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Recipe Connection: Mexican Beans and Rice

October 19, 2009 (UPDATED: September 6, 2020) by Katie Kimball @ Kitchen Stewardship® 17 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

I do a lot of complicated things in the kitchen sometimes. This, luckily for you, is NOT one of them. I’d been making homemade Chicken Rice-a-Roni for a while but still needed a substitute for boxed Mexican rice as a side with tacos. I came up with something so delicious and so easy, even kids can make it!

Mexican beans and rice

Find this recipe, updated and with even more frugal tips and transformation options, along with 29 other bean recipes and a ton of information on cooking dry beans, the health benefits of beans, and ideas for bean haters in The Everything Beans Book, available now at Kitchen Stewardship®!

Mexican Beans and Rice

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Katie’s Mexican Beans and Rice

  • Author: Katie Kimball
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Ingredients

  • 1 cup brown rice
  • 1 3/4 cup water
  • 8 oz can tomato sauce
  • 1 can kidney or black beans (or dry equivalent)
  • 2 Tbs. taco seasoning
  • Optional add-ins:
  • 1 cup frozen corn
  • chopped onion
  • chopped green peppers
  • colored peppers
  • chili peppers
  • *For me, adding chopped onions and peppers keeps it as easy as a box mix because they’re always already prepped in my freezer. I just froze a bunch of farmer’s market peppers for the winter!

Instructions

  1. Here’s the trick to make it really taste like the boxed mix: Saute the rice first either in a dry pan or in a tad bit of butter (or both, one after the other). Keep stirring CONstantly, just like it says on the Rice-a-Roni boxes! You’re shooting for browned, not blackened, of course, so keep a close eye.
  2. THEN add the water, tomato sauce and taco seasoning.
  3. This works whether you’re soaking (see below) or not, and totally changes the mouth-feel and taste of the finished dish, definitely for the better.
  4. Bring to a boil and turn heat to low, covered, for 45 minutes (no peeking!).
  5. Add the beans and optional add-ins and simmer 5 more minutes until heated through.

Notes

To soak rice: Follow this method to soak brown rice. Drain the rice, saute dry rice (it will take almost 10 minutes to fully dry out and brown), and add the water and tomato sauce. If a lot of water seems to evaporate hitting the hot pot, add a few extra tablespoons.

White rice works great, you just use the cook time for the rice (usually 15 mins. for short grain and 20 mins. for basmati).

This recipe makes at least twice as much as your basic boxed mix, so be ready for leftovers.

Did you make this recipe?

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Mexican Beans And RiceWhat in the World is Soaking Grains?

What does the recipe mean when it says “to soak rice?” See this post for a very quick explanation of why soaking grains is a good idea and this one for specifics on soaking rice.

RELATED: Cooking Rice In The Instant Pot & Pressure Cooking Beans Without Soaking

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Filed Under: Real Food Recipes, Save Money Tagged With: beans, chicken stock, corn, evergreen, Mexican, onions, peppers, side dish, tomato sauce, tomatoes

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About Katie Kimball @ Kitchen Stewardship®

Katie Kimball, CSME is a trusted educator and author of 8 real food cookbooks. She is passionate about researching natural remedies and making healthy cooking easier for busy families. She’s been featured on media outlets like ABC, NBC and First for Women magazine as well as contributing regularly on the FOX Network.

See more of Katie Kimball, CSME in the Media.

Over the last 10 years, Katie has spoken prolifically at conferences, online summits and podcasts and become a trusted authority and advocate for children’s health.

Busy moms look to this certified educator for honest, in-depth natural product reviews and thorough research. She often partners with health experts and medical practitioners to deliver the most current information to the Kitchen Stewardship® community.

In 2016 she created the #1 bestselling online kids cooking course, Kids Cook Real Food, helping thousands of families around the world learn to cook.

Certified Stress Mastery Educator BadgeA mom of 4 kids from Michigan, she is a Certified Stress Mastery Educator and member of the American Institute of Stress.

See all blog posts by Katie Kimball.

17 Bites of Conversation So Far

  1. Lara says

    February 27, 2013 at 5:33 pm

    I have a big bag of bulgur wheat I bought and don’t want to waste it. Can this be soaked and used instead of the rice?

