A quick, simple and delicious recipe, this Easy One Pot Mexican Rice with Black Beans and Corn is wonderful as a main course in its own right or as a side dish to all your Mexican favourites. It’s gluten free, dairy free and vegan too!
Not all my recipes have a story, but this one does!! My lovely blogging friend Vicki Psarias from the awesome parenting and lifestyle blog Honest Mum (and also author of no. 1 bestselling book, Mumboss: The Honest Mum’s Guide to Surviving and Thriving at Work and at Home*) has recently become vegan. In one of our many Twitter chats she asked me why I didn’t make more vegan recipes on my blog… I assured her I did have quite a few, but of course there is always room for more!
And so Vicki challenged me to make a vegan recipe especially for her and dedicate it to her on my blog. And I loved the idea! Vicki has been so fabulously supportive of me and my blogging career since my very early days of blogging: she always has an encouraging word to say and has often helped me with her kind words and wise advice (it was her who first encouraged me to use my face rather than my logo in my social profiles, for example.) Dedicating a recipe to her is a lovely way to say ‘thank you’ for all her support and kindness over the years.
I sent Vicki a selection of ideas to choose from and she opted for this Vegan Mexican Rice. And then, well me being me, I somehow turned her request into a massive vegan Mexican feast – enough food to feed half of Mexico probably! (There’s a lot more out in the kitchen, you can’t see in these photos!!)
My Easy One Pot Mexican Rice is made by frying up some veggies and spices, adding rice, passata, black beans and corn and simmering for 10-15 minutes until the rice is done to your liking. It’s that simple.
My vegan Mexican rice would of course make a lovely side dish to all your Mexican favourites, but I chose to make this easy rice dish the star of the show and serve it with some delicious vegan sides instead: Easy Mexican Roasted Corn, Mexican Roasted Sweet Potato Cubes and my Homemade Chunky Guacamole.
So here you go Vicki – I know you asked for me to dedicate one dish to you but I’ve gone one step further and dedicated a whole big fat vegan Mexican feast to ya!! Hope you like it 😀
To make this Easy One Pot Mexican Rice, I have used black beans which I love and which are super good for you, but if you are not a fan you can substitute for kidney beans, pinto beans or any other beans you like. (And if you are not a fan of beans just leave them out!)
I have also included corn in this recipe. You can use tinned or frozen corn to make this super quick and easy, but if you are making the roasted corn side dish (recipe coming soon, but basically it’s the spice mix from my Mexican Roasted Sweet Potato Cubes, slathered on corn and roasted for 15 mins at 200C – the same temperature as the sweet potato, or grilled on the BBQ), just simply grab one of the cobs and stand it on its end, then using a knife slice of the kernels and add them to the rice. Extra deliciousness for hardly any extra effort!!
All of these dishes are also delicious the next day cold – so perfect for meal prep (just make sure you put plenty of lime juice in the guac and cover it well to stop it going brown too quickly – some people also swear by putting the stone back into the guacamole to keep it longer – I’m a bit sceptical about this one, but hey – worth a try!!)
Easy One Pot Mexican Rice with Black Beans and Corn (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 3 garlic cloves crushed or grated
- 1 teaspoon cumin (I use whole cumin seeds, but ground cumin is fine too)
- 3 teaspoons smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon chilli flakes (more if you like things hot, or fresh chilli)
- 1 red, green or yellow (bell) pepper diced
- 300 g basmati or long grain rice
- 350 ml passata (or 400g/14oz tin chopped tomatoes)
- 350 ml water (use the empty passata jar to measure)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 100 g corn tinned or frozen (or roasted corn on the cob)
- 400 g tin black beans drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons fresh coriander (cilantro) chopped
To garnish (all optional)
- Extra fresh coriander (cilantro) chopped
- Spring onions (scallions) sliced
- Fresh chillies sliced
To serve (all optional)
- Mexican Roasted Sweet Potato Cubes
- Mexican Roasted Corn on the Cob
- Chunky Guacamole
Instructions
- Grab a deep wide frying pan, or a wide shallow saucepan and add the onions and oil. Fry gently for 3 minutes with the lid on until softened but not brown. Add the garlic, chilli, spices and peppers and fry for a further 2 minutes with the lid off, stirring occasionally.
- Add the rice, passata, water, salt and pepper. Stir to mix thoroughly then bring to the boil. Turn down to a low heat, cover with a lid and allow to simmer gently for 10 minutes.
- Remove the lid and add the corn and black beans, stir and replace the lid. Cook for a further 2-3 minutes or until the rice is done to your liking.
- If the dish gets too dry before the rice is done enough for you, add an extra splash of water.
- Serve garnished with coriander/spring onions/chillies. Serve with sweet potato cubes, roasted sweetcorn and guacamole for a vegan Mexican Feast!!
