Melissa Jo's Black Beans and Rice 🫘🍚

Name: Melissa Jo's Black Beans and Rice
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 2 cups long grain white rice; 3 ¾ cup water; 1 tsp olive oil; Salt & cracked black pepper (to taste (optional)); 2 tbsp avocado oil; ¼ of a red onion (chopped); 4 - 5 garlic cloves (chopped); ¼ of a red bell pepper (chopped); 2 tsp adobo all purpose seasoning; ½ tsp cracked black pepper; 2 15.25 oz black beans ((do not drain beans)); 8 oz can tomato sauce; 4 oz water; 1 tbsp white wine vinegar; 1 packet of Sazon; Sliced green onions (for garnish)

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A plate with white rice topped with Melissa Jo's Black Beans and Rice, chili, and green onions, a side of fresh tomato salsa in a small bowl, and a cheesy, baked chicken breast covered with diced tomatoes and herbs.

So, she taught me the secret to her easy black beans and rice recipe and I have been making this recipe ever since she taught me. Whenever I served this recipe to anyone they would always ask me for the recipe after. So, here we are and now I am teaching you how to make the most delicious and easy black beans and rice. But, beware it’s going to steal the show on the dinner plate. Let’s make it!

A white Zojirushi rice cooker with a glass lid sits on a kitchen counter, plugged in and set to cooking Melissa Jo's Black Beans and Rice. A vase with orange and pink flowers is in the background.

I absolutely love my Rice Cooker! I have had this for years and my rice always comes out perfect without having to put in any effort!

A black cast iron skillet with a handle and a helper handle on the opposite side, perfect for preparing Melissa Jo's Black Beans and Rice, shown empty against a white background.

I absolutely love using this Lodge Cast Iron Deep Skillet because it evenly distributes heat from the bottom through the sidewalls and it retains heat for a longer time.

A person with red nails holds a large bottle of avocado oil over a black cast iron skillet on a stovetop, preparing to make Melissa Jo's Black Beans and Rice. White subway tile backsplash and utensils in a container appear in the background.

A paper plate with three piles of chopped vegetables for Melissa Jo's Black Beans and Rice: diced red onion at the top, minced garlic on the left, and diced red bell pepper on the right, all placed on a wooden surface.

You can use any aromatics you have on hand!

Chopped red bell pepper, red onion, and garlic are being sautéed together in a pan with oil as the flavorful base for Melissa Jo's Black Beans and Rice.

A hand holds a container of Goya Adobo seasoning over a cast iron skillet filled with chopped onions, red bell peppers, and garlic—key ingredients for Melissa Jo's Black Beans and Rice. The kitchen counter and white tiled backsplash are visible in the background.

This Adobo All Purpose Seasoning with Pepper is essential in this dish!

A hand with red nail polish uses an orange pepper grinder to season chopped onions, garlic, and peppers—ingredients for Melissa Jo's Black Beans and Rice—cooking in a black cast iron skillet on a stovetop.

I use the Le Creuset Salt Mill & Le Creuset Pepper Mill everyday for my recipes, the color is beautiful!

Chopped red bell peppers, red onions, and garlic are being sautéed in a black skillet with a wooden spatula resting on the edge, making the perfect base for Melissa Jo's Black Beans and Rice.

Chopped red onions, red bell peppers, and garlic sautéing in hot oil in a black frying pan—a flavorful start to Melissa Jo's Black Beans and Rice.

I also used a packet of the Goya Sazon Con Azafran which makes this dish even better!

Here is my Monterey Chicken Chili’s Copycat Recipe and my Pico de Gallo Recipe to serve with this black beans and rice!

🗒 Recipes to Serve This Rice and Black Beans With

Melissa Jo’s Pico de Gallo 🍅

Monterey Chicken Chili’s Copycat 💃🏼

Carne Asada Crockpot Tacos 🌮

Best Baked Burritos 🌯

Melissa Jo’s Crockpot Mojo Pork 🐖

👝 How to Store Leftovers

Store in an air-tight container for 3-5 days in the refrigerator.

🤔 Common Questions

What if I don’t have bell pepper, garlic, or onions in my kitchen?

As long as you start with aromatics this recipe will be delicious! You can sauté any combination that you prefer or that you have on hand. Some delicious choices are: any color bell pepper, fresh chopped garlic, minced garlic from a jar, any color onion, jalapeño, or any type of pepper. Use one, all, or any combination of the above!

Can I do this with other types of black beans?

Absolutely! Red beans and pinto beans would also be great choices!

🎥 Items Featured in the Video

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Melissa Jo’s Black Beans and Rice

For many years I have been making this black beans and rice recipe for my family because not only is it incredibly delicious, but my kids would always eat it now matter how picky they were. I learned to make this simple recipe from my kids' babysitter. She was from Honduras and she would watch my oldest son Nick and my sister's oldest son Jacob when they were babies. When I would come home from teaching at an elementary school she would still be cooking dinner and I caught her one day making black beans on the stove and I saw that she used two cans of black beans. I had been eating it for over a year and I truly thought she had been making it from scratch using dried black beans. So, she taught me the secret to her easy black beans and rice recipe and I have been making this recipe ever since she taught me. Whenever I served this recipe to anyone they would always ask me for the recipe after. So, here we are and now I am teaching you how to make the most delicious and easy black beans and rice. But, beware it's going to steal the show on the dinner plate. Let's make it!

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American, spanish

Servings people

Calories 292 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

White Rice

2 cups long grain white rice
3 ¾ cup water
1 tsp olive oil
Salt & cracked black pepper to taste (optional)

Black Beans

2 tbsp avocado oil
¼ of a red onion chopped
4 – 5 garlic cloves chopped
¼ of a red bell pepper chopped
2 tsp adobo all purpose seasoning
½ tsp cracked black pepper
2 15.25 oz black beans (do not drain beans)
8 oz can tomato sauce
4 oz water
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 packet of Sazon
Sliced green onions for garnish

Instructions

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To make the white rice, In a rice cooker add in white rice, water, a drizzle of olive oil, and a sprinkle of salt & pepper. Turn on the rice cooker and let it cook.
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To make the black beans, in a cast iron or pan add in avocado oil, red onion, garlic, red pepper, adobo seasoning, and cracked black pepper. Saute that on a medium heat for about 5 – 7 minutes or until the vegetables are slightly golden. Next, pour in the cans of black beans (use all the contents of the can do not drain the beans), give everything a stir, and bring the pan to a boil. Once the pan comes to a boil, pour in the tomato sauce. Fill the empty tomato sauce can halfway with water (about 4 oz of water), swish it around to get the excess tomato sauce out, and add it to the pan as well. Then add in the white wine vinegar and give everything a stir. Bring the pan back up to a boil and once it comes to a boil, shake in the packet of Sazon. Stir that together, lower the pan to a simmer, and let that simmer for about 7 – 12 or until it reduces by half (if you like it less saucy, simmer it longer).
▢
Once the rice is done, add it onto a plate, and add a scoop of the black beans over the rice. Garnish with some sliced green onions and enjoy!

Video

Notes

Use whatever aromatics you have on hand! You can use any color onion, bell pepper, or even a jalapeno.
You can use minced garlic instead of fresh garlic, just use 1 tbsp of the minced garlic!

Nutrition

Calories: 292kcalCarbohydrates: 54gProtein: 5gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gSodium: 207mgPotassium: 225mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 320IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 34mgIron: 1mg

Keyword 30 minutes, better than takeout, chicken black beans and rice, easy, family dinner, flavorful, quick, rice and black beans, saucy, side dish, spanish rice, weeknight meal, white rice

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