One-Pot Black-Eyed Peas and Rice (Instant Pot)

Saute Ingredients:
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced

Pressure Cooker Ingredients:
1 medium tomato, diced
1 cup dried black-eyed peas (can substitute lentils)
1/2 cup white rice (can substitute brown rice or quinoa)
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth

Before Serving Ingredients:
2 Tbsp lemon juice, or to taste
Salt, to taste

1. For the saute, use the saute setting over normal, or medium heat, and heat the oil. Add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic and saute for 5-8 minutes, until the vegetables are soft.

2. For the pressure cooker, add the tomato, black-eyed peas, rice, spices, tomato paste and broth to the onion mixture and stir to combine. Put the lid on and make sure that the vent is sealed. Cook on manual setting at high pressure and set for 8 minutes.
3. Let the pressure release naturally. If there's too much liquid, switch back to the saute setting and heat until the extra liquid evaporates.

Source: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook for Your Instant Pot, by Kathy Hester (recipe credited to JL Fields, JLgoesVegan.com)

Try #1 - March 21, 2021

This was easy, and cooked well.  It reminded me of Mexican rice and beans.  You could play with the spices a bit if you wanted to - chili powder and/or more cumin would probably be nice.  Overall a solid dish.  I served it with dill cabbage salad and corn.

Red Beans and Rice

1 pound (2 cups) dried kidney beans
2 Tbsp high-heat oil (I used olive oil)
12 ounces Andouille sausage or thick-cut bacon, sliced (I used bacon)
1 yellow onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
2 green bell peppers, seeded and diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp dried thyme
1 Tbsp paprika
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste
3 bay leaves
6 to 8 cups stock or water
Salt, to taste
Hot sauce, to taste
3 cups cooked long-grain rice, for serving
1/4 cup chopped green onions

1. Put sorted beans in a large metal bowl and cover with 3 inches cold water.  Soak at room temperature for 4 to 6 hours, adding more water if necessary.  Drain and rinse.
2. Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.  Add sausage or bacon and cook until browned, about 10 minutes.  Stir in onions, celery, pepper, and garlic.  Cook until onions soften, about 10 minutes.  Add thyme, paprika, oregano, basil, pepper and cayenne; cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
3. Add beans, bay leaves and stock or water to the pot; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until beans are tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.  Taste and adjust seasonings, add salt and hot sauce to taste.  Remove 1 cup of beans to a bowl and mash; return to the pot.  Serve over hot long-grain rice sprinkled with green onions.

Source: PCC Taste, March 2015

Try #1 - March 8, 2015
Pretty good, although I'm pretty sure I've made something similar to this before... It made a ton, so it's great for leftovers!  The kids didn't love it, so I'm not sure how often I'll make it.

Ash Wednesday Black Beans and Rice

3 cans black beans
1 green pepper, thinly sliced
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
1 onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups carrots, thinly sliced
4 stalks celery, thinkly sliced
1/2 cup picante sauce (or tomato salsa)
1/2 cup water (or vegetable stock or white wine)
white wine (optional)
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
a few dashes Tabasco sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil for pan
Cooked brown rice

1. In a family size skillet, heat olive oil and then saute carrots for 3 minutes. Add peppers, onions, garlic, celery, picante sauce or salsa, water or stock, and spices, mix together and cover. Depending on liquid amount and desire of flavor, add 1/4 cup or so of white wine for flavor. Cook for 15 minutes.

2. Drain and rinse beans, add to skillet, cook 5 more minutes. Serve over rice and/or in taco shells with a salad.

Source: http://catholiccuisine.blogspot.com/2009/02/ash-wednesday-beans.html

Try #1 - March 5, 2013
Pretty good, another beans and rice recipe to add to my repertoire.  I liked the added vegetables in it.

Mexican Brown Rice with Pinto Beans

1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 onion, diced fine
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 cup long-grain brown rice, rinsed and drained
1 3/4 to 2 cups water
1 Tbsp tomato paste or sauce
3 cups cooked pinto beans

1. Heat oil in a 2-qt pot. Add cumin and chili powder and saute for a few seconds. Add onion and salt and continue cooking until onion is soft.
2. Add rice and stir well to coat. Now add water and tomato paste and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, covered, until all of the water is absorbed (about 40 minutes). Serve alongside pinto beans.

Source: Feeding the Whole Family

Try #1 - September 2012
Another good way to make beans and rice, nothing super fancy, but good and easy.  I just mixed the pinto beans in with the rice at the end.

Try #2 - January 31, 2013
I doubled the recipe and used an 8oz can of tomato sauce.  I put in 1 tsp of salt, and it could have used a little more (since my beans were unsalted), but other than that, it was great!

