Moro de Habichuelas Negras [Video+Recipe] Black Beans and Rice

Learn how to make moro de habichuela negra, or black rice and beans, a wonderfully flavorful Spanish Caribbean side dish that will bring some sunshine to your table.

📝 Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups dry black beans (or a can of black beans)
• 5 tablespoons vegetable oil ((I prefer olive oil) divided)
• 1 small red onion (minced)
• 1 tablespoon mashed garlic
• 1/8 cup pitted green olives (sliced (optional))
• 1 red bell pepper (diced (or cubanela (cubanelle pepper)))
• 1 bay leaf ((optional))
• 1 teaspoon oregano (dry, ground)
• 1/2 teaspoon dry thyme leaves (or a 3 sprigs of fresh thyme)
• 1/8 cup capers ((optional))
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce (2 tablespoons of tomato paste)
• 2 teaspoons salt ((or more, to taste))
• 3 cups rice (long grain rice, Carolina)
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1--- 1. Boiling beans ---
2. 2If using dried black beans, rinse the beans. Place in a large bowl and add plenty of water. Cover and soak overnight.Discard the water and place the beans in a pot, add plenty of water and boil over medium-low heat until the beans are tender. Add water if necessary to keep the beans covered with water. Once softened, let cool to room temperature.Whether you use boiled or canned beans, separate the beans from the liquid and set both aside.⚠️ To shorten the time, you can boil the soaked beans in a pressure cooker or instant pot. In a regular pot, it can take between 40 minutes to 1½ hours to soften them, depending on the freshness of the beans. A pressure cooker will cut the time in half.
3. 3--- 2. Sauteing seasonings ---
4. 4Sauteing: Heat half the oil (2.5 tablespoons) in the Dutch oven over medium heat and sauté the onion, garlic, olives, bell pepper, bay leaf, oregano, thyme, and capers.Cook and stir for one minute or until the ingredients release their aroma. Add the black beans, cover, and cook until the beans are heated through (one minute or two), taking care not to burn them.Add the tomato sauce and season with the two teaspoons of salt.
5. 5--- 3. Adding water ---
6. 6Adding water: Once hot, add 3 cups of the water in which they were boiled (or water from the can), using fresh water to make up 3 cups if necessary. Bring to a boil.Taste the liquid and add salt to taste (if necessary) before continuing.
7. 7--- 4. Cooking rice ---
8. 8Cooking rice: When the water comes to a boil, add the rice and cook over low heat until almost all the liquid has evaporated, stirring frequently to prevent it from sticking too much.⚠️ Be sure to scrape any rice that sticks to the bottom so that it doesn't burn later.
9. 9--- 5. Simmer ---
10. 10Serving: When the water has evaporated, cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook over very low heat for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, uncover, drizzle with the remaining oil, and stir.Cover again for another 5 minutes. After this time, the rice should be firm but cooked through.⚠️ If the rice is not quite cooked, cover and cook for another 5 minutes over very low heat (if it seems too dry at this point, drizzle with a couple of tablespoons of water before covering).
11. 11--- 6. Serve ---
12. 12When the rice is cooked through, discard the bay leaf and thyme sprigs if you used fresh thyme.Scoop the rice into a serving bowl. Scrape the crispy rice from the bottom and serve in a separate bowl (see serving suggestions above the recipe).