Quick and easy black beans and rice with onion, bell pepper, garlic, Tabasco, oregano, and white 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. (A compromise? Cook the beans in a pressure cooker.)
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.
Easy Black Beans and Rice Recipe
- Prep time: 10 minutes
- Cook time: 20 minutes
- Yield: Serves 6
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked white rice
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin 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 tablespoons white vinegar
- A few dashes of Tabasco or 1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano OR 1 heaping tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Optional Lime wedges and cilantro for garnish
Method
1 Cook the rice: 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 Sauté onions, bell peppers, garlic: 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.
3 Add beans, vinegar, Tabasco, then simmer: Add the black beans, vinegar and Tabasco or cayenne. Bring vinegar to a simmer, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
4 Stir in rice and oregano. Add salt and pepper to taste.
