Recipe: Chorizo, Rice & Beans

Call it my version of a paella type dish, or just call it a nutritious power house: whatever you may call this, it is a tasty little dish that you can throw together in under 30 minutes that is packed with flavor, tons of goodness and a little bit of naughtiness.

Wanna know how to make this? Then click on through!

Whether or not I should share some of my recipes with you, is easily decided when all of my colleagues comment on how good my meals smell. In case you weren’t aware, I am one of those people who always brings their own lunch to work and in my case, I prefer taking leftovers for lunch. Whenever I took this dish with me for lunch at least one colleague commented on how good is smelled. A good measurement for having to share this with you!

Total time: 30 mins. Prep time: 10 minutes. Cooking time: 20 time. Serves: 6 – 8.

Ingredients:

• Chorizo sausage
• Kidney beans
• Black beans
• Green beans
• Rice
• Garlic
• Cajun spices

Yes, this only has 7 ingredients and it is super tasty! The reason being the Chorizo sausage. However, you can easily change this up and make it a vegetarian/ vegan dish by subbing the chorizo for broccoli and adding some different spices and herbs for flavor. You will only need 2 pans for making this dish, so washing up will be easy to do once you’re done.

Step 1: Chop & clean your green beans. (I had already done that by the time I started snapping pictures). You could simply buy more green beans, prepare them for a different dish and then use your leftovers for this dish, or the other way around.

Step 2: Chop your chorizo & onion

Step 3: Heat up your pan (make sure it is big enough) and add the chorizo & onion. Now you won’t need any oil with this, as we’re using the fats from the sausage to prepare the rest of the dish. Just keep an eye on it, as your sausage might burn easily. Just keep stirring until your onion is looking glazed and your chorizo has reduced in size.

Step 4: Add garlic & cajun spices to taste. I like a fair bit of garlic, so I went with three cloves.

Step 5: Add your beans. Add the beans from the cans first as they will need some more time to cook.

Step 6: Add your green beans. Make sure to stir it all together very well and let it simmer for 5 or so minutes with the lid on top.

Step 7: While you were preparing all that, take a separate pan and boil your rice according to the packaging. Once it’s done you can add it to your bean/ sausage mixture. I used organic, fair trade, whole grain rice, as I like the flavor best and has a bit of a bite to it, if you’re careful enough not to overcook it.

At the very end I decided to add some parsley for some added flavor. I just stirred it in and that was that! Just make sure you heat up each stage enough so it all comes together in the end. I prefer leaving the rice in at the end for a little bit longer, so it can soak up some of the flavors going on.

On the whole, this is the perfect recipe for a slightly spicy/ salty meal that packs so much that is good for you, plus the sausage gives it a lovely flavor and adds a bit of naughtiness. It has the feel of a stew, without the hassle of being in the kitchen for hours. So a true, hearty winter time, comfort food meal of which a little goes a long way.

What do you like to eat in winter?