Notes
Pin Easy One Pot Mexican Rice for later
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Rebecca Smith says
Well thank you Vicki! This may just be my children’s next favourite dish, they love chilli and kidney beans and, rice, add the cooked corn on the cob and we’re all happy. Naturally gluten free too so extra bonus xx
Eb Gargano says
Yay! So pleased this one will go down well with your family 😀
Rebecca Smith says
…oh! Thank you Ed for actually creating the recipe of course 😀
Eb Gargano says
Pahahahahaha – well yes I did do all the recipe creation, but so pleased Vicki prompted me to do it as it’s such a delicious, easy…AND healthy recipe, that I never would have come up with without Vicki’s nudge. Eb x
Michelle Frank | Flipped-Out Food says
I am in complete awe of Vicki! What a wonderful, supportive soul she is, and how perfect to honor her with a recipe. I’m hanging my head in shame because I have very few vegan recipes on my site. I have to admit that I’m afraid of calling ANYTHING vegan unless I’m 150% sure that it is, and I’m never quite sure of the rules (I’ve taken to asking Nico from Yumsome if I’m really flummoxed—LOL!). This recipe is brilliant: I’m sure I’d never miss the meat, which is why it’s going on my Meatless Monday “to make” list! #cookblogshare
Eb Gargano says
Vicki’s fab isn’t she? Always so impressed with her passion for blogging and the way she successfully juggles a fab blog and her adorable little boys, but also her kindness and support of fellow bloggers. Regarding vegan, I think you are pretty safe so long as you avoid anything of or from an animal. Honey is always the one that catches people out though. They remember dairy and eggs, but forget honey is made by bees and therefore not vegan. I’ve nearly made that mistake a few times and caught myself on final proof read!! You definitely don’t miss the meat in this recipe – you are waaay to busy gorging yourself on all the delicious flavours to even think about anything else!! 😀 Eb x
Clare says
Looks lovely – please send some round 🙂
Cx
Eb Gargano says
Hahaha – thanks Clare!! Eb x
Cat | Curly's Cooking says
Yum! I love Mexican food and this looks delicious. I can see it working well in a burrito too 😉 Also looking forward to your Mexican corn recipe x
Eb Gargano says
Me too!! I am just obsessed with Mexican flavours – and they work so well in this recipe! Eb x
Jo Allison / Jo's Kitchen Larder says
I do love quick rice one-pot recipes especially on busy days there is nothing like it and this one sounds delicious! It’s such a lovely homage to Vicki too! Serving it as entire Mexican feast is fantastic, perfect for meat free days! x
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Jo. One pot recipes are the best!! Great flavours and less washing up – what’s not to like!! Eb x
Corina Blum says
This looks so yummy Eb! I love the flavours in it and it’s great that it’s such a colourful meal too – I always think that makes it even more appetising! Thanks for sharing with #CookOnceEatTwice x
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Corina. I am so with you – food is so more appealing when it’s colourful! (and usually healthier too!!) Eb x
Monika Dabrowski says
This is a fabulous one-pot dish, great with so many things, and I am sure it tastes delicious the next day too!
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Monika! You are so right, this rice pairs beautifully with so many dishes, as well as being a great meat-free main in its own right! And yes, it tastes great the next day!! Eb x
Norma Hicks says
The recipe is delicious, however, the first time I used canned tomatoes and basmati rice, the second time I used jasmine rice and passata but both times my rice took 40 minutes to cook and I had to add quite a bit more water.
I was very careful when I did the conversion from grams to cups/ ounces as I live in Canada.
Are you using instant rice , is that why it only took 10 minutes?
Norma
Eb Gargano says
Hi Norma, I am sorry to hear that this recipe too so much longer to cook than anticipated. No I do not use instant rice. I am using Tilda Basmati Rice, which recommends a 10-12 minute cooking time. Obviously different brands of rice vary in cooking time… I can only assume that is the case here. What length cooking time does the manufacturer recommend for the rice you used? In any case, I am delighted to hear that it was delicious! Eb 🙂
Reena Bansal says
I love spices you used here in this recipe. Sounds full of flavor and so delicious. I will definitely give this a try. I always have cooked black beans in my fridge for salads. This is a chance to try something new. Thanks!
Eb Gargano says
Thanks for this lovely feedback, Reena! So happy you like the recipe. Eb x
Pete says
Yum Eb. Thanks, this one’s delicious. Cooked it up with a side of Fajita chicken strips and found a new favourite. When I do my next Mexo banquet, this dish will be a perfect centrepiece for it ;-D
Gonna try the Smoked Salmon and Veggie Kedgeree next, sounds delish!!
