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Easy Black Beans and Rice

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A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a post about “go-to meals.” I define “go-to meals” as meals that we typically have the ingredients for in our pantry and meals I can make without planning and make quickly. I imagine you know the scenario: It’s dinnertime. Dinner hasn’t been started and you either don’t have a plan, the plan would take too long to get on the table, or you planned an easy meal because you knew it would be a hectic evening.

black beans and rice

“Go-To Meals” Are Different for Different People

Last week, Elizabeth wrote a follow up post, “Go-To Meals – Part 2,” with her family’s “go to meals.” We got a kick out of each of our lists, because many on her list would probably be on my “standard meals” list. They are not “go to meals” for me, because I would think they would take too much effort for me to make. This highlights how we all have different skill levels and comfort in the kitchen and, thus, some meals seem harder for some than others.

If you haven’t figured it out yet, cooking and planning meals takes a bit more effort for me. I very much value it, but it’s something I have to be constantly working on. Elizabeth is an amazing cook and makes cooking look easy. She actually taught me how to chop vegetables when we were in graduate school. Her ability to be calm in the kitchen has helped me learn simple skills to make cooking a little easier for me. For example, I am no longer intimidated to make a really yummy salad. Putting together a salad has become a “go to side” for me. When, before, I would have felt like it was “too hard” or that it wouldn’t be very good. Having more experiences in the kitchen and having simple skills can make cooking feel a bit easier and can expand your list of “go-to meals.” However, the fact is, we all have our own strengths and what may be a “go to meal” for you may not be for me, and vice versa.

“Go-To” Black Beans and Rice

After my post about “go-to meals,” a reader asked me for my Black Beans and Rice recipe. This is a super easy recipe (for me) and something we have been making for years. This is a recipe I share often with my clients.

First, open 2 cans of black beans and pour them in a colander in the sink and rinse. I let them sit there awhile. Then, put 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium sized pot. At this point I don’t actually measure any of the items. 4 tablespoons is about four circles around the pot. Add 4 garlic cloves, minced and sauté for 1 minute. I usually use a garlic press such as this one. However, when I made this last week, I didn’t have any garlic and made it without it! Add the beans, 2 bay leaves, 1 cup of salsa, and 2 teaspoons of cumin.

Stir and simmer for about 10 minutes. Serve over rice.

We like to serve with shredded cheddar cheese and diced avocado and each person can top their bowl as they’d like. I’ve been recently making rice in my Instant Pot. It feels like one less pot to attend to during the busy dinnertime. I put the rice and water in the pot and then just set it.

The beans can also be very good with tortilla chips or inside a tortilla, as a burrito. This is not authentic black beans and rice. But quick and very easy!

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Easy Black Beans and Rice

Simmered Black Beans with Tex-Mex feel. Very easy “go to meal” 

  • Author: Anna Lutz
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Ingredients

4 Tbs olive oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup salsa

2 bay leaves

2 tsp cumin

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a medium sized sauce pan. 

2. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute

3. Add beans, salsa, bay leaves and cumin

4. Stir and simmer fo 10 minutes. 

5. Remove bay leaves and serve over rice

Make These Easy Baked Beans To Simplify Your Lunch Packing Routine

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Leftover baked beans make a great lunch.

It’s that time of year when, if you’re like me, you’ve been tired of packing lunches for awhile now. We’ve got about 5 months of school left. So, you might also be looking for something new and SIMPLE to add to your lunch list? I know I am!

Do you want to simplify packing lunches? Try making a Master Lunch List.

What do I mean by a lunch list? Anna and I are both fans of keeping a list of all the lunch items we pack. We call it our Master Lunch List. We write out all the entrees, sides and fruit and veggie ideas we pack. When we can’t think of anything to pack, or we’re doing our weekly meal planning we can refer to our list for ideas. And we periodically add new items to the list – like the Easy Baked Beans recipe in this post!

