Easy One Pot Mexican Rice with Black Beans and Corn (Vegan) (2024)

FAQs

What to add to rice and beans for flavor? ›

By using aromatics like onions, garlic, bay leaves, and spices, you can add extra flavor to your beans.

When people eat black beans with rice, their blood sugar levels tend to be lower than if they only ate rice. For people with diabetes, adding beans to a healthy diet can improve blood sugar control while reducing heart disease risk.

The best side dishes to serve with Mexican rice are chicken burrito bowl, steak fajitas, menudo soup, mushroom tacos, chicken tacos, chile verde, chicken tortilla soup, carne asada, chiles rellenos, refried beans, shrimp ceviche, guacamole and chips, quesadillas, elote, pico de gallo, and black bean salad.

The usual ratio is about half beans, half white rice. “But for a more nutritious combination, you should try two-thirds beans and one-third rice,” says Isabella Ferrari, MCN, R.D., L.D., a clinical dietitian at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas.

"I recommend adding a fresh mango avocado salsa made with red onion, cilantro, jalapeño, lime juice, and a pinch of salt to brighten up the dish. Because the beans and rice have so much earthiness, the fruit and acidity will lighten the plate. A margarita is always great, as well."

The high satiety factors of rice and beans can help you lose weight or stay at a healthy weight over time. Satiety measures how satisfying a food is to eat and how long it keeps you full. Satiety is vital in maintaining a healthy weight.

All beans are vegan in their natural unprocessed form. Most canned and dried beans are vegan; however, with all things processed even dried beans can have added ingredients derived from animals like ham. Even though most canned beans and dried beans are vegan be sure to read the label.

Serve with a side of beans: Combining rice and beans helps manage blood sugar and creates a complete protein! Plus it adds fiber and protein. Portion sizes: According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the ideal portion size for a starch like rice is ½ cup per meal.

Pinto beans are one of the most common types of beans and considered to be one of the most popular for northwestern Mexico and the United States. In fact, its scientific name, Phaseolus vulgaris, literally means “common bean.”

When a whole grain is combined with a legume, such as pinto or kidney beans, the meal delivers protein, as well as ample B vitamins and minerals, such as magnesium and potassium. Casamiento—which means “marriage ceremony” or “wedding” in Spanish—is literally of a marriage of two staple foods: rice and beans.

What is rice and beans together called? ›

Gallopinto, the rice-and-beans combination, is known by many names across Latin America, some charming like casamiento (wedding) others rather dated and decidedly politically incorrect like moros y cristianos (Moors and Christians).

Unless the recipe tells you to keep the canned beans in their liquid, you should drain your can and give the beans a good rinse before using. This will improve the flavor and texture of your finished dish.

The combination of beans and rice creates a complete protein. Beans alone and rice alone both lack certain essential amino acids. If eaten together, however, each contributes what the other is missing to form a complete protein.

Mix the cornstarch and cold water together in a bowl then pour it into the red bean mixture and stir well. You will start to see the texture become thicker and creamier. Once done, remove the bay leaves and serve over rice.

Dried beans cooked with sea salt and water are delicious, but adding an onion, garlic, or other aromatics to the pot will make them even more flavorful!

(Do not drain and rinse the beans!) The starchy bean liquid will rapidly thicken everything up. I like to sprinkle in some taco seasoning, but you could add whatever spices you like — garlic powder, cumin, and chili powder are all good calls.