This vegetarian black beans & rice recipe is quick & easy to make and is great for a weeknight meal. Make in the Instant pot in 30 minutes, top it with your favorite toppings and enjoy!!
I am joining the blogging marathon group this week with some quick and easy recipes. Valli wants us to make dishes that take less than 30 minutes from Prep to Plate.
I consider myself a ‘lazy’ cook meaning I will take every shortcut available to make quick meals. First up is this 30 minute Rice and beans recipe – that is completely vegetarian and can be made vegan as well.
Instant Pot or a regular pressure cooker comes in handy to make this recipe is less than 30 minutes. This is a wholesome one-pot meal that is perfect to make for weeknight dinner. Video for making this dish in the Instant pot is included.
How to make Rice & Beans in 30 minutes?
Here are the tips to make this this vegetarian black beans and rice recipe in 30 minutes:
- Use canned black beans. Another trick is to cook a big batch of black beans over the weekend and freeze them in ziplock bags. Bonus points for making the beans in instant pot – cuts down the cooking time by more than half.
- Use store bought salsa – this adds tons of flavor without the extra chopping. Also this is a great use for that half bottle of leftover salsa in the fridge.
Ingredients
All of the ingredients needed for this recipe are pantry staples, except for the veggies. Here is what you need to make this recipe:
- rice – I used basmati rice. But feel free to use whatever rice you have on hand. But make sure to adjust the amount of water quantity in the recipe. You want perfectly cooked, fluffy rice that is not mushy.
- beans – I used black beans because we love them in our home. Kidney beans, pinto beans or even black eyed peas can be used here. Canned beans are a blessing to make this 30 minute vegetarian meal. Make sure to drain them well before adding.
- veggies – onion, garlic add flavor while peppers add color. I have made this dish with colored peppers (you see them in the step by step photos and the video) and poblano chili (in the hero shots). So, feel free to use whatever you have on hand. I also added frozen corn – substitute with fresh corn kernels or canned corn (rinsed and drained).
- salsa – I used store bought salsa which adds tons to flavor to the rice. If you don’t have salsa, then use fire roasted tomatoes or tomato sauce/ puree. If using sauce/ puree, then add extra chili powder and cumin to spice it up.
- spices – I love spicy Mexican dishes, so I add ground cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper to add flavor and kick to the dish.
Instructions:
Along with black beans and rice, I added a poblano chili because I had in the fridge. Colored peppers or jalapeños would be great addition also. Here’s how I made this dish in the Instant pot:
- Turn on the instant pot on ‘Saute’ mode, add the oil, onions, garlic and poblano chili (or peppers). Cook till the onions are lightly golden around the edges and the chili is tender, about 4~5 minutes. Make sure to stir occasionally to avoid scorching the bottom.
- Next add the salsa, black beans, corn and cook for 2 minutes.
- Next add the ground cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Mix well and cook for 1 more minute.
- Drain the water from rice and add to the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Add 2½ cups of water and close the lid.
- Change the instant pot setting to manual/ pressure and cook on high pressure for 6 minutes. Make sure that the vent is in the venting position. Wait till the pressure subsides naturally.
Vegetarian Black Beans & Rice
Ingredients
- 1½ cups Basmati rice or other long grain rice*
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 Small Onion, finely chopped
- 2 Garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 Poblano Chili (or green or red pepper), finely chopped
- 1 15.5oz. can of Black Beans, rinsed and drained
- ½ cup Prepared Salsa (homemade or store-bought)
- ½ cup Fresh or Frozen Corn
- 1 tsp Ground Cumin
- ½~1 tsp chili powder
- To taste Salt & Pepper
- 2 tbsp Cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- Rinse the basmati rice couple of times and soak in water while you prepare the ingredients.
Pressure Cooker Method:
- Heat the pressure cooker on medium heat, add the oil, onions, garlic and poblano chili (or peppers). Cook till the onions are lightly golden around the edges and the chili is tender, about 4~5 minutes.
- Next add the salsa, black beans, corn and cook for 2 minutes.
- Next add the ground cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Mix well and cook for 1 more minute.
- Drain the water from rice and add to the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Add 2½ cups of water and close the lid. Cook for 2 whistles.
- Wait till the pressure subsides naturally. Serve hot or warm with sour cream, guacamole and cilantro.
