Nana's Mexican Rice and Beans Recipe

Are you ever looking for a new easy side dish or an easy one-pot meal? Or maybe a simple recipe that will help you use all of your canned beans? I have the perfect recipe for you! This Mexican rice and beans recipe is a wonderful blend of warm spices and is sure to make a great side or base for some of your favorite Mexican food dishes. This is our go-to quick dinner recipe, especially in the summer when we have lots of fresh produce coming out of the garden.

With only 8 ingredients, you can have this dish prepared and ready to eat in about 30 minutes, perfect for those busy summer afternoons. I promise you will not regret preparing this Mexican-inspired rice recipe for your next family dinner! Since we grow and preserve most of our produce, this recipe is written to accommodate home-canned and homegrown foods along with store-bought.

Ingredients

1. Ground beef - This is your complete protein for the meal. You can replace ground beef with ground turkey, chicken, pork, or any ground wild game. 
2. Beans—I recommend black beans or kidney beans for this recipe, but any bean will work. 
3. Onion - Any color onion will work for this recipe, sweet, red, or yellow. 
4. Peppers—I love using both green and red peppers because they add some color to the dish. If you would like your homemade Mexican rice to be spicy, you can use a jalapeno pepper in place of a poblano pepper or green bell pepper, or add a little extra and use all three!
5. Tomatoes - A large can of diced tomatoes with the tomato juice drained is recommended. If only some enjoy tomato chunks, you can use a can of tomato sauce or puree the tomatoes after you drain the juice from them. 
6. Rice—I recommend you prep your rice the night before, but you can also make it the morning of and let it chill in the refrigerator all day. For this easy Mexican-inspired rice dish, you can use brown rice, jasmine rice, long-grain rice, or uncooked white rice. One of my favorite ways to cook rice is in broth instead of water.
7. Garlic - A fresh garlic clove is the first choice for this bean dish. 

Serving Suggestions

You can also garnish it with fresh cilantro and serve it as a main dish with a scoop of sour cream or fresh cilantro.
If you are looking for a spicy Mexican rice variation, you can add some cayenne pepper to the dish. Be sure not to add too much, as a little bit goes a long way.

​How to Store

This Mexican Rice and Beans Recipe can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

To reheat the rice, place it in a medium pot with some butter or extra virgin olive, stirring frequently so it does not burn to the bottom of the pan. If the rice appears to be getting dry, you can add some beef or chicken broth, vegetable broth, or water to it while reheating. Ensure not to add too much; too much liquid will result in a soupy consistency.

As I said, this is one of our favorite go-to busy-day recipes, and I hope it can help you prepare a delicious, healthy meal for your family even when you’re a little short on time.