I love to cook, but sometimes answering the question of what’s for dinner can be stressful. This is especially true during weekdays when deadlines and other commitments take priority. Then, when I’m hungry at the end of the day and don’t have dinner plans in mind, I’ll scour the fridge for random ingredients or order takeout to throw something together quickly.
I’m not a meal prep person, but on Sundays (when I have the time and space to enjoy the cooking process) I cook up a batch of soups or casseroles in a big pot, then reheat the leftovers the next day. When we run out of leftovers, my husband and I make easier, simpler meals like our classic Friday night black beans and rice.
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I wasn’t originally a big fan of beans, but since they’re cheap and shelf-stable, I’ve started eating them regularly during the pandemic. Canned beans are convenient because you just need to warm them up and no preparation is required. Our bean and rice dish was created by simply throwing your favorite ingredients into a bowl with black beans: steamed white rice, sautéed kale, sliced avocado, chopped onion, and a squeeze of lime juice.
To make it, first wash the white rice and put it in the rice cooker. The rest of the meal comes together quickly, so I usually add the rice an hour or so before the meal so it’s cooked and ready to eat. My rice cooker takes 45 minutes to cook white rice, but if I want to eat it right after it’s done, I start preparing the other ingredients when the timer has 15 minutes left. Chop the onion, slice the avocado, and cut the lime in half.
Next, put the can of black beans and all the liquid in a saucepan, add most of the chopped onion (I like to save some to topping the bowl), and warm over medium heat. When the liquid around the beans begins to bubble, reduce the heat and stir to soften the onions. I don’t wash the beans because I like the flavor the liquid adds to the dish, but when I assemble the dish, I tip a serving spoon full of beans along the side of the pot to let the beans drain a little. If you’re watching your salt intake, you can buy canned beans without added salt, or wash and drain them.
Related: What happens to your body when you eat beans every day or every other day
Then, on a separate burner, pan-fry the kale with olive oil and Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning. We love kale, so we always sauté two pans of it so we have plenty of leftovers to enjoy.
To serve, grab your favorite handmade ceramic pasta bowl and get cooking. Spoon rice into each bowl and top with warmed black beans and onions. Arrange sautéed kale and avocado slices around the beans and rice, sprinkle with chopped raw onion, and finish with a squeeze of lime juice. that’s all!
It’s an easy, delicious, and wallet-friendly dish. There are so many things you can swap out to suit your tastes or use up what you already have in your pantry or fridge. Swap white rice for brown rice or wild rice mix, change the types of beans, vegetables, and seasonings, and top with your favorite hot sauce. I like to top the leftovers with over-easy eggs the next day. I love that this entire dish comes together in about 45 minutes (even less if you use leftovers or cooked rice). The main ingredients are pantry staples that you almost always have on hand.
Nutrition-wise, this black bean and rice bowl is packed with anti-inflammatory ingredients like avocado and kale. Black beans are rich in dietary fiber, and you can further increase dietary fiber by replacing white rice with brown rice. This diet is also good for your gut, thanks to the resistant starch in black beans and the prebiotics in onions. Overall, it’s a balanced dish with carbohydrates, healthy fats, and protein.
Preparing classic meals like this Rice and Beans Bowl takes the pressure off of dinner planning, especially if you keep most (if not all) of the ingredients you need stocked in your kitchen. If you’re planning on making this dish at home, I recommend either buying your avocados a few days in advance or using one of these ripening techniques to ensure you have perfectly ripe avocados by dinner time. Masu. Eating a healthy dinner doesn’t have to involve preparing complicated recipes or standing in the kitchen for hours. You can easily make it by just throwing your favorite nutritious ingredients into a bowl and digging in. We hope this recipe will help you create a quick, healthy, and delicious dinner at home.
