Chipotle Black Bean and Rice Skillet

04.3.16
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Chipotle Black Bean and Rice Skillet | @naturallyella

When it comes to dinner time, one pan meals are lifesavers. Depending on what else I'm doing or prepping, this rice skillet comes together fairly quickly and feeds one to two hungry people (as long as you prep a bit by cooking the rice ahead of time). In fact, prepping on the weekends or late in the evenings is what saves me. Truly, it makes all the difference and takes me from "I don't know what to cook" to "I know what to cook and I'm even prepared." It takes little effort to throw a pot of rice on the stove. Then, once it's done, it can serve as a base for many recipes throughout the week (a few of those options are at the end of this recipe).

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Chipotle Black Bean and Rice Skillet

A perfect breakfast skillet for using leftover brown rice, this egg skillet uses chipotle black beans cooked with rice, greens, and fried eggs.

  • Author: Erin Alderson
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 2 servings 1x
  • Cuisine: breakfast

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1/4 cup minced red onion
  • 1 cup cooked brown rice
  • 1/3 cup cooked black beans, drained and rinsed if using canned
  • Juice from 1/2 lime
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon coriander
  • 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder (see note)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups shredded baby spinach
  • 1/4 cup minced cilantro
  • 1 ounce goat cheese
  • 2 eggs
  • Avocado, for topping

Instructions

  1. In an 8 inch skillet with a heavy bottom, heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Add onion and cook for 5 to 6 minutes until translucent and fragrant.
  2. Add rice, black beans, lime juice, water, spices, and salt. Cook and stir until rice and black beans are heated.
  3. Fold in the spinach and cilantro, stirring until spinach begins to wilt and majority of water has been absorbed.
  4. Create well in the center of the skillet and crack egg into the center. Sprinkle goat cheese on top, cover, reduce heat to low, and let cook until egg whites are set and yolk is done to desired firmness, 8 to 12 minutes.
  5. Sprinkle with extra cilantro and serve with avocado.

Notes

Tips & Tricks: Chipotle powders can have a wide range of spice to them. I like a sweeter chipotle but I highly recommend starting with just a pinch and adding more if need be!

Stock up: get the pantry ingredients you will need: Black Beans, Brown Rice, Chipotle Powder

Nutrition: see the information. 

Nutrition

  • Calories: 307
  • Sugar: 1.5
  • Sodium: 460
  • Fat: 13
  • Carbohydrates: 35.4
  • Fiber: 6.1
  • Protein: 14.3
  • Cholesterol: 166.5

Rice Skillet

variations

In true skillet recipe fashion, there's a lot of wiggle room within the recipe. One of the things I love most is that this can easily be a year-round recipe depending on the greens you use. A few ideas:

Greens: Use kale or chard when spinach isn't in season. Either option will require a bit more time to wilt but other than that, the amount stays the same.

Spices: Chipotle powder can be spicy. So if you're not wanting to risk it or want to use something you might already have in your pantry- add 1/2 teaspoon or so of smoked paprika or chili powder.

Vegan: Ditch the goat cheese and fried eggs. Instead, cook the skillet as instructed, then add scrambled tofu.

Chipotle Black Bean and Rice Skillet with fresh avocado | @naturallyella
- Recipe first published April 15th, 2013. Last updated on April 3rd, 2016.

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29 comments on “Chipotle Black Bean and Rice Skillet”

  1. I could devour this egg bake anytime of day-breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack. Nutritious and filling-yum!

  2. Leftovers in the fridge that come together into their own unique meal are the best! I was so grateful to have rice cooked and waiting for me to toss in a skillet with veggies and an egg after a long day of work today. I love the southwest flavors you've used here-- can't wait to try this soon!

  3. First of all, I want to apologize for not having commented before. So many of your recipes have been slam dunks for us and have made their way into our regular meal rotation--the avocado tostadas and black bean, sweet potato and guac tacos come to mind! I made this yesterday. When my husband--whose top three foods are probably rice, beans and peanut butter--gazed down at his plate, he said, This looks like something I want to eat everyday for a month, and after one bite, Where have you been all my life? I didn't have chipotle powder on hand but instead swapped paprika and chili powder. We're excited to have a new take on the humble rice & bean bowl, thank you!

  4. We had a very similar dinner last night 🙂 Great minds eat alike too I guess 🙂

  5. Stumbled across this via pinterest and made it tonight for dinner. One word - yum!!!

  6. This was sooo delicious! I did some swapping in order to use what I had on hand: white and red quinoa instead of the rice, a little white wine vinegar and honey dijon mustard instead of the chipotle powder. I loved the goat cheese, cilantro and spinach. Can't wait to make it again!

  7. Longtime lurker here - I make so many of your delicious recipes, and share your site with so many friends bragging about its yummy-ness, it's about time you knew what a staple you are in our house! Thank you for such refreshing and inspiring recipes (and beautiful photography).

  8. Recipe was great with a few minor considerations. The chipotle chile powder - next time I might swap out some cumin or something...my 2 little kids wouldn't eat it because of the spice. I might decrease the amount of lime juice too (although, the lime I used was HUGE - so maybe it was too much in the first place). I really love rice/bean/egg skillets and this one has so many good ingredients that kept me satisfied and feeling good about what I ate. I will definitely make again (with my few minor adjustments)

  9. Anything with rice, black beans, and a skillet and I am on board!
    I don't actually have a skillet pan as I'm living abroad for a year and mine is back home... would a regular frying pan still be ok? I'm assuming so, but do you have any recommendations?

  10. Thanks for posting this. I really, really wanted to love this! However, I had to toss it because of the spice. 2 tsp of chipotle powder!! ...well...maybe there is an extremely wide range of chipotle powders regarding to their heat. It was painful to eat. I made again with 1/2 tsp and even that pushing it. I like the idea of substituting cumin and chili powder...I'll try it again with that.

    1. Oh yikes! I just updated the recipe. This is a slightly older recipe and I'm guessing at the time I did have a sweeter (more smokey, less spicy) chipotle powder. I'd definitely recommend just a pinch (maybe upwards of 1/4 teaspoon) for spicier chipotle powders!

  11. This looks awesome - definitely want to try this recipe for dinner today, thanks so much for sharing it 🙂
    Lucy xoxo

  12. This looks delicious! Have you ever had an issues with re-heating rice? I know a lot of guidance is iffy about the dangers of re-heating it after more than a day or so. Happy to disregard this but just wondered if you'd ever experienced any bad effects of keeping it for a few days in the fridge as described as I'm a little cautious.

    1. Hi Sarah- I always run the leftover rice under cold water right after making and then stash in the refrigerator (cooling it quickly is key). I've never had any problems but I think it's good to be cautious. I added a link in the info though for a bit more info!

  13. I am a lover of a fast meal and this looks like something I can accomplish. It may be taking the place of my sprouted grain Peanut Butter Jelly Sandwhich in the near future! Man that looks good!

  14. I love anything with an egg on it! This was really good. Served it with a salad and some cornbread. Yum.

  15. I love this recipe, but it would be super helpful if the ingredients didn't list "cooked" rice. Looking at the total recipe time, I thought I could start at 7 and whip this up really quick. I know 30 min recipes are super popular, but that time needs to be added in!

hi. 

Welcome to my little internet nook. On this site you'll find over a thousand vegetarian recipes, pantry knowledge, and more. I'm ever obsessed with food from gardening, cooking, and preserving. I hope you'll find endless inspiration on these pages and visit often. 

Virtual hugs, Erin (aka: e.l.l.a.)
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