Spanish Rice Beans Dish (Printer-friendly)

Vibrant Mexican-inspired brown rice and beans flavored with tomato salsa, cumin, and smoky paprika.

# What You'll Need:

→ Base

01 - 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
02 - 1/2 medium white or yellow onion, finely diced

→ Rice & Broth

03 - 2 cups long grain brown rice
04 - 3 cups vegetable broth

→ Flavoring

05 - 1 1/2 cups tomato-based salsa
06 - 1 teaspoon ground cumin
07 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
08 - Salt to taste

→ Beans

09 - 1 can (15 ounces) black beans or kidney beans, drained and rinsed

→ Garnish

10 - Fresh chopped cilantro, optional

# Directions:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Sauté the diced onion for 3 to 4 minutes until softened and translucent.
02 - Add the brown rice, vegetable broth, salsa, ground cumin, smoked paprika, and a pinch of salt to the pot. Stir to combine all ingredients evenly.
03 - Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for approximately 40 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the liquid is fully absorbed.
04 - Once the rice is cooked, gently stir in the drained and rinsed beans. Taste and adjust salt as needed.
05 - Remove from heat and let the rice and beans sit covered for at least 10 minutes to allow flavors to meld and develop.
06 - Fluff the rice with a fork, sprinkle with fresh chopped cilantro if desired, and serve warm.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It comes together in under an hour and tastes like you spent all afternoon cooking.
  • Brown rice soaks up all those savory spices while the beans add protein and heartiness that satisfies like comfort food.
  • One pot means less cleanup, and it's naturally vegan and gluten-free, so it works for nearly everyone at the table.
02 -
  • Don't skip the ten-minute rest at the end, even though you're hungry and it's sitting right in front of you, because that's when everything tastes infinitely better and more cohesive.
  • If your rice is still crunchy after forty minutes, you probably have a heat issue or didn't cover the pot properly, so check those things before adding more liquid.
03 -
  • Always drain and rinse canned beans under cold water to wash away the starchy liquid, which keeps the rice from getting gummy and lets each ingredient taste like itself.
  • Taste before you serve and adjust salt at the very end, because different broths and salsas have different salt levels and you want to be in control of that final balance.
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