This Spanish rice is a great side dish, but can also double as a meal. Make it totally vegan too!
Spanish Rice Souped Up
This is not your ordinary Spanish rice!
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It’s a bit spicy thanks to the bit of jalapeño that is in there. It has great seasoning courtesy of the homemade spice mix, and becomes a complete meal when you add the black beans!
And instead of the usual tomato sauce, this recipe uses diced tomatoes, and if you use the fire-roasted variety, you get a bigger depth of flavor.
About The Green Bell Pepper
When I make Spanish rice, I don’t cook the green peppers. I just heat them through and add them at the end.
The reason for this is it not only adds a pleasant crunch factor to the rice, but it maintains it’s full flavor. This is a personal preference of mine since I think that when peppers cook too long, that is when they stop being bright green, they lose a great deal of their flavor.
However, if you don’t want a crunch and are fine with completely cooked green bell pepper, then saute them along with the onions.
Black Beans Make It A Complete Meal
This idea wasn’t original. It came from a friend and it’s a super addition.
Why? Because it make this a complete meal. Everything your body needs is right in the rice.
Of course it can be a side, albeit a hearty one, but it’s also great for the main event.
The recipe calls for chicken stock and butter so in it’s original form it’s neither vegetarian nor vegan, but it’s easily converted by replacing the butter with more olive oil and the chicken stock with vegetable stock.
The Recipe
- 1 tbs butter
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tbs finely diced jalapeño pepper
- ½ green pepper, diced
- 28 oz (1 can) diced tomatoes (don’t drain)
- 1 cup Basmati rice (see NOTES)
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 2 tsp taco seasoning
- 15 oz (1 can) black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 tsp pepper
- 2 tsp salt (optional)
- 2 tbs chopped cilantro
- Heat a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil, butter, chopped onion, garlic, green pepper and jalapeño. Cook for 3-5 minutes, being careful not to burn.
- Add the entire can of tomatoes, rice, chicken stock, black beans, taco seasoning, pepper and salt (if using). Stir to combine.
- Bring mixture to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 20-25 minutes or until rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.
- Stir in cilantro.
