Costa Rican Rice and Beans!

Totally plant-based, made from whole foods, and super delicious. It seems like every time I travel somewhere, I come back with lots of cooking inspo. New recipes, new foods, new flavors… When I was surfing in Costa Rica recently- a place I’ve visited quite a few times- I finally learned to make their signature rice and beans, Gallo Pinto. And guess what? It’s easy!

The first time I made it, cooking out of my little rental kitchen down in Pavones (a super cute little surf village with one of the best waves in the world), I took one bite and said “yup, that’s Costa Rica.” And even though I’ve switched up the ingredients a little for this version, the signature flavors are still there.

We start with rice. Traditionally, you’d use white rice but I’ve subbed brown for this recipe, to increase the fiber content and make it healthier.

Then there’s beans. Best case scenario is that you cook your own beans from scratch, and that you use red beans (NOT kidney beans). I couldn’t find red beans where I live (I’m sure I could order them from somewhere), but I did have a can of organic black beans on hand, so I used that.

Next is the veggies: tomato, red pepper, onion, and culantro, a cousin of cilantro that grows wild all over the place in southern Costa Rica. I can’t get that up here in Rhode Island, so I substituted regular fresh cilantro instead. And it was fine!

This recipe is a great side dish to add to any meal of the day. Make a big batch on Sunday and eat all week long. It’s great for parties, too.

Ingredients

5 cups long grain brown rice (cooked and completely cooled)

1 15-oz can black beans

2-3 T olive oil

1 medium red bell pepper, small diced

1 medium yellow onion, small diced

1 large tomato, small diced

1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped

1 teaspoon sea salt (divided), plus more to taste

Fresh ground black pepper, to taste

2-3 T olive oil

Directions

Cook the brown rice and cool completely. Drain and rinse the black beans. Prep all the veggies.

Drizzle 2-3T olive oil into a large skillet set over medium heat. If you’re using a non-stick skillet, you can probably use a bit less oil.

Add the onions and peppers and sauté for 5-7 minutes or until onions start turning translucent.

Stir in the tomatoes and 1/2t of salt. Cook down the tomatoes until soft.

Add in the rice and beans and stir everything together so it’s evenly combined. Allow to fry for a couple minutes, stirring frequently. Add 1/2t sea salt. Add black pepper and extra salt, to taste.

Turn off the heat. Stir in the chopped cilantro.

You’re done. Enjoy!