Dressed Up Black Beans and Rice

Black beans and rice is an incredibly easy staple meal. It's healthy and fairly cheap to boot, making it great for an end-of-month recipe when the grocery budget is almost maxed out. My way of making it adds a bit more flavor and makes it a one-pot meal, veggies included. The recipe leaves you enough for leftovers for lunches or dinners for a few days. Buying a big bag of black beans, instead of canned gives the meal a better texture and saves you some cash. It's also healthier as canned beans can have added salt. The same goes for bag rice vs. instant.

Dressed Up Black Beans and Rice

• 1 lb. black beans, from bag not can
• 1/2 lb. sweet Italian sausage, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 lb. frozen green pepper and onion mix
• 8 servings long grain enriched white rice

Soak the black beans in a pot over night then cook beans per instructions on bag.
Rinse then prepare rice per instructions on bag.
Brown sausage in a skillet.  
Heat green peppers and onions in microwave, 5 minutes.
Combine all ingredients in a large pot.
Serve and enjoy!

Dressed Up Black Beans and Rice

Black beans and rice is an incredibly easy staple meal. It's healthy and fairly cheap to boot, making it great for an end-of-month recipe when the grocery budget is almost maxed out. My way of making it adds a bit more flavor and makes it a one-pot meal, veggies included. The recipe leaves you enough for leftovers for lunches or dinners for a few days. Buying a big bag of black beans, instead of canned gives the meal a better texture and saves you some cash. It's also healthier as canned beans can have added salt. The same goes for bag rice vs. instant.

Dressed Up Black Beans and Rice

• 1 lb. black beans, from bag not can
• 1/2 lb. sweet Italian sausage, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 lb. frozen green pepper and onion mix
• 8 servings long grain enriched white rice

Soak the black beans in a pot over night then cook beans per instructions on bag.
Rinse then prepare rice per instructions on bag.
Brown sausage in a skillet.  
Heat green peppers and onions in microwave, 5 minutes.
Combine all ingredients in a large pot.
Serve and enjoy!

Cooking with M: Black Beans and Rice

This is a dish I haven't made in awhile. The other day while going through the cabinets, I realized we had a big bag of black beans, rice, sausage that needed to be used up and tons of frozen peppers. Time for an easy, cheap, yummy, filling, lots-of-leftovers dinner! You can make this a meatless meal to make it even more cost effective--just leave out the sausage.

Ready to eat! Yummy.

Ingredients
1 lb. black beans, dry not canned (it's much cheaper to buy them this way, they're healthier and last longer)
8 servings rice from a large bag, not minute rice (much cheaper than instant)
1/2 lb. frozen mixed peppers
1/2 cup frozen onion
1/4 lb. Italian sausage
1 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. onion powder

Directions

1. Soak black beans over night, per directions on bag in a large pot
2. Cook black beans for 2 hours
3. After 2 hours, continue to cook beans while you cut up sausage into small pieces and brown it
4. As sausage browns, prepare rice according to directions on the bag
5. When rice is taken off heat, microwave frozen peppers, drain beans and let sit 
6. Add rice and sausage to pot of beans. Stir well.
7. Add in thyme, onion powder, frozen onion and heated peppers. Stir until well mixed.
8. Serve and enjoy!

A big pot of leftovers ready to chill in the fridge.

This recipe will leave you with plenty of leftovers, about 10-12 servings. If you don't want all the leftovers, you can reduce the amounts to better serve your needs. It's a really easy, filling and cheap recipe that's fairly healthy. To cut costs even more (and up the health factor), you can leave out the sausage. You don't really need it, I only added a small amount for flavor and because we had some to use up. There's plenty of protein in the beans alone. Since you've got your grains, veggies and protein all together, you don't need to worry about sides. A really enjoyed it, M2 wasn't as big of a fan. She's very keen on eating chicken right now so the beans and peppers didn't please her. 

At least she tried it. Maybe next time she'll eat it!

Cooking with M: Black Beans and Rice

This is a dish I haven't made in awhile. The other day while going through the cabinets, I realized we had a big bag of black beans, rice, sausage that needed to be used up and tons of frozen peppers. Time for an easy, cheap, yummy, filling, lots-of-leftovers dinner! You can make this a meatless meal to make it even more cost effective--just leave out the sausage.

Ready to eat! Yummy.

Ingredients
1 lb. black beans, dry not canned (it's much cheaper to buy them this way, they're healthier and last longer)
8 servings rice from a large bag, not minute rice (much cheaper than instant)
1/2 lb. frozen mixed peppers
1/2 cup frozen onion
1/4 lb. Italian sausage
1 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. onion powder

Directions

1. Soak black beans over night, per directions on bag in a large pot
2. Cook black beans for 2 hours
3. After 2 hours, continue to cook beans while you cut up sausage into small pieces and brown it
4. As sausage browns, prepare rice according to directions on the bag
5. When rice is taken off heat, microwave frozen peppers, drain beans and let sit 
6. Add rice and sausage to pot of beans. Stir well.
7. Add in thyme, onion powder, frozen onion and heated peppers. Stir until well mixed.
8. Serve and enjoy!

A big pot of leftovers ready to chill in the fridge.

This recipe will leave you with plenty of leftovers, about 10-12 servings. If you don't want all the leftovers, you can reduce the amounts to better serve your needs. It's a really easy, filling and cheap recipe that's fairly healthy. To cut costs even more (and up the health factor), you can leave out the sausage. You don't really need it, I only added a small amount for flavor and because we had some to use up. There's plenty of protein in the beans alone. Since you've got your grains, veggies and protein all together, you don't need to worry about sides. A really enjoyed it, M2 wasn't as big of a fan. She's very keen on eating chicken right now so the beans and peppers didn't please her. 

At least she tried it. Maybe next time she'll eat it!