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Sheet-Pan Cuban Rice and Beans

3.9

(20)

Four individual orange serving bowls filled with the titular ingredients forks dug in ready to eat.
Photo by Marge Perry

Our kids don’t want to hear the story again about how when David was a poor struggling student, he made a big batch of Cuban rice and beans and lived off it the entire week because that was all he could afford. So, kids, we won’t tell that tale here. Instead, we’ll tell everyone about how this dish is so tasty and satisfying that you’ll be happy to eat it for days, and so healthful and nutritious that you should eat it for days. And how it is so inexpensive and good to the earth that eating it for days is downright virtuous. (He told you so.) Serve the rice and beans with hot sauce on the side and a crisp green salad. To reheat leftovers, sprinkle them with a little water and reheat in the microwave.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    4 servings

Ingredients

2 bell peppers, assorted colors, cut into thin strips
1 large onion, halved through the root end and thinly sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 cup long-grain white rice
2 (15-ounce) cans low-sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground fennel
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat the oven to 400°F. Coat a sheet pan with cooking spray.

    Step 2

    Combine the bell peppers, onion, garlic, and oil in a medium bowl. Toss with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Spread the vegetables on the sheet pan and roast until somewhat softened, about 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and stir.

    Step 3

    Combine the rice, beans, cumin, oregano, fennel, coriander, remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 2 1/2 cups water in a bowl. Pour the mixture onto the sheet pan, stir well, and cover with foil.

    Step 4

    Bake until the water has been absorbed and the vegetables are tender, 28 to 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let it stand for 5 minutes. Remove the foil and fluff with a fork before serving.

Cover of the book featuring a sheet pan chicken dinner with broccoli and a cast iron pan with bok choy, radishes, and salmon fillets.
From Hero Dinners: Complete One-Pan Meals That Save the Day © 2019 by Marge Perry and David Bonom. Reprinted by permission of William Morrow Cookbooks, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Buy the full book from HarperCollins or from Amazon.
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