Costa Rican Beans and Rice is a simple vegan dish that is quick and easy to make with leftover rice. Serve on its own or with a salad.
Finally another dinner recipe. It feels like forever since I have posted one, probably because it has been forever! Since I have no lighting setup, I rely on using natural light to shoot all my photos. As I'm sure many of you are aware, there is no natural light at dinnertime in the winter in Wisconsin.
Which means that I either have to shoot my dinner foods with my kitchen lights (yuck!!) or make my dinner foods in the afternoon and refrigerate until dinnertime (maybe yuck, depends what it is). Anyway, now that the sun is up until 6:30PM, it won't be a problem for the next few months. Yay!
Today we're making Costa Rican Beans and Rice. If you've ever been to a Central American country, I'm sure you've eaten some variation of beans and rice.
In many of these beautiful countries, (including Costa Rica) it's often served 3 meals a day. The beans and rice may either be separate, or mixed together as they are here.
What feels like many years ago now when Hubby and I spent 2 weeks in Costa Rica for our honeymoon, I'm fairly sure that I ate beans and rice at least once per day. AND, I never got sick of it! At breakfast it was often served with an egg and a piece of cheese. At lunch and supper, it would come with a piece of grilled meat and vegetables or salad. But I could do without the meat. After all, beans are a great protein source all on their own.
How to make Costa Rican Beans and Rice
To make this dish, you first saute the veggies (onion, garlic and bell pepper) and the beans. Canned beans are fine here - use low sodium if you wish and rinse them clean. Go ahead and mash some of those beans up with your spoon to add more color and flavor to the rice.
The best and easiest way to make this dish is with leftover, refrigerated rice. You know how rice gets kinda hard when it's cold? That's what you want. The same goes for if you make fried rice. If you use fresh, soft rice, it will just get mushy and you'll end up with a congealed blob of rice and beans. Not so appealing. White rice is fine, but brown rice works great too - extra fiber of course.
If you've never been to Costa Rica, chances are you've never heard of Lizano sauce before. If you have been there, you'll know that it's on the table of every restaurant you visit - I LOVE it!
It's kind of hard to describe the flavor - almost like a cross between curry and Worcestershire. Different, but delicious. Using it in this rice definitely adds flavor, but it is hard to find in the US, and nearly impossible in Canada, though you can order it online and if you're lucky, find it in some Latin markets. If you don't have it, give it extra flavor with whatever you like - hot sauce works well.
Costa Rican Beans and Rice Ingredients
- Olive oil or you can use a neutral-flavored oil like canola or avocado oil.
- Medium onion
- Medium bell pepper - any color of bell pepper works here
- Salt - or feel free to use MSG-salt to help enhance the savory flavors in this dish.
- Garlic
- Canned black beans - use reduced sodium canned beans if you are trying to reduce your sodium intake.
- Lizano sauce - this is optional but really helps to add flavor to this dish. Order it online, or find it in a well-stocked Latin market.
- Cold leftover rice - you can use either white or brown rice, but don't use freshly cooked hot rice. If you don't have leftover rice, make sure to cool fresh rice completely (spread it on a baking sheet and put it in the fridge or freezer to help it cool quickly).
- Cilantro
- Salt and pepper
Costa Rican Beans and Rice Nutrition Notes
The nutrition information in the recipe below uses white rice and does include the optional Lizano sauce (which is what causes the sodium content of this dish to be quite high).
This recipe is gluten-free, vegan, and dairy-free as written.
Costa Rican Beans and Rice
Ingredients
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add diced onions, diced bell peppers, and ½ teaspoon salt and cook until softened, about 8-10 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Stir in the drained beans and cook until hot, mashing slightly with a wooden spoon. Stir in ¼ cup Lizano sauce, if using. Add 3 cups cold leftover rice and stir until completely combined. Cook until hot. Remove from heat. Stir in ¼ cup minced cilantro leaves. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Nutrition
Notes
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Heather Mason @Nutty Nutrition says
oh my gosh, when I was in Costa Rica on a volunteer trip we ate nothing but rice and beans for 2 weeks straight. So sick of it then but I kind of miss it now. I will have to try this!