Healthy & Easy Black Beans and Rice is one of my favorite go-to vegetarian meals!
Easy Black Black Beans and Rice
This easy Black Beans and Rice is another one of my favorite recipes that I make on repeat, much like my Crock Pot Enchilada Stack. It's the recipe I make when I just want to eat something good and don't want to actually think about it. The one I've been making for so long that I don't need a recipe and always keep the stuff on hand. I know we all have these recipes. They are usually our best recipes because we've tweaked them to perfection.
This is my healthy and easy Black Beans and Rice. It's nothing fancy, but it's a tried and true Wunder household favorite.
I started to make this when I was just out of college, living on my own and working in small market TV. Small market TV isn't the most glamorous career choice and I was living on a very, very limited budget.
Many weeks I make a huge batch and eat off of it all week. As I learned more about food and cooking, I added and took out things to morph it into what it is today. But this easy Black Beans and Rice recipe is one that has been with me for a long time.
I'd dare say after making it hundreds of times, it's just about perfect!
Even though I feel lifetimes away from that young girl, I still like keeping the ingredients for this in the pantry and fridge. It's so nice to always have a comforting, healthy meal to fall back on when I don't have much time or energy to think.
The savory black beans are combined with fresh pepper and onions and canned tomatoes. It's a shortcut that allows you to get this on the table fast. You can always use a package of Mexican rice (I used to!) but these days I like to know what's my food so I make my own brown rice with cilantro and lime. Make this with Tuesday's Cilantro Lime Brown Rice recipe. Just the right amount of freshness to make this dish feel special without much effort at all.
My healthy and easy Black Beans and Rice can be thrown together in less than 15 minutes and is a well-balanced meal for anyone but especially vegetarians and vegans. It's also very budget-friendly and tastes delicious! You can adjust the spices to your personal taste. I kept the recipe pretty mild though because this is the amount of heat the Hubs tolerates!
Give it a try and let me know what you think!
Easy Black Beans & Rice
Ingredients
- 1 green pepper, chopped
- 1 sweet onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 15 oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 14.5 oz can fire roasted garlic diced tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼-1/2+ teaspoon cayenne or chipotle pepper
- salt to taste, start with ¼ teaspoon
- pepper to taste, start with ¼ teaspoon
- 1 recipe Cilantro Lime Brown Rice ***
Instructions
- In a large pan with a lid over medium heat, saute the peppers and onions in the olive oil for about five minutes or until starting to turn tender.
- Reduce pan to medium-low heat and add the garlic and continue to saute for about 30 seconds until fragrant. Do not allow the garlic to burn.
- Add the beans, tomato and spices to the pan. Cover and allow the beans to simmer, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
- If you have additional time you can allow the beans to simmer for another 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally to build more flavor.
- Serve the bean mixture over a bed of rice and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Like my Easy Black Beans and Rice? I’d love it if you could pin this to your favorite Pinterest board! Thank you so much for the support.
Classic, Healthy & Easy Black Beans and Rice w/ Cilantro Lime Rice Share on X
Want more healthy Mexican dishes?
Black Bean Enchilada Casserole
Vegetarian Crock Pot Lentil Tacos
Easy Black Beans and Rice
This 2013 Running in a Skirt recipe got a complete makeover in 2017!
![DSCN2757[1]](https://www.runninginaskirt.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/DSCN27571_thumb.jpg "DSCN2757[1]")
Your turn!
What dish do you make without having to think about it?
I’m linking up my Easy Black Beans and Rice with: Meatless Monday with Sarah and Deborah, Meatless Monday with Annmarie and Rachel, Delicious Dish Tuesday, What’s Cookin’ Wednesday, Full Plate Thursday with Miz Helen, FoodFriDIY, Foodie Friday, and the Weekend Potluck. Thanks so much ladies for the link up parties!
Miz Helen says
Your Black Beans and Rice look delicious, I just love this combination! Thanks so much for sharing your post with us at Full Plate Thursday and come back soon!
Miz Helen
JulieWunder says
Thank you for stopping by!
Sarah says
Looks delicious and I love all the flavors and textures you've added! I've been craving beans for the last few months, must get it from my daughter.
