Moros y Cristianos (Black Beans and Rice)
Inspired by techniques from America's Test Kitchen and NYT Cooking.
Black beans simmered with aromatics, then baked with rice, a cumin-oregano pepper base and their own cooking liquid.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Beans. Drain the soaked beans and simmer with the water, pepper piece, onion piece, crushed garlic, bay and the bean salt, covered, 30-40 min until just tender.
- 2
Drain. Discard the aromatics, drain the beans and keep 590 ml of the cooking liquid (top up with water if short). Heat the oven to 180 °C.
- 3
Base. Heat the oil in the casserole and fry the chopped pepper and onion with the oregano, cumin and tomato paste over medium heat 10-15 min until soft and starting to brown; stir in the chopped garlic for 1 min.
- 4
Combine. Stir in the rice for 30 s, then add the beans, kept liquid, vinegar and the rice salt and bring to a simmer.
- 5
Bake. Cover and bake 30 min until the rice is tender and the liquid absorbed.
- 6
Serve. Fluff, rest 5 min, then top with spring onion and coriander and serve with lime.
Storage
Cool quickly and keep covered in the fridge for up to 3 days; reheat until piping hot. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
Why this label?
- Total fat: 16.6 % of energy (limit ≤ 30%)
- Saturated fat: 2.4 % of energy (limit < 10%)
- Free sugars: 0 % of energy (limit < 10%)
- Salt: 1.7 g (limit ≤ 1.7 g)
- Fibre or fruit & veg: 3.9 g fibre / 106 g veg (limit ≥ 2.8 g fibre or 80 g fruit & veg)
Per serving, worked out from the nutrition table against our rule based on the WHO healthy diet guidance. Not endorsed by WHO.
EU nutrition claims
- Source of fibre: 1.8 g fibre per 100 kcal (needs ≥ 1.5 g)
Per 100 g of the finished dish, worked out from the nutrition per serving and the lowest likely cooked weight (about 38 g a serving), so the true values are, if anything, lower. Thresholds from the Annex to EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. How we decide
Free sugars
0 g per serving
0 % of the 50 g daily maximum · 0 % of the ideal 25 g
Free sugars under 50 g a day, ideally about 25 g, based on WHO free-sugar guidance (not endorsed by WHO). The share shown is the share of one serving. WHO
Equipment
- large saucepan
- ovenproof casserole with lid
- sieve
- measuring jug
- wooden spoon
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 222 kcal |
| Protein | 5.3 g |
| Carbohydrate | 41.4 g |
| of which sugars | 2.8 g |
| of which free sugars | 0 g |
| Fat | 4.1 g |
| of which saturates | 0.6 g |
| Fibre | 3.9 g |
| Salt | 1.7 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
2.4 g High Protein needs ≥ 5 g (20% of energy)
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values


