Rice and beans is a perfect meal. It’s simple, easy to make, makes great, multipurpose leftovers, and offers fiber, and– fun fact– the pairing creates a ~complete protein~ (a.k.a all nine amino acids that humans need are present, in case you care to have a nutrition fun fact). It’s also really affordable, especially when buying beans dry. So many reasons to love rice and beans!
Having a big batch of rice and preparing beans can really set you up for success throughout the week. It was great to have rice and beans, and whatever else you have like squash, ready to go makes for a quick lunch during busy work days. On this day, I just heated up the rice, beans, and squash I had roasted for dinner the night before, and mixed up a little dressing. The roasted squash could easily be replaced with another vegetable. I’m thinking roasted broccoli would be good here. Or throw in another add-on like avocado or even something else just raw like some kale or lettuce. Endlessly riff-able. Add any other little toppings like chopped nuts, herbs, chili flakes, or sesame seeds if you feel moved to do so.
This sort of template is versatile and flexible– you can cook a batch of water grain or type of bean you like or are in the mood for. I’m thinking about black beans, chickpeas, and white beans– all super multipurpose and easy to throw in different meals throughout the week. You can also get funky with the grains if you get sick of rice. I’m a fan of barley and farro, both of which are perfect for throwing in soups and grain bowls. I could talk about rice and beans all day so I’ll leave it at that for now. I’ll include a “recipe” for the rice, beans, and dressing the way that I like to make them but you should make those using the method that works best for you. I love using my InstantPot for both. If you’re not into the InstantPot life I’d honestly recommend getting a rice cooker. They’re inexpensive and make cooking batches of rice easy because you don’t have to worry about it burning or boiling over. For the beans, cans are great. If you want to dabble into the world of dried beans I, again, use my InstantPot and like the method Bon Appétit explains here.
Recipe: rice and beans with roasted squash
Rice
If you’re using an InstantPot, I use a 1:1 ratio water: rice for white/jasmine rice and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes, then let it sit for around 10 minutes. For wild rice like I made here, I used a 1.5:1 water:rice ratio and cooked it on high pressure for 15 minutes, then let it sit for around 10 minutes.
Beans
If you’re using an InstantPot, throw around a cup of beans in the pot and cover with around 3 inches of water. Sprinkle in a few generous pinches of salt and a few glugs of olive oil (this is key!) Throw in a few cloves of garlic, and/or a halved onion if you want. I made pinto beans here, which cook for 30 minutes on high pressure if you’re using an InstantPot, then release the pressure after around 10 minutes. Again, use canned beans if that’s what’s easiest for you!
Roasted Squash
- preheat oven to 350F
- peel and chop squash into around 1/4 inch thick slices
- drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of salt
- roast for around 20 minutes, checking half-way through to flip
Ginger-Sesame Dressing
- 1 tbsp. sesame oil
- 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1/2 inch grated fresh ginger, or 1/4 tsp. powdered ginger
- 1 clove grated garlic (or garlic powder)
- squeeze of lemon juice (around 1/2 tbsp.)
- 1/4 tsp. turmeric (omit if you don’t have)
- small pinch of salt and pepper
^modify ingredients and ratios as you please!
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