Instant Pot Method:
- Turn on the instant pot on ‘Saute’ mode, add the oil, onions, garlic and poblano chili (or peppers). Cook till the onions are lightly golden around the edges and the chili is tender, about 4~5 minutes. Make sure to stir occasionally to avoid scorching the bottom.
- Next add the salsa, black beans, corn and cook for 2 minutes.
- Next add the ground cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Mix well and cook for 1 more minute.
- Drain the water from rice and add to the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Add 2½ cups of water and close the lid. Change the instant pot setting to manual and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes. Make sure that the vent is in the sealing position. Wait till the pressure subsides naturally.
Notes
- If using other long grain rice, make sure to adjust the amount of water added to the recipe.
- You can make the recipe without pressure cooking. Make it in a heavy bottom saucepan or a dutch oven. Follow the recipe as is, but add 2¾ water instead and cook on low heat until the rice is cooked and all of the water is absorbed.
- Mexican (or inspired) dishes have to be garnished with some yummy toppings. Like grated cheese, chopped avocado, sour cream, crushed tortilla chips, green onions etc. My absolute favorite is sour cream and hot sauce 🙂
Nutrition
Topping Ideas:
Mexican (or inspired) dishes have to be garnished with some yummy toppings. Like grated cheese, chopped avocado, sour cream, crushed tortilla chips, green onions etc. My absolute favorite is sour cream and hot sauce 🙂
Here are a few more Mexican inspired dishes that you might want to try:
Let’s check out what my fellow marathoners have cooked today for BM# 94.
Sharmila
This one pot meal just has all the healthy needs. It’s looks like a simple and yum recipe!!
Usha
This is a wholesome meal. On IP, even I do not use it to it’s full capacity and trying to use it more often to optimize my cooking time. When I first got my IP rice dishes were the ones I cooked the most in my IP 🙂 I never tried cooking rice for 8 minutes with vent venting. Will try this setting next time.
Sushma Pinjala
One pot meals are so simple and quick to make. Vegetarian rice beans looks so tempting.
harini
Good one with Mexican flavors, Pavani. So essentially the rice is steamed for 8 minutes. Very interesting way to cook the rice.
Karyl Henry
I love a hearty rice like this, as a great twist to a plain rice. Looks delicious and easy to make
Claudia Lamascolo
Such a delicious Idea for the holiday, it looks so delicious I love rice and beans!!
Mahy Elamin
Oh wow, this is gorgeous and it looks delicious! That sounds so flavorful! One of my favs. I can’t WAIT to try this! Thank you for this great recipe! So YUMMY!
Cheese Curd In Paradise
This looks like an excellent side or main dish. I love the black beans and the corn. This looks flavorful and hearty!
Denay DeGuzman
What a delicious rice-and-beans recipe! It’s colorful, flavorful, and full of gorgeous textures.
Dan Zehr
I love rice and beans. This is a really good idea for the weekend. I would have tried it for dinner. Looks easy and tasty. Thanks.
Gloria
This looks like a great rice dish. Perfect for a side or as a full meal. I would love to serve this with some tacos.
Padmajha PJ
Such a nice dish Pavani! I am now eyeing this dish for the kids lunch box with some minor changes to suit their taste.
Priya Suresh
Very flavourful one pot meal definitely. Just prefect to pack in anyone’s lunch box . Such an incredible rice dish to make without any fail.
Gayathri Kumar
Very colourful quick to make rice Pavani. With the beans and salsa going into the rice, it sounds so full of flavour.
Srivalli
This is surely an amazing rice dish to indulge!..and with it being cooked in IP it must have been a breeze!
Melissa
This sounds truly delicious, and a TON of flavour packed ingredients. This would even be delicious with a nice fish taco!
Marisa Franca
What a great way to liven up the rice dish — poblano peppers. We love anything spicy and this is the type of dish that you wouldn’t miss the meat what with all of the flavors that are going on. Plus the addition of the beans gives you the protein plus fiber. Excellent recipe.
Catalina
A great rice beans dish is always a plus and goes over well at any gathering. I am so excited to make this soon!
Veena Azmanov
I love a good quick meal like this especially in the afternoon when the kids come home from school and I am very busy. I often make rice pilaf and this looks perfect for my family.
April
Welcome to the blogging marathon group! Recipes that take less than 30 minutes make this world a better place! Especially for busy bees like me and I am sure – you. Thank you for sharing this rice beans recipe!