We’re BIG fans of Taco Tuesday in my house, but Taco Tuesday doesn’t have to be on Tuesday, we like burritos, tacos and burrito bowls any night of the week. Since I discovered the best, tastiest and easiest way to cook up brown rice, I find that we’re eating a lot of burrito bowls and burritos, as they’re the perfect thing to whip up on those busy weeknights, and they also make great lunches to pack up for the kiddos.
I’m a huge fan of black beans and pinto beans, but don’t always have the time or energy to soak and cook them. Sometimes it’s just easier, and way more convenient, to open up a can of black beans and be done with it, but to me canned beans have always lacked the flavor and depth that slow cooked beans have, and they can sometimes taste a bit like a tin can. Well, I’m a happy mama now, because I’ve discovered and simple, quick, (under 20 minutes) and tasty way to make a can of black beans taste like beans from your favorite Mexican restaurant without all the hours of soaking and cooking. YAY! So today I’m basically showing you how to open up a can of black beans and add some depth and flavor.
You can use recipe for canned black or pinto beans. I’ve used both varieties just to switch things up a bit, and the kids love them both equally. I even quadrupled this recipe for a recent taco party and everyone loved the beans and couldn’t believe that they were not from the same Mexican restaurant that the tacos were from, so there you go…
Why not give this a try and make your next Taco Tuesday a bit easier and tastier, and while you’re at it, why not make up some easy oven baked brown rice. Oh yeah, Marin mama is bringing Taco Tuesday back 😉
quick and tasty weeknight beans:
recipe from It’s All Good
makes 1 can of black beans – serves 4 as a side dish
feel free to double, triple or quadruple the recipe if you’re feeding a crowd, but keep the olive oil quantities the same though.
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced or finely chopped
- 1 15-ounce can of black or pinto beans – Try to get BPA free cans if you can. I love Eden Organic Black beans, as they have BPA free cans
- 4-6 sprigs of cilantro
- hefty pinch or two of coarse sea salt – I love this celtic sea salt from Selina Naturally, as it’s unrefined and contains tons of minerals that our bodies need!
Heat olive oil in a small heavy bottomed pan set over medium heat.
Add the garlic and cook, stirring until just fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. You don’t want to brown or burn the garlic, so keep an eye on it.
Add the entire can of black beans, (including the liquid) cilantro sprigs and a hefty pinch of coarse sea salt.
Turn up the heat to high, and bring the beans to a boil.
Once the beans have come to a boil (this will happen pretty quickly) turn down the heat to low/simmer, and simmer the beans until they have lost their tin can flavor and thicken up in consistency, about 15-20 minutes.
Taste the beans, and add some salt to taste. I always add a bit more salt, but I use unrefined coarse sea salt, so it’s not your typical super salty salt!
Salt is a natural flavor enhancer, so don’t be afraid of using it, plus unrefined salt contains tons of minerals that our bodies need, so it’s a good and natural thing!
Remove the cilantro sprigs before serving.
To add some color, top the beans off with some freshly chopped cilantro leaves. Serve the beans warm.
There you have it! Wasn’t that an easy recipe?To make a burrito bowl, just add to a bowl a bit of rice, some black beans, chicken or steak (if desired), roasted sweet potato, sliced avocado, salsa or diced tomatoes and a few sprigs of cilantro, oh and you can’t forget the cheese! You will definitely need to top off your bowl with some cheese! I like using a combination of shredded Monterey Jack and cheddar along with Queso fresco. These are burrito bowls, so customize them any which way you want! You can’t go wrong here!
We also love to use the rice and beans and make up simple burritos. Just pair a burrito with a simple kale or arugula salad, and you have an easy and tasty kid approved weeknight dinner!
These like the burrito bowls, are custom-made to suit your tastes. I love making a simple black bean and rice burrito. I just top a tortilla with some cheese, place it on the middle rack in my oven and turn on the broiler. It melts the cheese and toasts the tortilla just a bit. I then top the tortilla with some warm black beans and rice and roll it up.
I also love tossing in some roasted sweet potato to add a bit more flavor and depth!
Life is busy, so it’s nice to have a few quick, easy, kid approved and inexpensive pantry dinner ideas, like rice and beans!
If you make up these beans then you have to pair them with my oven baked brown rice. 
Want another easy Mexican weeknight meal that is kid approved? Try my one-pan Mexican quinoa wraps!
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced or finely chopped
- 1 15-ounce can of black or pinto beans - try and get BPA free cans if you can. I love Eden Organic Black beans, as they have BPA free cans
- 4-6 sprigs of cilantro
- hefty pinch or two of coarse sea salt - I love this celtic sea salt from Selina Naturally, as it's unrefined and contains tons of minerals that our bodies need!
- Heat olive oil in a small heavy bottomed pan set over medium heat.
- Add the garlic and cook, stirring until just fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. You don't want to brown or burn the garlic, so keep an eye on it.
- Add the entire can of black beans, (including the liquid) cilantro sprigs and a hefty pinch of coarse sea salt.
- Turn up the heat to high and bring the beans to a boil.
- Once the beans have come to a boil (this will happen pretty quickly) turn down the heat to low/simmer and simmer the beans until they have lost their tin can flavor and thicken up in consistency, about 15-20 minutes.
- Taste the beans, and add some salt to taste. I always add a bit more salt, but I use unrefined coarse sea salt, so it's not your typical super salty salt!
- Salt is a natural flavor enhancer, so don't be afraid of using it, plus unrefined salt contains tons of minerals that our bodies need, so it's a good and natural thing!
- Remove the cilantro sprigs before serving.
- To add some color, top the beans off with some freshly chopped cilantro leaves.
- Serve the beans warm.
Hi Jackie. I’ve been wanting to make your black bean recipe and tonight I finally did! The beans were a huge hit with both my husband and 11 year old boy! This is a big deal as my son doesn’t happily eat my cooked beans and usually complains that they don’t taste restaurant style! He gave me the thumbs up and now we can enjoy this home cooked recipe with so many different meals. Thank you! Thank you!