Beans and Rice

Beans and Tomato Rice

Beans are a pretty versatile ingredient that can help you make filling and nutritious meals that are also a breeze to make. Now, you probably already know this if you’ve tried making our Cajun Red Beans and Rice recipe, but there are very few food pairings better than beans and rice. Indeed, it’s a combination that’s present in a multitude of cuisines from all over the world. It’s a great healthy and hearty meal to fill you up and get you going.

If you’re looking to add a new spin to your beans and rice dishes, we highly recommend trying out this Beans and Tomato Rice recipe. What’s great about this recipe is you can prepare the rice easily and quickly in a rice cooker. It’s best to use small rice cookers for this, as they tend to produce the optimal number of servings. The last thing you want is to waste good food. We’ve listed everything you’ll need below, as well as a quick guide on how to prepare this hearty and flavorful dish!

Ingredients:

– 1 cup of uncooked rice, medium grain
– 2 cups of cold water (a good rule of thumb is two cups of water for every cup of uncooked rice)
– 1 15 oz can of whole tomatoes
– 2 tablespoons of olive oil
– 6 garlic cloves, minced
– 1 jalapeno with the seeds removed (you can keep them in if you prefer a little more heat)
– 1 lb of black beans
– 1 teaspoon of chili powder
– 2 teaspoons of ground cumin

Optional:

– 1/4 cup chopped oregano
– 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Directions

1. Soak beans using your favorite soaking method.
2. Wash the rice thoroughly, twice. Then add washed rice and cold water to rice cooker.
3. Crush the canned tomatoes (if all you have is diced tomatoes then you can add them as is). Set the liquid from the can aside.
4. Add the crushed tomatoes, oregano, and cilantro (optional) on top of the uncooked rice.
5. Cook the rice according to your rice cooker’s directions.
6. Heat a skillet over medium to high heat and lightly sauté the jalapeno and garlic in the olive oil. Cook until the garlic is brown.
7. Add in the beans, salt, and chili powder. Incorporate the spices with the beans by stirring for around 30 seconds to a minute. You can add in some of the liquid from the canned tomatoes to infuse the beans with more tomato flavor.
8. Once the rice is cooked, mix it with the beans and serve hot.

Written by Nancy Reed for beaninstitute.com