A comforting mainstay in Puerto Rican cuisine, rice and beans make for the ideal vegan dish that can be kept simple, or dressed up with delicious extras to your preference. While typically made with long-simmered dried beans, using sofrito, the traditional mixture of vegetables and spices, gives these shortcut canned beans remarkable depth and flavor. Cooking the rice with a spoonful of broth concentrate gives it an extra boost of savory flavor and color. Combining rice with beans provides all the amino acids to form a complete protein, making this dish very satiating. Serve these with a side of plantain or tortilla chips for an extra pop of crunch. 

Serves 4

Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, stemmed and seeded 
• 10 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons pimenton or paprika
• ¼ cup olive oil
• Salt, to taste
• 2 cans cooked black beans (do not drain the liquid)
• 2 cups white or yellow rice
• Vegetable broth concentrate or bullion 
• 1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced, to serve
• Chopped cilantro, to serve (optional, or swap for parsley)

Directions:

1. In a food processor, blitz together the onion, pepper, garlic and spices, along with a pinch of salt. Don’t over process, you just want them finely chopped—alternatively, you can finely chop everything by hand. 
2. In a large skillet or pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the sofrito (the vegetables you blitzed together) and cook for 10-15 minutes, until they thicken and begin to caramelize. 
3. While the sofrito cooks, prepare the rice, following the directions on the package and adding 1 tablespoon of the broth concentrate to the water called for. (Alternatively, cook the rice with the broth of your preference instead of water).
4. Add both cans of black beans and their liquid, along with a pinch of salt, to the cooked sofrito. Bring up to a gentle simmer and season to taste with salt as needed. 
5. To serve, divide the rice and beans between four bowls, and divide the avocado slices on top. Garnish with cilantro and a pinch of salt over the avocado if desired. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes: This makes for excellent leftovers, whether mixed together or kept separately. It’s also the ideal accompaniment for the protein of your choice.