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Home » Recipes

Awesome Belizean Rice and Beans!

Oct 12, 2019Last Modified: October 17, 2022

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Belizean Rice and Beans in a bowl

Belizean Rice and Beans is a staple in Belize. When visitors ask a Belizean what the national dish is, usually the response will be "Belizean rice and beans, stewed chicken, and potato salad." The other day I made some Stewed Beans. I used a pound of Camellia dried red kidney beans to make these Stewed Beans...and do you know what you have when you cook up a pound of dried beans? Enough food to feed an army!

I used some of my stewed beans to create a delicious rice and beans dish, a la Belizean style. In addition to the stewed beans, the ingredients include garlic, onion, cilantro, fresh thyme, coconut milk, chicken broth, rice, and seasonings. One seasoning I have used in this recipe is Goya Sazonador Total, which has become one of my favorite seasonings! Click here if you would like to purchase Goya Sazonador Total on Amazon.

Goya Sazonador Total
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3daNYHlZG9/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

I have made a fair few rice dishes since I began cooking, but I had never included thyme in them. This was a revelation to me. The thyme really helped to give the rice and beans an incredible flavor. And may I say that the aroma from this pot of rice and beans was absolutely amazing.
This will definitely end up back on our plates in the future. Although it is preferable to use stewed beans that you cook up, for ease of preparation you could also use canned stewed red beans.

Simple, easy, delicious! I hope you will try making these fantastic rice and beans, a la Belizean style!

Some Other Belizean Dishes You May Enjoy!

For a true Belizean style dinner, serve this accompanied by delicious Belizean Stewed Chicken. 🙂

Belizean Stewed Chicken garnished with cilantro in a white bowl

You may also enjoy this delicious condiment which can accompany the chicken and rice...Belizean Hot Pepper Onion Sauce. So incredibly easy and amazing you will love it!

Belizean Hot Pepper Onion Sauce in a bowl and habaneros
Belizean Hot Pepper Onion Sauce.....SOOO GOOD!

Cheers!

Grace

Belizean Rice and Beans in a white bowl.

Belizean Rice and Beans

Grace adapted from the Flavors of Belize cookbook
Absolutely delicious rice and bean dish using your own prepared stewed beans, or canned red kidney beans! The inclusion of thyme in this dish elevates these rice and beans to something very special. Cook these up and enjoy a taste of Belize in your home!
5 from 4 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 35 mins
Resting Time 10 mins
Total Time 50 mins
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Belizean
Servings 4 people
Calories 325 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup rice
  • ½ onion diced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 cup stewed beans use canned or see my recipe for stewed beans: https://explorecookeat.com/belizean-stewed-beans/
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup chicken broth plus additional may be needed
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • 2 tablespoon cilantro diced
  • ½ ts salt plus additional to taste
  • ¼ ts pepper plus additional to taste
  • 1 tablespoon Sazonador Total by Goya

Instructions
 

  • Heat up olive oil in a med sized saucepan (med high). Add garlic and onion, and saute for around 2 minutes.
    garlic and onion sautéed in a saucepanan
  • Add rice, coconut milk, chicken broth, thyme, Sazonador Total seasoning, salt, pepper, stewed beans and some liquid, mix and bring to the boil.
    rice, beans, coconut milk, thyme, chicken broth and seasonings in a saucepan
  • Reduce heat to med-low to medium so that the beans and rice are on a low simmer, and then cover and cook for 25 minutes, checking every so often to ensure the mixture does not dry out. If it is dry, at a little more chicken broth or water (around ¼ cup), stir, and recover. Continue this until the rice is tender. You may need to cook it for a few additional minutes, but I shouldn't think it will take more than 35 minutes.
  • Once the rice is tender, stir in the cilantro, and then taste and additional additional seasonings if you like.
  • Remove from the heat, and allow to rest for about 10 minutes. Remove the thyme sprigs and then your dish is ready to enjoy!

