A Spanish-inspired recipe, this dish of brown rice and red beans is a great for busy weeknights, when you want something easy and hearty. The key is to have the rice cooked ahead of time, but even if you don't, it's still not a daunting task. Briny olives perk up the mellow flavor of brown rice and beans. Serve a simple green salad or a platter of tomatoes and pineapple, or sliced seedless oranges. Delicious with garlic-sautéed greens. Recipe adapted from Plant Power by Nava Atlas; photos by Hannah Kaminsky.
Recipe
Spanish-Style Rice and Red Beans
A classic Spanish dish, this is a great choice when you want something easy and hearty. Briny olives perk up the mellow flavor of brown rice and beans.
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Servings:
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups uncooked brown rice see note
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or 3 tablespoons broth or water
- 1 large yellow or red onion quartered and thinly sliced
- 3 to 4 cloves garlic minced
- 3 ½ cups cooked or two 15- to 16-ounce cans drained and rinsed small red beans
- 1 ½ cups diced ripe tomato
- ¾ cup pimiento-stuffed green olives chopped
- 3 scallions thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon adobo seasoning more or less to taste
- Dried hot red pepper flakes to taste
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
Instructions
- Combine the rice with 2 ½ cups water in a small saucepan and bring to a slow boil. Lower the heat and simmer gently and steadily, covered, until the water is absorbed, about 30 minutes. If you’d like a more tender grain, add another ½ cup water and cook until absorbed. This step can be done ahead.
- Shortly before serving, add the onion and sauté over medium-low heat until translucent. Add the garlic and continue to sauté until the onion just begins to brown.
- Add the cooked rice to the skillet along with the remaining ingredients except the last two. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes, or until everything is well heated through.
- Season with salt and pepper, then stir in half of the cilantro. Pass around the remaining cilantro to top individual servings.
Nutrition (Estimate per Serving)
Calories: 295kcalCarbohydrates: 51gProtein: 10gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gSodium: 534mgPotassium: 542mgFiber: 8gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 527IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 69mgIron: 2mg
Vegan-ize any recipe!Grab our free vegan cheat sheet, packed with my favorite easy substitutions to make any recipe vegan.
Note: Try this with brown basmati rice for extra flavor and aroma; or use an exotic rice blend for extra color and flavor.
Nutrition Information:
Per serving: 334 calories; 6g fat; 59g carbs; 12g fiber; 13g protein; 333mg sodium
- For more ways to use brown rice, explore Classic Rice Dishes.
- Here are more of VegKitchen's Vegan Dinner Recipes and more Main Dishes Featuring Grains and/or Beans.
Peggy says
This sounds like a great simple recipe, sure to hit the spot!
Enri says
Hello! I'm from Valencia and this is the way I cook a veggie paella, it's simple but really delicious:
In a paella pan, fry onion and and a little of garlic. Add some cauliflower, carrots, eggplant, bell pepper and zucchini (or any other vegetable of the same kind). Add some salt. When everything is well fried, add tomato and stir everything well. Add one cup of rice, stir and add two cups of vegetable broth, together with a little of saffron. Cook for 20 minutes until the rice is cooked. Cover it for 5 minutes before serving and...enjoy!
Nava says
That veggie paella sounds delicious! I will definitely try it.
Enri says
It is, Nava! The secret is to use good ingredients and have some patience...congratulations for your blog, by the way!
Felicia Charles says
I made this for dinner, but I cooked my rice in the rice cooker. Wasn't saucy, but still came out great, I enjoyed it. The cayenne gave a nice amount of heat.
judy says
OMG so delicious! Didn\'t have green olives so served it with diced avocado and naan ...yummy everyone enjoyed!...will definitely make this again