Eat good and cheap with this easy, make ahead Rice and Black Bean Salad, packed full of fiber, protein, and great taste.
Beans and rice helped us get out of debt. We ate this economical combination about three times a week when we were working to pay off our consumer debt and right out financial ship. I changed up how I served it in order to avoid boredom.
In winter, they might be served hot with shredded cheese, sour cream, homemade salsa, and a few homemade chips on the side. In summer, they make up this quick and simple salad that fills the belly without feeling heavy.
Rice and beans still make for an easy and economical meal, no matter the season. And this salad is good cheap way for you to eat well without spending a lot of money.
This is a great dish for making ahead. In fact, if you serve hot cooked rice for dinner one night, make double so that you can mix up this salad and stash it in the freezer. Feel free to use white or brown rice, whichever you prefer.
You can vary the mix-ins. My husband doesn’t love corn in things, but a cup of corn kernels would go great in this as well as olives and chopped bell pepper. This rendition is plain and simple, but totally delicious.
Serve this Rice and Black Bean Salad as a hearty side dish or as a meatless main. FishPapa will come home from work and have it for an afternoon snack.
Rice and Black Bean Salad
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup long grain white rice uncooked
- 1 15-ounce can black beans rinsed and drained
- 2 tomato chopped
- 4 green onion chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro (chopped)
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- salt
- black pepper
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Cook the rice according to your preferred method, in a rice cooker or on the stove. Allow it to cool.
- Place the rice in a large bowl and add the beans, tomatoes, scallions, and cilantro.
- In a small bowl, combine the lime juice, cumin, salt, and pepper. Stir in the olive oil. Dress the salad with the mixture and adjust the seasonings to taste.
- Serve warm or chilled.
Notes
Nutrition
Make-ahead meals can make your month! Grab this month’s meal plans to take it easy and enjoy great home-cooked meals.
Trish says
wow, this looks so good!
Jen Beaman says
So glad you posted this recipe! I admired it when you shared the barbecue sauce recipe recently. Can’t wait to make it 🙂
Jessica Fisher says
Hope you like it!
LeslieT says
Just wondering how long this keeps? Could you make it 2 days before eating it?
Jessica Fisher says
Sorry for the delayed response. Yes, two days would be fine. You might need to add more dressing.
Michelle says
I’ve also had a salad similar to this with quinoa instead of the rice.
Jessica Fisher says
I would guess there could be several other grains you could use, too, like barley.
Janet says
Made this for dinner tonight — quite good. I don’t like cilantro so I substituted fresh spinach.
Jessica Fisher says
Nice to hear about that adaptation. Glad you liked it!
beth tennison says
Love this site except it lacks nutritional information which i really appreciate.
Jessica Fisher says
Hi Beth. I’m sorry to disappoint in that way. Among food bloggers, I’ve heard that it’s difficult to find a nutritional calculator plugin that will provide accurate results. If you hear of one, please let me know!