Easy Black Beans and Rice Recipe

Make Black Beans and Rice the easy way! Mix all ingredients in a baking dish, cover with foil, and bake in the oven. No peeking and it's done!

I've been making this Black Beans and Rice recipe in the oven for years and it's still a family favorite! Serve it with chicken or guacamole and chips and dinner is set!

Black beans and rice with a lime wedge and a few blue tortilla chips on a white plate.

This recipe is one of my kids' favorite dinners. And thankfully it makes enough so they can pack leftovers in a thermos for school lunches!

Jump to:

Why You'll Love This Recipe
Ingredient Notes
Ingredients Swaps and Recipe Variations
How to Make Black Beans and Rice in the Oven
Dietitian Tip
Helpful Tips
Storage and Re-Heating Tips
Questions You May Have
Related Recipes
More Easy Dinner Recipes
📖 Recipe

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Sit back and relax while this beans and rice dish cooks up in the oven. Once you sauté the onion and bell pepper, just mix all of the ingredients together and then cover with foil. Place in the oven, and you're done. No peeking while it cooks!

Easy Recipe The hardest part is chopping an onion and bell pepper. It only gets easier from there!
Kid-Tested and Parent-Approved 'Beans and rice' is my oldest daughter's favorite food! This is an excellent plant-based meal that your whole family will love... unless they don't like beans of course 😉
High in fiber Brown rice is a whole grain rice with is higher in fiber than white rice, and black beans are also high in fiber. Foods high in fiber help you feel full longer and it helps keep things moving through the digestive tract.
Black beans and rice make an amazing addition to tacos, burritos, burrito bowls, and soup. Plus, it reheats and freezes well.

Ingredient Notes

Ingredients to make black beans portioned separately on a white surface and labeled.

Canned Black beans This recipe calls for two 15-ounce cans of black beans. They are the perfect size and texture for a bean and rice casserole. Black beans contain folate, magnesium, fiber, and antioxidants.
Rice Brown rice is a whole grain, which means it contains more nutrients than white rice. The American Heart Association recommends eating "three or more servings of fiber-rich whole grains every day". I use brown basmati rice.
Bell pepper Bell peppers are so versatile, and they add a nice pop of color. They are an excellent source of vitamins (especially vitamin C and vitamin A) and fiber. Any color of bell peppers can be used, but in my experience, green bell peppers (or green sweet peppers) blend in better with the beans and rice much better than red bell pepper (which means kids won't notice them as much ;).
Onion and garlic Add wonderful flavor and contain prebiotics.
Broth Used instead of water to achieve a savory flavor. I use vegetable broth or less-sodium chicken broth.
Spices Dried thyme and bay leaves are added for flavor. Whole bay leaves are not edible so they must be removed from the dish before serving.

Ingredients Swaps and Recipe Variations

Large, sweet peppers can be used in place of bell peppers. In fact, that's what I had on hand and used when taking the picture of the ingredients that you see in the 'ingredient notes' section above.
One-quarter teaspoon of red pepper flakes can be added to give the beans and rice a little spice.
Vegetable broth can be used to make this a vegetarian meal. Otherwise, chicken broth works very well with this recipe.
White rice can be used in place of brown rice. White rice cooks faster, so you can probably take it out of the oven 15 minutes sooner.
I've made this with cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, and a combination of cheddar and Monterey jack cheese. They all tasted great on top of the rice and beans!
Top with fresh cilantro and stir in fresh lime juice for more color and cilantro lime flavor.
My husband says I've got to suggest you add a splash of Tabasco sauce if you like spice!

How to Make Black Beans and Rice in the Oven

Here are the steps broken down quite simply. For a full list of ingredients and complete instructions, scroll down to view the recipe card.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Rince and drain black beans.
Rince and drain rice using a fine mesh colander.
Heat olive oil over medium heat in a small skillet. Add the chopped onion and chopped bell pepper to the oil and sauté until softened.
Place all ingredients (including the cooked onions and bell peppers) except the bay leaves, in a 9x11 baking dish and stir.
Place bay leaves on top of the mixture and press down lightly so they are easy to remove when the beans and rice are finished cooking.
Cover the baking dish with foil. Press down on the sides to seal the edges with foil.
Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Remove foil.
Remove bay leaves.
Sprinkle cheese on top (optional and highly recommended)
Serve and enjoy!

Dietitian Tip

Tip 1 If you care about minimizing arsenic but prefer the nuttiness and nutritional benefits (vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants) of brown rice, choose brown basmati rice from California, India, or Pakistan. These will have about ⅓ less inorganic arsenic than other kinds of brown rice.

Tip 2 Leftovers from meals like this are great for school lunches! We usually have at least one to two servings left after our family of five has black beans and rice for dinner. Our two teenagers like to heat the leftovers up the next morning and put it in a thermos so they can pack it for lunch at school.

Helpful Tips

Sweet peppers can be used in place of bell peppers. You'll see I used sweet picture in the photo of the ingredients above because that's what I had 🙂
Rinse and drain canned beans well before adding them in with the other ingredients.
Use a good quality food chopper to chop the onions, bell peppers, and garlic to save time.
Bay leaves must be removed before serving.
Optional: remove from the oven after one hour. Remove the bay leaves, sprinkle the cheese on top, and replace the foil for 15 minutes to allow more liquid to absorb before serving.

Storage and Re-Heating Tips

Let it cool completely and then store leftovers in an air-tight food-safe container in the refrigerator or freezer.
If frozen, place it in the refrigerator overnight to defrost.
From the refrigerator, reheat the black beans and rice in the microwave.

Questions You May Have

Are bay leaves edible?

No, not really. They technically can be eaten but it is not suggested. Bay leaves are considered a choking hazard, especially for small children. Although the chance of this happening is rare, it is not worth the risk. Bay leaves remain rigid even after hours of cooking. Because of this, they can cause damage to the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.

Why do you rinse rice?

Rinsing rice removes debris and surface starch. Surface starch causes the rice to be stickier.

Is this the same as Cuban baked beans?

No. From what I understand Cuban style black beans and rice are made with more seasoning, like cumin and oregano. Cuban black beans and rice are also typically made using dried beans instead of canned beans.

Can I make this in an Instant Pot or slow cooker?

I figured I'd be asked this question, lol. I would assume so, but the cooking time would need to be adjusted. If you make this using either one and it turns out, please let me know!

More Easy Dinner Recipes

Did you make this recipe with black beans and rice and love it? Please let me know by giving it a 5-star rating and comment below. It's the best compliment!

Don't forget to follow me on Instagram and tag me @carrots.and.cookies when you make this incredible recipe!

📖 Recipe

Comments

4.82 from 38 votes (34 ratings without comment)