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    You are here: Home / Special Diets / Nut Free / Costa Rican Beans and Rice

    Costa Rican Beans and Rice

    Published: Mar 21, 2015 · Modified: Jun 11, 2020 · This post may contain affiliate links, which means I make a small commission if you buy an item in my links, at no charge to you.

    Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe
    Total Time 30 minutes
    Number of Servings 6
    Costa Rican Rice and Beans
    Rice and Beans 2 with text

    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!

    Costa Rican Rice and Beans

    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.

    Costa Rican Rice and Beans

    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. 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 on Amazon and maybe 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 Rice and Beans
    Costa Rican Rice and Beans
    5 from 1 vote
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    Costa Rican Beans and Rice

    Carissa Serink
    A simple vegan entree or side dish that is super quick to make using leftover rice.
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time20 mins
    Total Time30 mins
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 245kcal
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    Ingredients

    • 3 Tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 medium onion, diced
    • 1 medium bell pepper, diced
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 3 cloves medium garlic minced or pressed
    • 1 14 ounce can black beans rinsed and drained
    • ¼ cup Lizano sauce (Optional, see note)
    • 3 cups cold leftover rice (either white or brown work fine here)
    • ¼ cup minced cilantro leaves
    • salt and pepper

    Instructions

    • Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onions, bell peppers and salt and cook until softened, about 8-10 minutes. Add garlic, and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Stir in beans and cook until hot, mashing slightly with a wooden spoon. Stir in Lizano, if using. Add rice and stir until completely combined. Cook until hot. Remove from heat. Stir in cilantro leaves. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

    Notes

    Lizano sauce is the condiment of choice in Costa Rica, available on the table in all "tipico" Costa Rican restaurants. However, it can be hard to find in the US and Canada. Check in Latin markets, but if you can't find it, season to taste with salt and pepper.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 245kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 375mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 2g

    Nutrition Disclaimer: I try my best to make sure the nutrition information I provide is accurate to provide you with the best information possible. However, due to ingredient discrepancies and other factors, the above nutrition information should be considered an estimation only.

    Tried this recipe?Mention @DomesticDreamboat or tag #DomesticDreamboat!
    beans and rice nutrition info

     *Note: Nutrition information uses brown rice, and does not include Lizano sauce. Adding Lizano sauce will increase the sodium content of the meal. This dish is vegan and gluten free.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Heather Mason @Nutty Nutrition

      March 23, 2015 at 4:50 pm

      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!

      Reply

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