Bistro Black Beans & Rice

KitchenMistress's Note:

VERY INEXPENSIVE.... AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS....PREPARES IN 20 MINUTES! My sister makes this amazing recipe for large and small crowds. For such a simple dish, it always impresses. My husband does not like black beans... but he ate this to be polite and LOVES it now! My children were forced to try it and now ask for it by name.

• Total Time: 25 mins
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 5

• 1 (28 ounce) can black beans (with juice)
• 2 cups white rice
• 4 cups water
• 1 tablespoon dried onion flakes
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes (with juice)
• 1 -2 tablespoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• corn tortilla, grilled
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced small
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Thoroughly combine tomatoes, olive oil, onion, basil, pepper, and 1 - 2 T salt. Set aside for flavors to meld. Stir occasionally. (Note: The tomato mixture should be quite salty - it will meld down with the beans and unsalted rice and be just perfect!)
2. Place beans and juice in a pan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low-medium and cover. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
3. Combine rice, water, dried onion. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes.
4. Remove 1 cup of the beans and smash with a fork. Stir into pot of beans to thicken remaining beans.
5. Heat dry skillet and flip corn tortillas to warm and soft.(cast iron skillet works best). Roll warm tortillas and place in a basket with towel or a tortilla server to keep them warm and moist.
6. Dish rice into individual bowls. Top with a healthy serving of beans and as much of the tomato salsa as you like. Do not pre-mix before serving. Serve with tortillas. Scoop the rice and beans into/onto the tortilla and enjoy.
7. Leftovers make a GREAT next day lunch!

Reviews

[SouperChef]

The family enjoyed this recipe so much! For something so simple and inexpensive, it tastes like a million bucks and comfort food all at once! I made it as suggested and it was really great. Gonna check out more of KitchenMistress' recipes.

[chefdownunda]

I really like this recipe. Very simple yet delicious. I used fresh tomatos rather than canned for mine, just because they were cheaper at the time. I also used dried black beans and added some water with the mashed beans to make the black bean sauce. I found the 1 Tablespoon of salt was a bit too much for me, so I had to add about double the tomatos to tone it down. I didn't really find the saltiness really went down over time, so I think I will just do it to taste next time around. I found the filling also works really well as a burrito stuffing. I added some cilantro/coriander to the rice and it was like an cheap/easy version of chipotle.

[ShellBellChef]

I'd never had black beans and rice before, but the description of FAST, EASY & DELICOUS had me curious. Delicious indeed! After reading another review, I toned down the salt, but found that I added it back and found it needed the little extra salt. This recipe was really great, and even the kids liked it. It will be a staple in our house from now on.