This easy cheesy rice and beans is all made in a single skillet! It has great flavors and can be served as a side dish or as an entree served with flour tortillas. YUM!
In a large cast iron skillet, add olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook until veggies soften, 3-4 minutes. Then add salsa and stir together. Season mixture with cumin and a pinch of salt and pepper.
Rinse rice well under cold water until the water runs clear. Then add rice to the skillet along with drained and rinsed black beans. Stir together well.
Add water (or stock) to the skillet and bring to a slight simmer. Turn heat down to low and cover. Cook rice and beans for 15-18 minutes until rice is cooked and water is evaporated. Stir once or twice during cooking to make sure the rice isn’t clumping or cooking too quickly. If the rice and beans seems particularly dry, add another 1/2 cup of liquid.
When rice and beans are cooked and the rice is tender, stir mixture with a fork and season to your taste with salt and pepper.
Dot the top of the rice and beans with handfuls of cheddar cheese and cover with lid. Residual heat should melt the cheese, but if you’ve waited too long, you can also stick the skillet in a 350 degrees F. oven for a few minutes to melt the cheese really well (that’s my preference).
Garnish skillet with sliced avocado and fresh cilantro and serve while warm.
The cheesy rice and beans works great as a hearty side dish OR you can serve it with flour tortillas to make it an entree.