Description
One-pan Southwest Sweet Potato, Black Bean and Rice Skillet is a quick, healthy, and delicious vegetarian meal ready in just 30 minutes. This colorful dish combines tender sweet potatoes, protein-rich black beans, fluffy brown rice, and warm southwest spices, all topped with melted cheese and finished with fresh lime and cilantro.
Ingredients
Main Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups sweet potato, peeled and diced
- 4 ounces diced green chiles
- 1/2 cup salsa or salsa verde
- 2 cups cooked brown rice
- 15 ounces can low-sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar, Colby Jack, or Monterey Jack cheese
Spices:
- 1½ teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
Garnish:
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
- Juice of 1 lime
Instructions
Peel the sweet potatoes and chop them up small. Like thumbnail size. If you cut them different sizes some will be crunchy and some will be mush and your family will complain.
Put the skillet on medium-high and pour in your olive oil. Wait a minute until it’s actually hot. You’ll know because the oil gets all thin and moves around easy.
Dump in your sweet potato chunks. Should make a sizzling noise. If it doesn’t your pan wasn’t hot enough and you jumped the gun. Cook them for 5-7 minutes and stir them around every minute or so. They’ll stick to the bottom a little bit – that’s fine, those stuck bits taste good.
Dump in all the spices – chili powder, cumin, oregano, smoked paprika, garlic powder, plus some salt and pepper. Stir everything around. My kids always show up in the kitchen right now asking what’s for dinner because suddenly the house smells amazing.
Add the green chiles, salsa, cooked rice, and black beans. Mix it all up. I really dig in there with my spoon to make sure it’s combined because otherwise you get bites that are all rice and bites that are all beans.
Keep cooking for another 5-10 minutes. Stir it every couple minutes and poke the sweet potatoes with a fork to see if they’re soft. If it looks dry just add some water. I never measure, just pour a little in.
Throw cheese all over the top. Turn the heat to low and stick a lid on it. Takes about 2-3 minutes for the cheese to melt. Sometimes I get impatient and just turn the heat off and let the residual heat do it.
Squeeze lime juice over everything and throw the cilantro on top. This is the step that makes it taste like actual food instead of random ingredients you heated up.
I bring the whole skillet to the table because why dirty another dish.
Notes
Meal Prep Like a Pro: Cook a big batch of brown rice on Sunday and freeze it in 2-cup portions. This skillet comes together in literally 15 minutes when you have pre-cooked rice ready to go!
Common Mistake to Avoid: Overcrowding the pan. If you double this recipe, use a larger skillet or make it in two batches. Crowded veggies steam instead of caramelize, and you’ll miss out on all that delicious flavor.
Smart Shortcut: Use a bag of microwaveable brown rice! I won’t tell anyone, and it makes this recipe even faster. Look for the 90-second rice pouches in the rice aisle.
Temperature Trick: Let your cheese come to room temperature for 15 minutes before adding it. It melts SO much better and gets extra gooey instead of greasy.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Tex-Mex