Cheers
Pete ;-D
Eb Gargano says
Aw, thanks for this lovely comment, Pete. I am so pleased you liked it so much. And thanks especially for the 5 stars! Eb 🙂
Andy says
Hi Eb. Cooked this for the 1st time last night, as a main meal, and it was a massive hit with all. The flavours are delicious. I knew it was a success, as my daughter was the 1st to finish eating and that only happens when it’s something she really likes!
This is definitely going to be a family meal regular for a while now!
Eb Gargano says
Aw, yay! I am delighted to hear this. Thank you for sharing this lovely feedback 🙂
Helen says
Made this for dinner tonight with some roasted squash and it was a big hit! Easy to make, full of flavour, and it looks gorgeous on the plate – what more can you ask for?!
Eb Gargano says
Aw, yay! Thanks, Helen. I am so pleased you enjoyed this recipe so much! Eb 🙂
Ellen says
Mexican-American here, this is definitely a lot more complicated than authentic Mexican rice but it still sounds good to both me and my mom.
The slightly more authentic way would be to only use the onion; passata (I’m unfamiliar with this ingredient in the US), diced tomato, tomato sauce, or tomato bouillon cube; rice, water; and optionally garlic. You could also replace the water with vegetable broth. My mom always uses a non-traditional broth made from a slow cooked pot roast dinner with carrots and potatoes but that’s not vegan so vegetable broth would be my suggestion in this case.
Toast your rice in your olive oil before adding the rest of the ingredients and cooking it until the rice is finished. You fry the rice while it’s still dry so that it cooks up into separate grains so they don’t get mushy, adds flavor, and helps distribute the oil soluble flavors of the other ingredients evenly.
Your recipe is great since it’s a one pot meal where there’s a lot more clean up in a more authentic version where your beans and rice are cooked separately!
On that note, I’d love to see your take on a vegan refried bean recipe! Mixing Mexican rice with a mashed bean dish mistranslated into English as “refried beans” was something I saw my grandpa do and it was a lot of fun to do as a child. Refried beans also make great tostadas, tacos, and burritos. They can be served with breakfast, lunch, or dinner. As breakfast for those curious: a tortilla, some tofu scramble, salsa or pico de gallo, and refried beans would make a lovely vegan “Huevos Rancheros”. The original uses a fried egg, but tofu scramble would likely be great. Then again, I think beans on toast or with a full English are common there in the UK, so you might not be as shocked about bean breakfast as Non-Hispanic Americans are when they hear about it?
Thank you for cooking Mexican food! It’s really heart warming to see people all over the world enjoying something I grew up with and making it their own. I might just have to try this recipe… with the one tweak of toasting my rice since it would feel unnatural not to. I also am looking through your recipe index to find things to make for my British boyfriend. I came here from your Nando’s rice recipe (no Nando’s near me, but I’ve heard a lot about it), found your egg fried rice recipe (which I will definitely be trying to make for my guy who gets homesick often and its his favorite takeaway dish), and then got curious about if you had any Mexican recipes. Boy, I was not disappointed! Keep up the excellent work!
Eb Gargano says
Thank you for this lovely message Ellen! So good to hear your ideas and suggestions. My apologies, passata is ‘tomato sauce’ in the US, I believe. (passata is the Italian word, which we Brits have adopted 😀 ) I love cooking Mexican food! It’s definitely one of my favourite cuisines. My recipes are not always super ‘authentic’ – mostly because my focus is always on making recipes as quick and easy as possible, but I do try to pack in lots of authentic flavours and maximise the deliciousness 😀 Aw, sorry to hear your boyfriend gets homesick sometimes… plenty of classic British recipes here for you to make for him! Let me know what you try 😀
Dee Carrington says
Can this recipe dish be frozen?
Eb Gargano says
Yes it can, but as with any rice dish, you would need to take care to adhere to food safety guidelines about freezing / reheating rice. Here’s a great article on that topic >>> https://www.food.gov.uk/safety-hygiene/home-food-fact-checker#rice
mimi says
Could you please put if the cumin is seeds or ground. Thank you
Eb Gargano says
My apologies for not being clear. In fact, both work equally well in this recipe. Personally, I use whole cumin seeds, but ground cumin is fine too. I have now updated the recipe to make it clearer. Eb 🙂
Callysrainbow says
I’ve just made this…..it was so simple and it tastes absolutely delicious! I made quite a big batch so I have plenty to freeze and then I can use it for a quick lunch on other days.
I’m just having it on it’s own tonight but when I make it again I think I’ll have it in wraps with salad!
I substituted the black beans and sweetcorn ( I do NOT like sweetcorn. 🙁 ) for tinned Gungo peas and frozen garden peas instead…..no adjustment to anything else though!
Thankyou so much for this simple, no mess, vegan dish!! It’s definitely on my regular meal list now!! 😋
Eb Gargano says
Aw, that’s so great to hear! Thanks for this lovely review… and especially the 5* rating 😀