Spanish Style Beans and Rice

Name: Spanish Style Rice and Beans
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Ingredients: 2 cup long grain rice; 2 tbsp oil, divided; 1 onion finely diced; 1 pepper finely diced; 1 clove minced garlic; 1-2 carrots finely diced ((optional)); 2 tbsp tomato paste; 1 15 oz can black beans, drained; 1 tsp cumin; 1/2 tsp coriander; 1 tsp paprika; 3/4 tsp smoked paprika; 1/2 tsp chili powder

July 6, 2021cookwcharacter

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As I’ve mentioned before, we have a toddler. And we’ve finally reached that dreaded “Terrible Two” phase. Which means that he will eat only the things he wants to eat. If he loved it yesterday, today he probably will just look at me, shout “No!” and then run away. Unless its a chip. Or an animal cracker. Not exactly ideal food groups.

But he will, pretty consistently, eat most types of Spanish style rice. While the packets you get at the store are cheap and easy, they are also not something I can eat (they have gluten) and they’re full of things that we don’t need. So I decided that I’d just make my own.

So I pulled out my new 5 quart non-stick pan that the awesome folks over at Tucocina sent me. Seriously, you should check them out. And if you do – use code CWC2021 for 25% off. I really, really like the pans and other kitchen items they have sent me. I wouldn’t promote it if I didn’t genuinely enjoy it. I’ve used these for everything from this recipe, to strawberry jam, to frying shrimp, and they have held up to everything I’ve thrown at them. For the jam, and for this recipe, that nonstick surface is a life saver! Believe me, the last thing you want to do is try to scrape stuck jam or burnt rice off the bottom of a pan. With these it just rinsed right off and I had no issues! They conduct the heat well, and I didn’t notice any hotspots or anything like that. If you are in the market for new pans, these are a definite win!

The best part is that this is a one pan meal. You could easily have this as a side, but we decided that if we added some black beans for a little protein, it made a great easy meal (with lots of leftovers).

It does take about 45 minutes, start to finish. But that includes chopping veggies. If you want to make it faster, buy the frozen, pre-chopped onions and peppers instead. I planned to feed this to a toddler, so I chopped everything pretty finely, because if he can see it and recognize a veggie – it’s just not going to happen.

This goes pretty quick, so chop everything before you start. Once its all done, heat about a tablespoon of oil in the bottom of your pan, and when its hot (if you aren’t sure, drop a piece of onion in there. If it sizzles, you’re ready) you want to put in your onion, peppers, and carrots. The carrots are totally optional. I included them to try and get a little extra something in my kid. You feel free to delete if you like.

I saute these for about 8 minutes, until they’re getting translucent and soft. Add in one clove of minced garlic, cook another minute or two, then make a clear spot in the center of your pan and add in your two tablespoons of tomato paste, and the spices. You want to toast these for just a moment or two. And you need to keep it moving or it will burn. Ask me how I know.

Once your two ish minutes are up, scoop all that lovely stuff into a bowl and put aside. Put another tablespoon of oil in the pan, and then dump in your two cups of rice. You’ll want to toast this for a few minutes on high, just until you see a little bit of color on some of the rice.

Then add back the tomato and veggies, and pour in four and a half cups of broth. You can use water if you want, but broth is always good. I ended up using half homemade canned turkey broth, and half water with chicken boullion. Add your black beans. I used one can, drained, but you can you more or less, depending on how you like it. Let it come to a boil, then turn the heat to low, pop on the lid, and let it simmer for 20 minutes.

Once the time is up, taste a little and add salt and pepper as needed. Serve it up and enjoy! I was surprised, but the toddler ate a pretty good portion, including the black beans. I fully expected them to get picked out or refused, but he didn’t seem to mind. Small victories, right?

Spanish Style Rice and Beans

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Course: Main Course

Keyword: one pot meal, rice and beans, spanish rice, tucocina

Servings: 8

Author: cookwcharacter

Ingredients

2 cup long grain rice
2 tbsp oil, divided
1 onion finely diced
1 pepper finely diced
1 clove minced garlic
1-2 carrots finely diced (optional)
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 15 oz can black beans, drained
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1 tsp paprika
3/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp chili powder

Instructions

Prep all veggies in advance.
Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. When hot, add in all veggies, except the minced garlic. Sauté for 8 minutes.
Add the minced garlic and sauté another 2 minutes.
Make a well in the center of the pan and add the tomato paste and spices. Stir continually for two minutes.
Scoop out the tomato, spice, and veggie mixture into a bowl. Set aside.
Add remaining 1 tbsp of oil to pan. Add rice and toast rice for 2 minutes, until you begin to see some grains getting a little golden brown color.
Return tomato mixture to the pan, add in the water or broth, and then add the beans. Stir, and let come to a boil.
Once the mixture boils, put lid on the pan and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20 minutes.
After the time is up, check for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy as a main course or side dish.