Slow Cooker Mexican Black Beans

1 pound black beans, soaked overnight, then drained
6 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
6 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, or 2 cups fresh chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder

1. Put the drained beans into your slow cooker, then add the chopped garlic, broth, tomatoes, cumin, and chili powder. Stir well to combine.
2. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

Source: A Year of Slow Cooking

Try #1 - August 4, 2011
This was just ok for me. To be fair to the recipe, I forgot to add the garlic. That probably would have added quite a bit of flavor. :) Also, I found the 6 cups of broth to be way to much - the beans were very soupy. Next time I would only use 4 or 5 cups of liquid. Nathan really liked this dish, so I'd probably make it again. It's super easy in the crockpot, which is always a plus.

Carribean Rice and Beans

2 cups dry pigeon beans, pinto beans, or kidney beans
6 cups water
1 Tbsp salt
2 Tbsp oil or butter
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 green onions, chopped
1 large tomato, chopped
1 Tbsp lime juice (optional)
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1 Tbsp chopped parsley
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cups rice

1. Soak beans overnight in water and salt.
2. Bring beans to a boil in soaking liquid (do not drain), reduce heat, and simmer just until tender - about 40 minutes. Drain beans, reserving liquid.
3. Heat oil or butter in large covered skillet. Add garlic, green onions, tomato, lime juice (optional), cloves, parsley, pepper, and drained beans. Saute about 5 minutes.
4. Add rice and 4 cups reserved bean liquid (add water if necessary). Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to simmer, and cook 20-25 minutes wihout stirring.

Try #1 - April 30, 2011
This was good, a nice and subtle twist on regular beans and rice. I followed the recipe for soaking and cooking the beans (I used pinto), and they cooked in about 40 minutes, like it said. I used a regular onion instead of green onions, canned tomatoes instead of fresh (about 1 cup), dried parsley, and white rice. I accidentally doubled the amount of cloves to 1/4 tsp, but it worked out ok. My reserve bean liquid yielded 2 cups so I had to add 2 cups of water. This was nothing super fancy, but it was a nice change from plain old beans and rice, and it made a TON (good for leftovers; we also used it as a side for tacos later in the week). I'd make it again.

Try #2 - May 31, 2011
The beans cooked in about 30 minutes this time, but the rice took longer than 20 minutes - more like 30. It wasn't a problem for me to lift the lid after 20 minutes, test and see that the rice was still hard, and replace the lid to let it cook another 10 minutes or so (I also turned up the heat at this time). Used fresh parsley this time, and the correct amount of cloves. :)

Brazilian Rice and Beans

2 cups dried pinto or kidney beans (or 6 cups cooked beans)
4 cups total of 2-4 of the following vegetables:
- potato
- chayote
- cabbage
- pumpkin
- okra
- carrot
1/2 lb ground meat (beef or pork)
1/4 lb smoked meat (bacon, sausage, etc.)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped (optional)
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp coriander
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste

1. Soak beans overnight. Cook in 6 cups water until tender, about 2 hours.
2. In saucepan, cook together about 4 cups of 2-4 of vegetables listed. Cook just until tender.
3. In a skillet, saute ground meat, smoked meat, garlic, onion, green pepper, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, coriander, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Simmer 30 minutes.
4. Join beans, vegetables, and meat mixture and heat together 2 minutes. Serve with rice.

Source: More-With-Less

Try #1 - April 10, 2011
I used potatoes and carrots for my veggies. I just used one pan - sauted the carrots and potatoes first, and then added the ingredients in step 3. I didn't let it simmer for 30 minutes, because there wasn't really any juices for it to simmer in, but I basically let it cook until the meat was cooked and the vegetables were tender. I used ground beef and chicken andouille sausage, which gave it a nice kick (but could be easily picked out of the kids' servings, since Abby especially has become more picky about spicy foods). This was good, and a nice twist on regular rice and beans - I'll make it again!

Try #2 - May 2011
I made it vegetarian this time, and it was great!

Puerto Rican Rice and Beans

Vegetable oil
1 can (2 cups) pinto beans
1/4 to 1/3 cup tomato sauce
2 packages (3 tsp) Sazon seasoning (or make your own)
3 "big spoon" scoops of Sofrito
4 cups uncooked white rice
5 cups water (less if adding liquid from beans, about 4/12 cups)
Adobo seasoning (can buy at the store or make your own)
Salt

1. Put enough vegetable oil in pot to just cover bottom. Add Sofrito, Sazon, beans, and tomato sauce. Cook a few minutes.
2. Stir in rice. Add water. Add Adobo seasoning and salt (5-6 shakes of each). Bring to a boil. Put lid on pot, slightly uncovered. Cook on medium high heat for 10 minutes.
3. Stir once or twice until liquid is absorbed. Stir rice once more. Cover completely and put on low heat for about 10 minutes. Taste to see if it's cooked.