    Reply
    • Katie Kimball @ Kitchen Stewardship says

      April 15, 2013 at 12:50 am

      Lara,
      Worth a shot, although the texture and taste would be different – I bet it would still be good! 🙂 Katie

      Reply
  2. Farhaana says

    January 7, 2012 at 8:05 pm

    How can I use tomato paste instead of tomato sauce? Can I use 4 oz. of tomato paste and mix it with 4 oz. of water? Do you know what the ratio might be?
    Btw…I’ve been going through your website all day and planning my menu and shopping list for the week. Thank you for sharing with us all 🙂

    Reply
    • Katie says

      January 9, 2012 at 5:09 am

      Farhaana,
      Very cool, hope you enjoy the recipes! For this one, I do think just making sure you have the right total amount of liquid – 8 oz. – will be key in success. Using paste w/some water instead of sauce will probably just result in richer tomato flavor. 🙂 Katie

      Reply
  3. brook says

    January 15, 2011 at 10:37 pm

    I made this for the second time tonight. My husband loves the spanish rice, and this was more mexican, so tonight I made it spanish! I used a can of diced tomatoes with green chiles (all out of jars 🙁 ) instead of the paste, cut out the beans (we had them on the side) and did the rest as above. My husband said that they were “almost” as good, but I think it’s because I went shy on my seasonings, and next time I will increase that, and they will be perfect. Yay! Thank you so much!

    Reply
    • Katie says

      January 17, 2011 at 2:33 am

      Brook,
      That’s a great variation; thank you for sharing!
      🙂 Katie

      Reply
  4. Angie says

    March 31, 2010 at 8:17 pm

    Hi Katie,

    Should the beans be drained and rinsed before adding them to the rice? The chili recipe I use says to drain and rinse the beans before adding them. I always hate to throw out all that good cooking water. It seems like it would have so many nutrients in it, but it would definitely affect the consistency.

    Thanks!
    Angie

    Reply
    • Katie says

      April 2, 2010 at 12:15 am

      Angie,
      Yes, drained and rinsed! The only way to keep the water for this one is if you could determine a way to cook the beans and then add the rice at just the right amount. That would be a possible way to use the water, but might change the taste.
      🙂 Katie

      Reply
  5. Amy @ Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free says

    October 27, 2009 at 10:19 pm

    Was strolling down memory lane and forgot to say thanks for linking to Slightly Indulgent Mondays!

    Reply
  6. Amy @ Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free says

    October 27, 2009 at 10:18 pm

    I could actually eat this as is…it looks great. I just asked my husband if he likes mexican rice – he does. So I’m putting it in the to make file.

    My mom never made Rice-A-Roni or anything like it…everything was always from scratch. I think the first time I had Rice-A-Roni was when I was in high school at a friends house. 🙂

    Reply
    • Katie says

      October 28, 2009 at 10:43 pm

      Amy,
      I was excited that I actually had something GF to share with you! 🙂 Katie

      Reply
  7. Cole says

    October 20, 2009 at 10:48 pm

    I love all mexican food and rice is always a wonderful thing!
    .-= Cole´s last blog ..Tuesdays At The Table – Cake Pops =-.

    Reply
  8. [email protected] says

    October 20, 2009 at 9:11 pm

    Sounds and looks wonderful!! I know we will enjoy the homemade mexican rice dish!
    .-= [email protected]´s last blog ..Tempt My Tummy Tuesday… Cupcake Heaven =-.

    Reply
  9. Greta says

    October 20, 2009 at 12:55 pm

    This looks delicious! I haven’t tried soaking grains before, so that will be a new thing for me too. I just love the info you offer here on your site 🙂 Thanks.
    .-= Greta´s last blog ..Menu Plan Monday =-.

    Reply
  10. Jendeis says

    October 20, 2009 at 10:54 am

    Katie, this looks so yum!
    .-= Jendeis´s last blog ..First Day =-.

    Reply
  11. Amie says

    October 20, 2009 at 12:25 am

    THANK YOU for posting this. We have been gluten-free for 3 months and I have missed Rice-a-Roni mexican rice. This recipe is GF as long as you check the taco seasoning!

    Reply
  12. mom2my9 says

    October 19, 2009 at 11:37 pm

    This looks excellent! My family loves spanish rice and I can’t wait to try this recipe!

    Reply

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