Black Bean and Rice Skillet

Because the Winter section of Simply in Season has a scant 9 main dish recipes, I decided it’s time to break into the All Seasons section. What a delight! There are so many gems that feature beans and other pantry staples; it reminds me of the recipes from More with Less.

The first one that caught my eye was the black Bean and Rice Skillet. I had all the ingredients on hand–bonus!

For this recipe, begin by sautéing 1 medium onion (chopped) and 1 small sweet pepper (chopped; I used about a cup of frozen diced green pepper) in a T of oil for about 5 minutes.

Then, add 2 C of cooked black beans (I used one can); 1 ½ C chicken or vegetable broth; ½ C uncooked rice (I used basmati); ¼ tsp crushed red peppers; ¼ tsp dried thyme; 2 cloves minced garlic; 1 bay leaf. Bring to a boil, and then simmer, covered, until the rice is done. It took 20 minutes for the basmati—if you use brown rice it would take about 40 minutes.

Serve without the bay leaf and with sprinkled cheese on top.

The verdict: This was so quick and satisfying (and cheap!) I think it will become one of my favorite go-to meals. I was trying to decide whether it needed cumin, but about halfway through the bowl the heat of the dried peppers made up for it.

This post linked to Pennywise Platter

You may also like:

1. Black Bean Dip
2. Black Bean Sweet Potato Burritos
3. Sweet Potato & Black Bean Wraps
4. Mexican Stuffed Peppers
5. Apple Rice Stuffing