Cuban Black Beans and Rice

Cuban black beans and rice is a simple vegan recipe that’s full of flavor and cheap to make. A hearty and delicious plant-based meal!

Ingredients

• ½ pound (225 grams) dried black beans, soaked overnight or all day
• 1 litre (4 ¼ cups) water
• ½ green pepper, finely diced, divided
• ½ medium onion, finely diced, divided
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika
• ½ teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar (or red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar)
• ½ tablespoon sugar
• Long-grain rice, to serve

Instructions

1. Drain and rinse the soaked beans and put them in a pot along with the water, half the diced green pepper, ¼ of the diced onion, 2 cloves of the minced garlic and the bay leaf.
2. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to the lowest setting and cover the pot with the lid. Simmer for 45 minutes.
3. After about 35 minutes start preparing the sofrito. In a pan heat the oil over medium heat and add the remaining onion. Sautee until tender then add the remaining green pepper. When the green pepper is tender add the remaining garlic and sautee for about a minute more or until the garlic is cooked. Add the cumin, oregano and paprika and fry, stirring continuously, for 30 seconds or until the spices are fragrant.
4. Add this sofrito to the beans along with the salt, cover and simmer for 30 more minutes.
5. You can start boiling water to cook the rice at this point.
6. Finally, add the vinegar and sugar to the beans and simmer for 15 more minutes. If the beans seem to have a lot of water you can simmer them uncovered this time, otherwise cover them again. You can optionally transfer a portion of the beans to a blender and stir the blended beans back into the pot (I didn’t).
7. Taste and add salt as necessary (I added an additional ½ teaspoon). Serve the rice into bowls with the black beans on top.