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Skillet Night
Mexican 2 min read

Chipotle Black Bean Rice Skillet

Chipotle black bean rice skillet simmers smoky chipotle, black beans, and fluffy rice in one pan in about 30 minutes. Hearty vegetarian Mexican weeknight dinner.

Smoky chipotle, black beans, and rice belong in the same skillet. This vegetarian weeknight dinner builds flavor from onion, pepper, and adobo, then lets the rice cook in the tomatoey liquid.

Cheese on top is optional but excellent. About 30 minutes and the leftovers reheat like a dream.

Ingredients

Beans and rice

  • 1 Tbsp (15 ml) olive oil
  • 1 small yellow onion, diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1–2 chipotle peppers in adobo, minced, plus 1 tsp adobo sauce
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 cup (185 g) long-grain white rice, rinsed
  • 1 can (15 oz / 425 g) black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 can (14.5 oz / 411 g) diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 1/4 cups (300 ml) low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup (57 g) shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack, optional
  • 1/4 cup (10 g) chopped cilantro
  • Lime wedges, avocado, and sour cream, for serving

Method

  1. Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper; cook 4–5 minutes until soft. Stir in garlic, chipotle, adobo sauce, cumin, and salt 1 minute.
  2. Stir in rinsed rice; toast 1 minute. Add black beans, diced tomatoes, and broth. Bring to a boil.
  3. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 15–18 minutes until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.
  4. Off heat, fluff. Top with cheese if using; cover 2 minutes to melt. Finish with cilantro.
  5. Serve with lime, avocado, and sour cream.

Cook's note

One chipotle is smoky-mild; two is dinner-party spicy. Start with one if you are feeding kids. Rinsing the rice keeps grains separate in a tomatoey simmer.

What to serve with it

Tortilla chips, a fried egg, or warm tortillas for scooping. Corn salad on the side if you want crunch.

Make-ahead and leftovers

Dice onion and pepper up to 1 day ahead. Leftovers keep 4 days and reheat beautifully with a splash of broth. Freeze up to 2 months.

Troubleshooting

**Too spicy?** Stir in more beans, cheese, and sour cream; next time use only adobo sauce. **Rice crunchy?** Add 1/4 cup broth, cover 5 minutes. **Watery?** Uncover and simmer 2–3 minutes.