Smoky Black Bean and Rice Gratin
Prep time:
15 mins
Cook time:
30 mins
Total time:
45 mins
Yield: 8 people
Description
This recipe easily halves and if you do, cook it in one of two ways—simply follow the recipe here and bake it in a 9-inch square baking dish. Or, cook it in a soup kettle until the liquid has absorbed and grains are tender, sprinkle it with the crumbled tortilla chips, and carefully broil it until chips have browned. For the other two gratin variations, we use the bean cooking liquid with enough broth to equal a quart, but since black bean cooking liquid is dark, we drain and rinse the beans and use all broth as the liquid. *For a little extra color and flair, sprinkle with thinly sliced scallion greens once the gratin comes out of the oven. *For a little extra heat, stir in 2 tablespoon of chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo, along with the broth or, when serving, set out bottles of your favorite hot sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 recipe Pot of Beans or 4 cans (15 to 16 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, cut into small dice
- 4 large cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons each: ground cumin and smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 quart broth, your choice
- 1 can (14.5 oz) petite diced tomatoe
- 2 cups rice
- 1 cup crumbled tortilla chips
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- Salt and ground black pepper
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. If using a Pot of Beans, soak, cook, and drain them.
- Heat oil in a large pot; add onions and sauté until nearly tender, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, and oregano; continue to cook another minute or so. Add broth, beans, tomatoes, and rice; bring to a simmer. (*If using chiles in adobo, add it now.)
- While mixture heats, crumble tortilla chips.
- When mixture starts to simmer, stir in cilantro. Taste and adjust seasonings, including salt and pepper to taste. Turn mixture into a 13- by 19-inch pan; sprinkle with tortilla chips and bake until bubbly and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven, (*If using scallions, sprinkle them now.). Let rest a few minutes, and then serve.