whole family when you need a quick side dish. Thaw them overnight in the refrigerator and warm them on the stove or in the microwave.
What to serve with black beans and rice
This rice and beans dish can be eaten as a meal or served as a side with a protein, like:
More Black Bean Recipes You’ll Love:
- Quick Black Beans
- Cuban-Style Black Beans
- Brazilian Black Beans
- Instant Pot Black Beans
- Black Bean Soup
Black Beans and Rice
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup sofrito, I keep this in my freezer
- 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 cups long grain rice, I like Carolina
- 3 1/2 cups water
- 1 packet Sazon with achiote, or 1/2 tablespoon homemade sazon
- 1 large vegetable or chicken bouillon cube, such as Maggi
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Heat a medium heavy pot with a tight fitted lid over medium heat and add the oil.
- Add the sofrito and cook until it melts and becomes fragrant, stirring 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the rinsed beans and rice and mix well.
- Add the water, sazon, bouillon and salt, stir and let it cook, boiling over medium heat until the liquid is almost all absorbed and just skims the top of the rice.
- Quickly cover the lid and cook low heat 15 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let it sit 5 to 8 minutes more, without lifting the lid so the steam finishes the rice.
- Fluff with a fork and enjoy.
