Easy Rice and Beans Dinner

We make this easy rice and beans recipe almost every week – it’s cheap, healthy, and delicious! Flavorful citrus black beans, tender rice, and plenty of toppings make for a yummy, filling meal.

Last night while my husband and I were cleaning up after dinner and getting ready for the morning, my daughter asked me the same question she asks me every night after dinner:

Girl: Mom, what’s for dinner tomorrow?
Me: That beans and rice recipe you like so much.
Girl: YESSSSSS!!!!! *pumps fist in the air*

We’ve honestly had this beans and rice recipe almost every single week since the beginning of the year. You guys – that’s a lot of beans and rice!

But you know what else it is?

• It’s a lot of EASY meals.
• And CHEAP meals.
• And HEALTHY meals.
• Also, it’s a lot of HAPPY people at my dinner table.

I knew beans and rice were easy, cheap, and healthy, but I had no idea that my family would like them so much.

Even my picky husband – yes, the man who once ate only hot pockets, Doritos, and Coke – is excited to have rice and beans for dinner! It’s practically his new comfort food.

EASY RICE AND BEANS RECIPE

And here are reasons why YOU will be excited to have this rice and beans recipe for dinner:

• It’s EASY. Yes, that warrants saying again!
• You can make it vegan and/or vegetarian. Perfect for meatless Mondays!
• You can use your Instant Pot or pressure cooker or crockpot or slow cooker to get it ready. High five for being hands-off!
• It’s frugal. Rice and beans are two of the most frugal items at the grocery store.

RICE BEANS RECIPE INGREDIENTS

I know it’s technically just beans and rice, yet somehow, this particular rice beans recipe is a miracle.

I don’t know if you can officially call this Spanish rice and beans or Mexican rice and beans or Puerto Rican rice and beans, but I can tell you that it’s the BEST rice and beans recipe that your family is going to love.

Let’s talk about the two major players:

BEANS

I always make my family’s favorite Spicy Citrus Black Beans…except one time when I ran out of black beans and still had leftover pinto beans in the pantry that I bought to make Slow Cooker Refried Beans.

That was good, too, but by far, we all much prefer black beans and rice.

One of my time-saving hacks is to cook in batches whenever possible. I do this ESPECIALLY with beans. (I ran the numbers and cooking dry beans is cheaper than buying canned beans).

I buy dry beans in bulk and then weigh out 2 pounds to make Instant Pot Beans if I don’t have any in the freezer. The Instant Pot makes cooking entirely hands-off and foolproof. This way, I don’t have to worry about the beans bubbling over and making a mess on the stove, or not paying enough attention and overcooking them.

When the beans are done, I measure out two cups into resealable freezer bags (and I use these baggie holders to make the job MUCH easier) and I freeze them for later!

Considering we eat this beans rice recipe every week, later comes pretty quickly!

RICE

One of my goals a few years ago was to switch to whole grains, and that included brown rice instead of white rice. I make Instant Pot Brown Rice quite often, although we like to switch up the flavor and make Instant Pot White Rice or Cilantro Lime Rice sometimes too.

Just like the beans, I like to make multiple batches of rice at once and freeze extras in 2-cup portions in resealable bags for later.

You can make whatever rice you want or whatever rice you happen to have on hand, long grain rice, basmati rice, jasmine rice, even a blend will work!

OUR FAVORITE BLACK BEANS AND RICE RECIPE

This black beans and rice recipe is as easy as 1-2-3!

Step 1. Prepare the beans and rice.

Step 2. Meanwhile, prepare the toppings.

Step 3. Serve rice and beans on a plate or bowl and let the family top as desired.

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

TOPPINGS FOR RICE AND BEANS

This cheap bean and rice recipe has some minor players too, and if I’m being honest, I think THIS is the reason why my family likes having this dinner so often: the topping bar.

Every time I make this rice and beans dinner, I pull out ALL THE STOPS and prepare as many easy rice toppings as I can. Usually, that includes several of these:

I put the rice and beans on the stove and set out all the toppings on our kitchen island. Everyone makes their plate as they wish. I’ve seen salads, rice bowls, nachos, rice and bean “dips” … you name it.

And you know the best part? There are ZERO complaints at the table.

RICE AND BEANS RECIPE TIPS

Now, does this rice and beans recipe sound like a lot of work? I promise you it’s not.

Sure, you have to do some chopping, but you know what? Play your cards right and you actually SAVE TIME later in the week.

How so?

First, my husband usually makes two or three rice and bean bowls to take to work for lunch and he finishes off the toppings. That means neither he nor I are cooking separately just for his lunches.

If you don’t have someone who will eat the leftovers, there are plenty of other ways you can use the extra toppings…

And regardless of which recipe you choose, some of the prep work is already done for you! Plus you can mix and match the extra rice and beans as a side dish for other meals.

I try to be intentional with my meal plans so that they save me money and keep my grocery budget in check. Since we have a cheap beans and rice dinner just about every week (usually on Wednesdays), we use up almost all the toppings for homemade pizza on Friday.

If you don’t have a family tradition like pizza on Friday, then anytime you put this beans and rice recipe on your meal plan, just make a point to put another one of those meals on the menu too to use the leftover toppings!

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RICE AND BEANS RECIPE FAQS

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