Sofrito: Cut into chunks 3 onions, 2 green peppers, 1 red pepper, 1 head of garlic, 1 small bunch of cilantro, stems removed. Put 1 Tbsp water in a blender and blend. Add and mix in 1 Tbsp olive oil.

Source: Melissa

Note: Can use leftover beans/tomato sauce from Tomato Red Beans and Rice.

Try #1 - March 6, 2011
I was worried about soggy rice, but this came out great! I actually slightly burned the rice, so I will probably turn the heat down a little bit next time. Good compliments to this dish are sour cream, cilantro, and a side of corn.

Try #3 - June 3, 2012
I've made this three times now, and each time I manage to burn the rice to the bottom of the pan during the second step... this time I even turned the heat down to medium.  I wonder if I cooked it in the kazan if it would work better.  Either that, or turn the heat way down.  Regardless, it's still yummy!

Slowcooker Beans with Rice #2

From "Fix-It and Forget-It"

3 cups dried small red beans
8 cups water
3 garlic cloves
1 large onion, chopped
8 cups fresh water
1-2 ham hocks
1/2 - 3/4 cup ketchup
2 tsp salt
Pinch of pepper
1 1/2-2 tsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp parsley
1-2 bay leaves

1. Soak beans overnight in 8 cups water. Drain. Place soaked beans in slow cooker with garlic, onion, 8 cups fresh water, and ham hocks
2. Cover. Cook on High 12-14 hours.
3. Take ham hocks out of cooker and allow to cool. Remove meat from bones. Cut up and return to slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients.
4. Cover. Cook on High 2-3 hours.
5. Serve over rice with dollop of sour cream.

Tomato Red Beans and Rice

1 lb. package (2 cups) dried red beans
Water
Salt pork, ham hocks, or sausage, cut into small chunks
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
3-4 cups water
6 oz can tomato paste
8 oz can tomato sauce (or substitute 3/8 cup (6 Tbsp) tomato paste + 5/8 cup water)
4 garlic cloves, minced

1. Soak beans for 8 hours. Drain. Discard soaking water.
2. Mix together all ingredient in slow cooker.
3. Cover. Cook on Low 10-12 hours, or until beans are soft. Serve over rice.

Source: "Fix-It and Forget-It" cookbook

Try #3ish? - February 28, 2011
I've made this a couple times before. The kids love it... Nathan and I agree that it's nothing super special taste-wise, but it's easy, healthy, and good enough. :) I used pinto beans this time, and even though I soaked them overnight, it did take almost a full 10 hours to cook them in the crockpot (and that was after switching from "low" to "high" setting after about 7 hours).

Note: I doubled the recipe, which filled the crockpot to the brim and made a TON... but I'm thinking I could use these beans for Puerto Rican Rice and Beans, since that recipe also calls for tomato sauce.

Coconut Red Beans and Rice

From Angela's blog

1 cup dried small red beans (soaked overnight, then boiled for 10 minutes)
1 large onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 (14.5-ounce) can coconut milk (full fat is best. if you prefer to not use full-fat, add a drop or two of coconut extract to intensify the flavor)
3 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups long grain basmati white rice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 limes, cut in wedges

Sort beans, and soak overnight in a bunch of water. In the morning, drain the water and dump the beans into a large pot of fresh water. Boil rapidly on the stovetop for at least 10 minutes before draining and putting into your crockpot. Red beans MUST be boiled on the stove before added to the slow cooker to kill a possible toxin that occurs naturally.

Add onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Pour in the whole can of coconut milk (the creamy stuff, too), and chicken broth. Stir in raw rice and kosher salt. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until beans are bite tender. Before eating, squeeze on a bit of lime juice for a fun tropical twist.

Try #1 - July 2010
I used way more than a cup of beans, but it still turned out well. It had a nice, light coconut taste. I also cooked the rice separately. Nathan LOVED it!

Black Beans with Cilantro

Had some extra cilantro (ok, a lot of extra cilantro) from making enchiladas last night, so decided to try a new twist on our old standby of beans and rice.

8 ounces dry black beans
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 cup frozen corn (optional)
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (or more!)
1 tsp cayenne pepper
Salt to taste
Brown rice

1. Rinse and soak beans overnight. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 1 hour, or until beans are soft.
2. Add onion and garlic, cook until softened.
3. Add corn if desired, cook for another 5 minutes or so.
4. Season with cilantro, cayenne pepper, and salt. Simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Serve over brown rice.

Note: These beans would go well as a side to chicken enchiladas.

(Adapted from allrecipes.com "Best Black Beans")