Another Tip To Streamline Packing Lunches

Another way we like to streamline packing lunches is to plan ahead and make 1-2 dinners with enough for leftovers. For example, I’ll make a bigger batch of pasta with pesto and send the leftovers for lunch the next day or 2. Or, I’ll cook something I can use for lunches while I’m cooking dinner. I might make my easy black beans to use for lunches and snacks while I’m cooking something else for dinner – especially on a weekend when I have some extra time.

A note on this photo: I don’t always buy organic beans. This is what I happened to buy this time. Sometimes I buy non-organic. It often comes down to what I grab off the shelves. I also buy different brands of canned beans.

Easy baked bean leftovers make a great thermos lunch for school.

Recently, I’ve rediscovered baked beans as an easy lunch entrée. I used to send heated, canned baked beans for my older daughter when she was in elementary school, but for some unknown reason, I stopped. Maybe she told me she was tired of them? Maybe it was because I knew my younger daughter didn’t like baked beans and I didn’t want to be making two different lunches. Who knows! But I do know it’s been a long time since baked beans have been on my Master Lunch List.

The recipe is the epitome of SIMPLE! Minimal chopping, opening cans and adding ingredients to a pot and voila! My mother-n-law gave me the recipe for these baked beans and the word is her mother used to make them. I made a number of changes to the original recipe, like using fewer onions, adding extra beans, using dark brown sugar instead of light brown, using tomato puree instead of ketchup, and draining the beans. 

Sometimes, I make a double batch and freeze some to use during an especially busy week. They work well served on their own or over rice. They also work well as a side dish for many meals. And the leftovers are scrumptious heated and sent in a thermos for lunch! 

Just Keep Offering!

Caroline, my 15 year old, has always LOVED these beans. Ellie, my 12 year old never ate these – until just recently. We were at my in-laws and Ellie mentioned how much she loved the beans and asked if I’d please make them to put in lunches. Hooray! She’s been exposed to these beans since she was a baby and had never liked them. Just this morning, out of curiosity, I asked Ellie about the beans. She said, “Oh, I had baked beans at sleep away camp this past summer and they were great! So when we had them at Nana and PopPop’s, I tried them and loved them even more than the ones at camp.” Hearing this was somewhat of a relief, because it’s evidence I’m raising her to be able to make do with what’s available. It’s also a reminder to “just keep offering!”

When I asked what Ellie was in the mood for in her lunches this week, she said “baked beans!” Great–because I made 3 batches this week testing this recipe!

Leftover baked beans make a great lunch.

Are you looking for more tips to simplify your lunch packing routine?

Do you find yourself wondering how you can simplify your lunch packing routine? We’re putting our tried and true formula down in an e-book to share with you! Would you like to be one of the first to know when it’s available to purchase? Click here now!

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Easy Baked Beans

  • Author: Elizabeth Davenport
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Ingredients

4 Tablespoons olive oil

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 small onions, chopped

1 15 oz can baked beans (I use vegetarian baked beans but you can use regular)

1 15 oz can black beans

1 15 oz can white beans

1 15 oz can kidney beans

1 ⅓ cup water

2 Tablespoons dark brown sugar

¼ cup cider vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

3 Tablespoons molasses

1 teaspoon dry mustard ( or 1 tablespoon dijon mustard)

½ cup tomato puree (or ketchup)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  2. Chop the onion and garlic. Add olive oil to a dutch oven placed over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and garlic to the pan and sauteé for 5-7 minutes. 
  3. While the garlic and onion are cooking, gather together the rest of the ingredients. 
  4. Drain and rinse the beans.
  5. Add all the ingredients to the pan and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Once the mixture comes to a boil, turn off the heat under the beans.
  6. Place a lid on the pan and put them in a 350 F oven for 1 ½ hours. Stir twice during the hour and a half.
  7. Carefully remove the pot from the oven. Take the lid off and allow the beans to cool for a bit before serving.
  8. Allow to cool and store the leftovers covered in the refrigerator. 

 

Notes

These also freeze well if you want to make a double batch.