Skip to content
RecipesWhipped Up

Latin American

Rice and Beans

White rice cooks with black beans, onion, cumin, and a bay leaf in one pot. It is a plain, filling plate that costs very little and uses pantry cans.

Prep
10 min
Cook
25 min
Total
35 min
Servings
6
Difficulty
Easy
Jump to recipe
Bowl of white rice mixed with black beans, onion, and cilantro

Why you’ll love it

  • Rice and canned beans cook in one pot with one seasoning path.
  • Cumin, garlic, and bay leaf keep it from tasting plain.
  • It stretches to six servings from a bag of rice and two cans.
  • Leftovers reheat without falling apart.

Ingredients

Servings6

Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.

View list

Check the ingredients you still need, then add them. If nothing is checked, the full list is added. Saved on this device.

Instructions

  1. 1

    Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook the onion and bell pepper until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds.

  2. 2

    Stir in the rice and cook 1 minute, until the grains look glossy.

  3. 3

    Add the beans, water, cumin, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil.

  4. 4

    Cover, lower the heat to low, and simmer 18 minutes. Do not lift the lid.

  5. 5

    Turn off the heat and let the pot stand, covered, 5 minutes. The rice should be tender and the water absorbed.

  6. 6

    Remove the bay leaf, fluff with a fork, and stir in the cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.

Pro tips

  • Rinse the beans so the pot does not turn gray and overly salty.
  • Keep the lid on. Peeking releases the steam the rice needs.
  • If the bottom starts to stick, stop stirring and rest the pot off the heat. The residual steam usually finishes the top.

Easy substitutions

Black beans
Pinto beans, drained and rinsed.
Water
Low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth.
Cilantro
Parsley if you do not like cilantro.

Storage and reheating

Storage

Refrigerate in a covered container for up to 4 days.

Reheating

Warm in a skillet with a splash of water, covered, until hot. Fluff before serving.

Nutrition

Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.

Calories
309
Protein
12 g
Carbs
54 g
Fat
5 g
Fiber
9 g

Budget friendly · One Pan, Stovetop

You might also like

A skillet of taco rice with ground beef, cheddar, tomato, and lettuce.
Budget Bites

Loaded Taco Rice

Rice cooked in the same pot as a modest amount of seasoned beef, then finished with cheddar, tomato, and lettuce. Half the usual meat, because the rice and spices do the stretching.

35 min · Easy

View recipe
A bowl of red beans and rice with sliced smoked sausage and green onion.
Budget Bites

Red Beans and Rice

Canned red beans simmered with onion, pepper, smoked sausage, and a short spice list, served over rice. The stovetop pot is about 50 minutes. The slow cooker is 6 hours on low or 3 hours on high.

50 min · or 6 hr on low / 3 hr on high · Easy

View recipe
Bean burritos sliced open to show mashed pinto beans and melted cheese
Budget Bites

Bean Burritos

Pinto beans simmer with onion, cumin, and chili powder, then get mashed and rolled with cheese. It is a low-cost dinner that uses the pantry on purpose.

25 min · Easy

View recipe

Still hungry?

More in the same lane, not a random mix.

Chickpeas in a golden tomato curry with rice and cilantro.
Budget Bites

Chickpea Curry

Chickpeas in a tomato and spice sauce with ginger, garlic, and a small amount of coconut milk so it stays cheap and still tastes round. Serve it with rice.

35 min · Easy

View recipe
Skillet of egg fried rice with peas, scrambled egg, and green onion
Budget Bites

Egg Fried Rice

Cold cooked rice hits a hot skillet with egg, peas, and soy until the grains are separate and the egg is fully set. It is a cheap dinner that depends on leftover rice, not fresh.

22 min · Easy

View recipe
Bowl of thick potato soup with visible potato chunks and chopped chives
Budget Bites

Potato Soup

Potatoes, onion, and broth simmer into a thick soup finished with a little milk. Part of the potatoes get mashed so the bowl is creamy without a heavy pour of cream.

45 min · Easy

View recipe

Find something else

One-Pot MealsVegetarianQuick MealsComfort Food

From the kitchen

Kitchen tools we love

Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.

  • A heavy 12-inch skillet

    Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.

  • An air fryer with a real basket

    The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.

  • A half-sheet pan

    Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.

  • A sharp chef’s knife

    These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.

  • A large cutting board

    Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.

  • Dry cups and a liquid cup

    Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.

  • An instant-read thermometer

    Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.

Read the affiliate disclosure.

Ingredients