I’ve been making this red rice and beans dish for many years. This little creation was my attempt to eat healthy on a budget. It’s a riff on Latino beans and rice using some Sazon Goya, black beans, garbanzos, yellow corn, and tomatoes. It makes a good sized batch, and you can freeze it in small containers to pull out for easy lunches to take to the office.
If you eat rice regularly and have not been introduced to the wonders of rice cookers, I highly recommend trying it. You can get a decent model for under $40 and they run like a charm. I got hooked on rice cooked this way while living in Saipan, but inexpensive rice cookers were simply not available on the island in the late 80s, and I couldn’t justify shelling out a couple hundred dollars for one of the beautiful Zojirushi models at Joeten or the Korean grocery store in Chalan Piao. So I waited several years and two countries before finally buying a rice cooker for about $75 in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia. I’ve never been without one since.
Recipe Notes
The dish is designed to be gluten free, just check the Sazon ingredients to verify. They are gluten free at the time of this post.
If tomatoes are out of season and you can’t find any decent ones, you can substitute a 28-ounce can of whole peeled tomatoes. The taste of the dish will be slightly different, but still good.
📖 Recipe
Red Rice and Beans
Equipment
- rice cooker
- 6 quart pot
- sharp knife
Ingredients
RICE
- 3 cups long grain white rice
- 2 envelopes Sazon Goya con culantro y achiote
- 3 tablespoons dried cilantro
- water according to manufacturer’s directions
VEGETABLES
- 1 onion (finely diced)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 pounds tomatoes (cut into chunks)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon fresh black pepper
- 32 ounces canned black beans (drained)
- 32 ounces canned garbanzo beans (drained)
- 10 ounces corn (fresh or frozen)
- ½ bunch cilantro (rough chopped)
GARNISH
- cilantro leaves for garnish
Preparation
- Pour uncooked rice into rice cooker. Sprinkle Sazon Goya and dried cilantro on top of rice. Add water according the manufacturer’s directions. Turn the cooker on and let it go to work.
- While the rice is cooking, saute onions and garlic in 6 quart pot over medium heat, until translucent. Add the tomatoes, salt, and black pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes release their juices. Reduce heat and cook on low for about 10 more minutes.
- Add the black beans (undrained), garbanzo beans (drained), and the corn. Stir well and increase heat to medium. Once it starts to boil, reduce heat and cook covered for about 20 minutes until the beans are tender.
- Stir in the chopped cilantro and cover again. Allow to cook over low heat for just five minutes.
- Gradually add rice to the beans and tomato mixture. Scoop in a large spoonful and stir. Continue adding until all the rice is incorporated. Serve immediately, garnished with cilantro leaves.
globalscribe says
Yum. Thanks.