Wendy@Taking the Long Way Home says
My hubs would love this. I think this would also be good as a filler for tortillas!
dixya @food, pleasure, and health says
im all about simple easy dinner and this one fits the bill completely. it has all the essentials i need 🙂
JulieWunder says
Me too! Thanks Dixya!
Annmarie says
Can't beat easy and healthy! Looks delicious!
JulieWunder says
Thank you Annmarie!
Deborah @ Confessions of a mother runner says
Black beans and rice is one of my go to meals on a busy day
JulieWunder says
Me too! Thanks Deborah!
Kristy from Southern In Law says
This looks like the perfect lunch or dinner option! I'll definitely have to give it a try soon!
JulieWunder says
Thanks Kristy! Simple and delish.
kimmythevegan says
Sounds super delicious! And so easy to make. I like the fire roasted tomatoes as it would give it some extra oomph in the flavour department. I like spending time in the kitchen and making fancy meals, but I just don't have that much time for the most part, so this sounds perfect. It cuts down on time without sacrificing health of flavour. And paired with your cilantro rice? Yes, please!
Thanks so much for sharing at Healthy Vegan Fridays! I'm pinning & sharing!
JulieWunder says
Totally! This is fast, well rounded and good!
Patricia @Sweet and Strong says
You reminded me that I used to eat this ALL the time in college on that tight budget too! I love beans, but just don't eat them as often probably because of my meat loving husband, lol.
JulieWunder says
Oh I feel ya! Mine is a good sport about it, but I try to mix it up.
Mary Beth Jackson says
I have had many of black beans and rice times myself- great combo! Adding the tomato is a great idea and now some fresh cilantro! Yum!
JulieWunder says
Thanks Mary Beth!
AlisonsAllspice says
Black beans and rice are a great combo. I keep them on hand too for quick healthy meals like this, thanks!
Debbie@debbiethisandthat.com says
Sounds delicious and I pinned it for future reference, Julie!
JulieWunder says
Yay! Thanks Debbie!
Emily says
When I was in Uganda, I learned just how DELICIOUS beans and rice can be; we had them every day for lunch, and it was just so simple and good.
JulieWunder says
I bet they were delicious there.
Carrie this fit chick says
Anything simple and easy is perfect for me! Can't go wrong with such a classic combo of beans and rice!
JulieWunder says
Thanks Carrie!
Blane Sherer says
It's nice to have staples that you can adjust a bit here
and there. This has served you well over the years ( smile ).
Annette cocke says
Just fixed the black beans and messed up the proportions of the seasonings but it's still delicious anyway! Many thanks for a good and easy recipe.
Annette
JulieWunder says
Glad you liked it!! It's hard to mess up!
JulieWunder says
You can also use a pre-made Mexican seasoning blend too!
Kim @ Hungry Healthy Girl says
I love super easy recipes like this one. Thanks for the idea!!
JulieWunder says
Me too! Thanks Kim!
Stan Richardson says
We had a Latino fastfood diner in South Florida that served BlackBeans and YellowRice with roasted Chicken with about 6 different sauces.Fried Plantains were on some orders plus your drink very good.
JulieWunder says
Oh my! That makes me hungry just thinking about it. I adore plantains!
Madeline St Onge says
Looks yummy Julie will try this. I can come do your shopping, make out a list for me and give me your address 😉
Annette cocke says
Sounds really delicious and easy! Can't wait to fix it - I've just had foot surgery so I can't walk right now but this weekend I'll probably sit on a stool and fix it. I love black beans and tomatoes and the best part is that I have all the ingredients. I'll let you know how it turns out.
Annette
JulieWunder says
oh no! I hope you foot heals-- that sounds miserable!
Yes-- it's a go to recipe!
Cindy Frost says
Wow, that is what I am fixing for dinner tonight also. My recipe calls for thyme and then squeezing fresh lime on the mixture right before serving. I love the idea of adding a can of diced tomatoes which isn't in my recipe. (I think I'll blend the two recipes.) Thanks for sharing.
JulieWunder says
YUM! Those additions sound great. The tomatoes add so much-- I think-- and really helps it be a well rounded meal!
Let me know how yours turns out!
Cindy Frost says
The diced tomatoes added an additional layer of flavor and will become a regular addition to my recipe!
I hope you continue to feel stronger every day!
JulieWunder says
Thank you Cindy! The are really yummy in it and are an easy way to up the health content.