Fiesta Rice

When I was a kid, we would eat Rice-A-Roni® Spanish Rice. My mom would add a can or two of black beans and frozen corn. Sometimes, we would add shredded cheese to the mix. It was a quick, frugal meal for a working mom to serve her family, and it got the job done. And in thinking back to those days, I put together this recipe for vegan fiesta rice skillet with canned black beans, poblano peppers, and more!

This black beans and brown rice recipe doesn’t taste like Rice-A-Roni®, so if you are looking for the San Francisco treat, you will not find it here. Nevertheless, this recipe is hearty and flavorful. It is inspired by my mom’s version of Rice-A-Roni®, and traditional recipes for Mexican-style Spanish rice. Bringing the two together and adding some flare, makes a delicious, easy vegan recipe for rice and black beans!

This recipe makes ~6 cups of vegan fiesta rice. It tastes awesome as a vegan burrito filling. It works well in stuffed peppers and then, smothered in vegan queso. It would also work well as a side dish. You can top it with your favorite vegan cheese or vegan sour cream. You can enjoy it with some sliced avocado and chopped scallion. Mostly, I hope you just enjoy it.

Discover more UVK recipes, like Slow Cooker Vegan Chile Verde, Vegan Stuffed Red Peppers with Chickpeas and Rice, Vegan Black Bean Soup, Vegan Spinach Mushroom Wild Rice Casserole or Wild Rice Mushroom Soup. And then, let’s go make some fiesta black beans and rice! 🙂

Fiesta Rice

4 Tbsp vegan butter, divided

2 cups short grain brown rice

2 cups fake chicken broth

1 cup water

8 ounce can of tomato sauce

4 scallions, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 poblano pepper, chopped

1 medium red pepper, chopped

1 tsp chipotle powder (OR ½ tsp chili powder + ½ tsp smoked paprika)

1 tsp ground coriander

⅛ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp garlic powder

¾ tsp dried Mexican oregano

15 ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed

½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Salt, to taste

1. First, you’ll cook the rice for the fiesta rice. In a medium saucepan, melt 2 Tbsp vegan butter over medium-high heat. Add short grain brown rice, and stir constantly for 1-2 minutes, or until the rice is toasted and the pleasant aroma of toasted rice fills the air.

2. Then, stir in broth, water, and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, and then, turn down to low heat, cover with a lid and simmer (stirring occasionally) for 25-30 minutes or until the rice is cooked through. Remove from heat, keep covered with lid, and set aside.

3. Next, you’ll sauté the aromatics for the fiesta rice. In a large skillet, add the remaining 2 Tbsp of vegan butter, scallions, garlic, poblano and red pepper. Sauté over medium heat for ~7 minutes or until the vegetables are softened up.

4. Add the chipotle powder, coriander, cinnamon, garlic powder, and oregano. Stir to incorporate and sauté another minute.

5. Add the cooked rice, black beans and cilantro to the skillet, and gingerly mix everything together. Taste, and adjust seasonings, if needed (salt?). Serve this vegan fiesta rice with black beans as a side, as a meal, in a burrito, or even as the filling in stuffed peppers!