RECIPES / WEEKNIGHT DINNERS
One Pot Black Beans & Rice
The uncooked rice goes into the pot with the broth and the beans, so the seasoning ends up inside the grain instead of sitting on it. One saucepan, about half an hour.
BY CHANTEL KENNEDY
SUSTAINABILITY MANAGER AT 4SISTERS / SEPTEMBER 3, 2026
PREP
10 min
COOK
25 min
SERVES
4
RICE
White
Rice That Cooks in the Same Pot
Most rice and bean recipes cook the rice somewhere else and combine the two at the end. This one does not. The uncooked rice goes into the pot with the broth and the beans and comes out seasoned all the way through.
That is the whole reason to make this version. Rice absorbs whatever it cooks in, so cooking it in chicken broth that already has sautéed onion, garlic, cumin and chili powder in it means the flavour is inside the grain rather than sitting on it. You cannot get that by stirring beans into plain rice.
It also means one saucepan and about thirty five minutes start to finish, most of which is the rice sitting covered on low heat doing nothing that requires you.
The recipe uses our Organic White Rice at a two cups rice to four cups liquid ratio, which is the standard long grain ratio. The beans go in at the start and hold their shape through the simmer because they are already cooked.
TIP FROM THE FARM
Do not lift the lid during the 15 to 20 minutes. Every look lets out the steam that is cooking the top layer of rice, and it is the single most common reason a pot like this comes out unevenly done.
• 1-2 tbsps. olive oil
• 1⁄2 cup yellow onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp. minced garlic
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1⁄2 tsp chili powder
• 2 cups 4Sisters White rice
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1-15 oz. can black beans, drained
Directions
1. Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, add the onion and sauté until tender and translucent, about 3 minutes.
2. Stir in the garlic, cumin, and chili powder. Add the uncooked rice, chicken broth and black beans and bring to a boil.
3. Cover, reduce heat to low, simmering for 15-20 minutes, until liquid is absorbed. Let rice rest for 5 minutes, covered.
4. Serve as a main protein-vegetarian dish or as a side to meat dish, like grilled chicken.
SUGGESTED TOPPINGS:
Pico de Gallo, sour cream, guacamole, chopped green onion, jalapeño pepper, shredded cheese...
Serves 4
The five minute rest with the lid on is part of the cooking, not a pause before it. That is when the last of the steam finishes the top layer.
Serving It
Their toppings line is the best part of this recipe and it ends in an ellipsis for a reason. Pico de gallo, sour cream, guacamole, green onion, jalapeno and cheese turn a plain pot into something everyone assembles themselves, which is why this works for a family where nobody wants the same thing.
As a main it feeds four. As a side next to grilled chicken, steak or pork it stretches to six, and their own directions point you at exactly that use.
It reheats well with a splash of broth or water stirred through, and cold leftovers make a good burrito filling the next day.
Questions We Get
Can I make it fully vegetarian?
Yes, and it is close already. Swap the chicken broth for vegetable broth and everything else stands. Their directions describe it as a main protein-vegetarian dish, so that is clearly the intent; the chicken broth is just what most people have open.
Can I use brown rice instead?
You can, but the timing changes. Brown rice needs roughly 45 minutes and a little more liquid because the bran layer slows absorption. Add about half a cup more broth and start checking at 40 minutes. Our Organic Brown Rice is what we would use.
Should I rinse the rice first?
Not for this one. Rinsing removes surface starch, which you want when you need very separate grains, but here a little starch helps the dish hold together as a single pot rather than reading as beans sitting on rice.
My rice was still firm when the liquid was gone. What now?
Add a quarter cup of hot broth, put the lid straight back on and give it another five minutes off direct heat. It is usually a heat problem rather than a ratio problem, since a simmer that is slightly too high boils liquid away before the grain has taken it up.
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