Caribbean Rice and Beans

Serving up beans and rice with lemon wedges.

Seasoned with garlic, onions, and Creole spice, then infused with bay leaves, thyme, Scotch bonnet, and coconut milk. Enjoy Caribbean comfort food for the soul.

Course Main

Cuisine Caribbean

Diet Gluten Free

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 25

Total Time 35

Servings

Calories 350kcal

Author Imma

Equipment

7 inch Dutch Oven (cast iron).

Ingredients

2 cups (320g) uncooked long-grain rice
2 tablespoons (30ml) vegetable oil (any neutral-flavored oil works)
½ medium onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 sprig fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
1 whole scotch bonnet pepper
1 15.5-ounce can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 13.5-ounce can coconut milk (about 1¾ cups)
2 small bay leaves
2 teaspoons (9-10g) Creole seasoning
1 teaspoon (3g) paprika (optional)
1 teaspoon (4g) chicken bouillon or vegetable bouillon for a vegetarian version (optional)
2¼ cups (530ml) chicken broth, vegetable broth, or water (see notes)
salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

Wash rice until the water runs clear, then drain and set aside.
Heat a saucepan with the oil. Then add the onions, garlic, thyme, and hot pepper, and sauté for about a minute.
Add the rice to the pan, followed by the beans, and cook for about 2 minutes. Then add coconut milk, bay leaves, bouillon powder, Creole spice, and paprika with 2¼ cups of broth or water.
Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat, cover with a lid, and simmer until rice is cooked (20 minutes, more or less). Stir occasionally (but not too often) from the sides to prevent burning, and add more water as needed.
Discard the bay leaves. Adjust seasonings for salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Notes

Use 3 cups of liquid for really moist rice and beans. If you want your rice to look just like in the picture, use 2 cups of liquid. Too much liquid and stirring will make your rice mushy.
Vegetable bouillon and broth are a quick hack for a vegan version.
I used paprika and Creole salt to enhance the rice's flavor. It's not traditional, so feel free to omit them.
If you don't like coconut milk, replace it with 2 cups of water.
I use uncooked long-grain rice. No need to parboil; just rinse until the water runs clear. One of our readers used Japanese short-grained rice and loved it. Brown long-grain rice works, too.
For an Instant Pot, a reader shared this: sauté everything like you usually would and cook for 3 minutes at high pressure with a natural pressure release.
You can add your favorite cooked protein to the mix, like shredded smoked turkey, diced chicken, ground meat, sausages, and so on.
Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.

Nutrition