25 of the Best Beans and Rice Recipes You Have to Try!

Beans and rice is one of the most versatile and delicious complete proteins (when  eaten together according to Livestrong) available. Not to mention, rice and bean dishes are generally a less expensive way to feed your family even if you add meat to the dish.  Chili anyone? Yum!

So it makes perfect money saving sense when a financial guru like Dave Ramsey (learn more about him through my affiliate link here) preaches that you should eat “beans and rice, rice and beans” meals as a way to cut expenses.

Unfortunately he makes eating beans and rice meals sound like a sucky and bland hardship way to save money.

I don’t agree.

Save this list of  cheap, healthy, and filling recipes to your Pinterest boards for later! Share it with your friends!

Photo courtesy of  Steve Tsang and used with permission

Millions of people in the world eat yummy beans and rice recipes and are a staple in many countries by choice. For example Costa Rica’s national dish Gallo Pinto is – you guessed it – beans and rice!

25 Rice and Beans Recipes for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and Dessert!

Tip: Try buying some of the more expensive or unfamiliar spices in these recipes in the bulk food section of the grocery store first. You can buy only the amount you need to try a new recipe. You will be surprised how cheap spices cost in the bulk section because you aren’t paying big bucks for the privilege of spices in a bottle. Yes, this is true for all grocery stores,  even in a fancy pants whole
food grocery stores.


1. Cheesy Baked Black Beans & Rice  – Shaken Together

2. Vegetarian Cheesy Bean and Rice Bake – Dee’s Kitchen. This is Dee’s vegetarian variation she make of Shaken Together’s recipe

3. Spanish Rice with Black Beans & Corn -  Amanda’s Cookin’

4. Red Beans and Rice – Simply Designing

5. Bangin Breakfast Patties – Sarah Lynn Paige. Rice and beans for breakfast, who knew?!

6. White Beans and Rice – Love Bakes Good Cakes

7. Caribbean Rice and Peas Recipe – Mom Endeavors

8.  Sante Fe Bison and Brown Rice Casserole – Just Us Four

9. Lentil Brown Rice Salad – Hello Little Home

10. Gallo Pinto -  Dee’s Kitchen- Costa Rica's national dish!

11. Red Curry Lentils -  Pinch of Yum

12. New Orleans Red Beans and Rice - Southern Living

13. Healthy Black Bean Soup with Rice – Women Living Well

14. How to Make Puerto Rican Arroz con Gandules in a Rice Cooker (Rice with Pigeon Peas) – Modern Mami

15. Salsa Chicken Casserole – Budget Bytes

16. Easy Red Lentil Dhal – Pinch of Yum – This is a 15 minute recipe!

17. Spicy Grilled Chicken with Baja Black Beans and Rice – Amanda’s Cookin’

18. Lentil Curry Bowls with Cilantro Cashew Sauce – Pinch of Yum – Powerhouse comfort food!

19.  Dosas - Indian Lentil Wraps – Nourishing Joy – Gluten free!

20. Lentil and Brown Rice Soup – First Home Love

21. Sticky Rice Cake with Red Bean Paste – Omnivore’s Cookbook – One of my most favorite desserts in the world!

22. Meatless Meatballs (made with lentils and rice) – The Lean Green Bean

23. Pumpkin Curry with Coconut Rice – Our Small Hours – this is a sweet curry if you aren’t into spicy curries

24. Coconut Curried Sweet Potato and Chickpea Stew – One Ingredient Chef

25. World’s Best Red Beans and Rice – Hubpages

Looking for more quick, healthy, and cheap recipe ideas? Check out the following - and more! - below!