BROWN RICE WITH BLACK BEANS AND CILANTRO

By LaLaCooks

Great recipe! Next time around I would change the rice to beans ration. Either reduce the amount of rice or double the beans. I used Goya Black Beans which were really good. They are smaller than the canned beans I usually buy and were really tender.

7.11 - Tonight was Rick Bayless Mexican night. We had Goridtas with Classic Shredded Beef, Classic Guacamole, and Brown Rice with Black Beans & Cilantro. Our favorite Mexican meal ever! The rice dish was a Cooks Illustrated and probably not traditional Mexican but was perfect with this meal.


To bump up the flavor of our basic brown rice recipe, we made a few easy additions. Caramelizing onions in a Dutch oven before stirring in the rice and incorporating chicken broth into the cooking liquid had a positive impact. Fresh herbs and a squeeze of citrus just before serving brightened our brown rice recipe.

Ingredients

• 4 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion , chopped fine (about 1 cup)
• 1 green bell pepper , chopped fine
• 3 garlic cloves , minced
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 1/4 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups brown rice , long-grain (see note)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 (15.5-ounce) can black beans , drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 lime , cut into wedges

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from cooksillustrated.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 375 degrees. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned, 12 to 14 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds.

2. Add broth and water; cover and bring to boil. Remove pot from heat; stir in rice and salt. Cover and bake rice until tender, 65 to 70 minutes.

3. Remove pot from oven, uncover, fluff rice with fork, stir in beans, and replace lid; let stand 5 minutes. Stir in cilantro and black pepper. Serve, passing lime wedges separately.