Mediterranean Rice and Beans Recipe | Easy One Pot Healthy Dinner
A cozy, bright one-pot Mediterranean rice and beans dinner with garlic, lemon, oregano, and parsley that comes together on the stovetop. Pantry staples create fluffy rice, tender beans, and juicy tomatoes with briny olive pops.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- Yellow onion, finely chopped
- Garlic, thinly sliced or minced
- Long-grain white rice (basmati or jasmine)
- Ground cumin
- Dried oregano
- Smoked paprika
- Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- Low-sodium vegetable broth
- Cherry tomatoes, halved (or canned diced tomatoes, drained)
- Cooked beans (chickpeas or cannellini), drained and rinsed
- Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
- Baby spinach
- Lemon, zest and juice
- Fresh parsley, chopped (mint optional)
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Crumbled feta (optional topping)
- Toasted pine nuts (optional topping)
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling (optional)
Instructions
Instructions
- Rinse the rice in a fine-mesh sieve under cool water until the water runs mostly clear, then drain well.
- Heat olive oil in a wide, heavy pot over medium heat, add the chopped onion with a pinch of salt, and cook until soft and golden at the edges, 5 to 6 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 to 60 seconds.
- Add the rice, cumin, oregano, smoked paprika, and a pinch of red pepper flakes and toast, stirring, until the rice looks slightly translucent and smells nutty, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Pour in the vegetable broth, scraping up any browned bits, and add the cherry tomatoes; bring to a gentle boil, reduce heat to low, cover tightly, and cook for 12 minutes.
- Quickly stir in the beans and sliced olives, re-cover, and cook on low until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed, 5 to 7 minutes, adding a splash of broth if the pot runs dry.
- Turn off the heat, scatter the spinach over the top, cover, and let steam for 5 minutes.
- Fluff with a fork, then add lemon zest and juice, chopped parsley, and black pepper; taste and adjust salt, lemon, and heat as needed.
- Serve in bowls and top with crumbled feta, toasted pine nuts, and a drizzle of olive oil if desired.
Notes
For brown basmati, increase broth to 1 3/4 to 2 cups per cup of rice and cook 35–40 minutes total. Rinse rice well to avoid stickiness and keep the lid on while simmering. Swap greens (kale or chard), vary beans, or add harissa for heat. Leftovers keep 4 days refrigerated or 3 months frozen; refresh with lemon and olive oil after reheating.