Notes

The Belizean staple, rice and beans, is a delicious side dish to accompany any meal!  If you'd like to go all out and have a Belizean style dinner, enjoy this with Belizean stewed chicken and some potato salad.  Enjoy a fantastic taste of this beautiful Central American country!

Nutrition

Calories: 325kcalCarbohydrates: 41gProtein: 5gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gSodium: 517mgPotassium: 262mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 39IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 38mgIron: 3mg
Keyword rice and beans
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
« Belizean Stewed Beans
Elvi's Kitchen's Delicious Coconut Curry Shrimp »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Natasha

    January 14, 2021 at 1:20 pm

    5 stars
    Awesome recipe! Made this to go with your stewed chicken recipe but these rice and beans are so tasty I could happily eat it on it's own!

    Reply
    • Grace

      January 14, 2021 at 4:15 pm

      Hi Natasha! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! I'm so glad you enjoyed this dish and now I'm craving it again! Really grateful for you!!! Take care! Grace

      Reply
  2. Jesse

    June 05, 2021 at 6:48 pm

    What kind of rice do you recommend? Medium grain mexican?

    Reply
    • Grace

      June 06, 2021 at 9:31 am

      Hi Jesse thanks for your question! Long grain white rice will do just fine for this recipe. If you do end up making it I would love to get your feedback. Thanks again and have a great day! Grace

      Reply
  3. Lori

    January 13, 2022 at 9:45 am

    Do you drain the beans before adding to the rice?

    Reply
    • Grace

      January 13, 2022 at 12:59 pm

      Hi Lori, great question and I'm so sorry that I didn't make that clear in the recipe! Yes, please drain the beans prior to adding to the rice. Thanks so very much and if you do try out the recipe I'd love to get your feedback and I do hope you enjoy it! Take good care! Grace

      Reply
  4. NW

    September 11, 2022 at 11:38 pm

    5 stars
    Great recipe! We loved this with your stew chicken and we also made the stew beans!

    Reply
    • Grace

      September 12, 2022 at 1:53 pm

      Hi there! I'm so so happy that you liked this recipe and what an honor for me that you also tried the stew chicken and beans! You have absolutely made my day and I'm so thankful for you taking the time to comment here. Wishing you a wonderful day and week ahead and thank you again!!! Grace

      Reply
  5. Sara

    October 02, 2022 at 6:06 pm

    5 stars
    Absolutely delicious! Thank you for this recipe!

    Reply
    • Grace

      October 03, 2022 at 9:22 am

      Hi Sara! I'm so so happy that you liked the dish! Thank you so much for trying it out and taking the time to comment here...I am truly grateful! Have a wonderful day, Grace

      Reply
  6. Brandon

    October 16, 2022 at 4:22 pm

    5 stars
    I’ve made this recipe a few times and it turns out great each time. The only change I’ve made is not adding the thyme but that is a personal preference. I will say that I’ve made this for a family friend who is from Belize and he said it was very close to how his wife makes it.

    I would recommend this recipe. It’s super simple and it’s delicious so give it a try!

    Reply
    • Grace

      October 16, 2022 at 11:36 pm

      Hi Brandon! I cannot tell you how grateful I am for you trying out this recipe and actually taking the time to comment here. I'm super happy over the moon that you made this for your friend as well...and so happy to hear his comments! Thank you thank you so very very much and to go to sleep tonight knowing that you enjoy this recipe makes me so very happy! Thankfully, Grace

      Reply

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About Me

Hi I’m Grace! I'm married and a mom to my fur baby, Toby, and food and travel are two of my greatest passions! Since our bank account does not allow us to travel or eat out as much as we'd like, I decided I would cook delicious meals that could give us a taste of all the places we'd like to go. My goal is to get you in the kitchen, and inspire you to cook and taste delightful meals that will transport you too. Let’s throw some actual travel in from time to time, all with an emphasis on keeping your wallet full and happy as well. Let’s get cooking and let’s start exploring!! I'm excited to be on this journey with you!!

By the way most of these recipes are Toby taste tested and Toby approved!!

Chief Taste Tester Toby

Toby Chief Taste Tester

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