Rice, beans, meat, and veggies get combined in one pot for a low-prep weeknight dinner. Spices, garlic, onion, and tomato add tons of flavor to the liquid that gets absorbed into the rice and beans. Don’t skimp on the toppings – salty feta, creamy avocado, fresh herbs, and tangy lime!
Ingredient highlight
Beans! are a great way to get in some protein along with a heavy dose of fiber, complex carbs, folic acid, iron, magnesium, and potassium to name a few. They are famous for making you fart (hehe) because of the specific sugars (oligosaccharides) they contain that we have trouble breaking down. Cooking your beans from scratch reduces the fart-causing substances!
Any easy way to sneak beans into recipes is to replace 1/2 of the meat with beans so you still get the meaty flavor but with a major fiber boost.
Servings 4 – 6
Prep Time 10 minutes 
Cook Time 35 minutes Ingredients
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb ground beef or bison (or any other ground meat)
- 1 ½ tsp kosher salt, divided
- 1 bell pepper, chopped
- ½ yellow onion, chopped*
- 3-4 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- ½-1 tsp fennel seeds
- ¼-½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 tomato, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 2-3 cups chopped greens
- 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup jasmine white rice, rinsed well
- 2 cups water
- Crumbled feta, for topping
- Avocado, for topping
- Toasted pumpkin seeds, for topping (optional)
- Lime wedges, for topping
- *You could also use one bunch of scallions – use the white/light green parts in place of ½ onion and top with the dark green parts.
- Note: ~ this is delicious topped with this Cilantro Lime Sauce (if you have any leftover).
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon oil, meat, and ½ teaspoon salt and cook for 3-5 minutes or until cooked through, stirring occasionally and breaking up into small chunks. Transfer to a bowl. Pour out any excess fat, leaving about 1 tablespoon in the pot (if there is no excess fat, then just add 1 tablespoon olive oil before the next step).
- Stir in the pepper, onion, garlic, and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook until softened, about 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the cumin, fennel, red pepper flakes (if using), and tomatoes and cook for 1-2 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the greens, beans, rice, cooked meat, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt and stir until everything is combined/evenly distributed. Pour in the water, give the pan a shake to let it settle, then press down any rice sitting above the water.
- Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low or low to maintain a simmer. Cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until the rice is cooked through and liquid is absorbed (try not to check on it!). Remove from heat. If it seems like the rice needs a bit more time, leave the lid on and let the steam continue to cook the rice for a few minutes. Fluff it up/mix it gently with a fork.
- Serve topped with cheese, avocado, pumpkin seeds (if using), herbs, and a squeeze of lime.
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Cut 1 bell pepper, cut into bite-sized pieces
- Chop ½ yellow onion
- Smash 3-4 cloves garlic
- Chop 1 tomato, chopped
- Chop 2-3 cups greens
- Drain/rinse 1 (15 oz can) black beans
- Make the rice/beans
Substitutions:
- To make vegetarian/vegan, use another can of beans in place of the meat. Just skip the meat cooking part, and start with cooking the veggies. Add an additional ½ teaspoon (1 tsp total) in with the beans.
Storage:
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Warm up the leftovers in the microwave until warmed through. Top with all the toppings, especially the herbs and lime.
- Top with a fried egg.
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