Miss Raven's Kitchen

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An easy, one-pan dinner that can be placed on the dinner table within 30 minutes! This southwest-flavored skillet is filled with black beans, sweet potatoes, and brown rice which makes this dinner a hearty and healthy vegetarian dinner. Your family won’t miss the meat!

If you’re looking for more vegetarian recipes to add to your lineup for the week, but are worried that you’ll still be hungry since there’s no meat, then there’s no need to worry with this skillet dinner! It’s hearty and full of flavor, so it definitely won’t leave you hungry later. It can easily be made vegan without cheese, so it’s perfect for a vegan dinner! I love southwestern flavors. The cumin, chili powder, and cinnamon are so delicious together. I added a bit of coriander since that’s also found in southwest dishes. Don’t be scared by the number of ingredients and spices, it makes sense to have everything in there! It’s the boost of flavors and ingredients that make this dish the best vegetarian dinner for a busy night.

How to make Southwestern Black Bean, Sweet Potato, Rice Skillet

You can totally add some chorizo or switch out the veggies, or even add more! This recipe works best if you have cooked rice on hand since it’ll knock down your cooking time. (Full ingredient amounts and complete instructions are available in the recipe card down below).

• Sweet Potatoes: The sweetness contrasts well with the rest of this dish. It’s needed to give you a break from the savory flavors.
• Black Beans: A bit of protein. These beans, along with pinto, are mostly used in southwestern cooking. You can switch them out for pinto beans, if you wish.
• Canned Green Chiles: You can also chop up some fresh jalapenos instead of the canned chiles and add them when you cook the sweet potatoes.
• Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes: These are perfect for this dish. There’s just something about fire roasted tomatoes that make food better. You can also used regular diced tomatoes if you can’t find fire roasted.
• Salsa: You want regular salsa for this. It’ll make a sauce with the liquid. I suggest not using thick & chunky. You can use regular red salsa, or salsa verde.
• Salt, Pepper, Chili Powder, Cumin, Cinnamon, Garlic Powder, Oregano, Smoked Paprika, Coriander
• Cooked Brown Rice: Brown rice is healthier than white rice. If you only have cooked white rice, then that’s fine! Season up the rice with some lime juice and cilantro.
• Monterey Jack Cheese: You can also use sharp cheddar, or a mixture of both! Shredding the blocks yourself will get you a gooey and melty cheese. The pre-shredded packages have an anticaking agent that prevents the cheese from melting to its gooiest potential. Plus, the blocks of cheese tend to be cheaper than the pre-shredded packages of cheese! Perfect for budgeting.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sweet potatoes to the skillet and season with salt, pepper, and cinnamon. Cook the potatoes for about a few minutes. Add 4 tbsp of water to the skillet and cover it with a lid. Cook until they’re fork tender. Add the diced tomatoes, green chiles, black beans, the remaining spices, lime juice, salsa, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Toss in the brown rice. Stir everything together until combined. Add the shredded cheese on the top and cover the skillet with a lid. Let it cook until the cheese is melted and everything is warmed through. Serve and garnish with additional cilantro. Add some toppings such as avocado, guacamole, sour cream, or greek yogurt if desired.

Tips & FAQs

• Storage: Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• Variations:
  • Omit the cheese for a vegan dish.
  • Use a cheese blend in place of the Monterey jack.
  • Add a cooked protein such as chicken, chopped steak, or ground sausage or sliced.
  • Use cauliflower rice, white rice, or quinoa in place of the brown rice.
  • Use pinto beans instead of black beans.
  • Instead of sweet potatoes, you can add diced zucchini, spinach, or corn.
• What kind of salsa works with this dish? I recommend using salsa verde, mild or hot depending on your preference. You can also use regular red salsa. I advise against using thick and chunky salsa. You’ll want the liquid in a regular salsa to help create a sauce.

Want the recipe? Click print below! Let me know how it came out for you by tagging me on Instagram (@missravenskitchen) and using #missravenskitchen! Follow my Facebook page for updates as well! Let me know if I need to tweak anything.

Servings 4

Author Dani Bayer

Prep time

10 Min

Cook time

20 Min

Total time

30 Min

Print

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Southwestern Black Bean, Sweet Potato, Rice Skillet

An easy, one-pan dinner that can be placed on the dinner table within 30 minutes! This southwest-flavored skillet is filled with black beans, sweet potatoes, and brown rice which makes this dinner hearty and healthy vegetarian dinner. Your family won’t miss the meat!

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, diced into 1/2-inch cubes (about 2 cups)
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 15 oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
• 4 oz can green chiles
• 15 oz can black beans, drained
• 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/3 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1/2 cup red salsa or salsa verde, not thick and chunky
• 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped, plus more for garnish
• 2 cups cooked brown rice

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
2. Add the sweet potatoes to the skillet and season with salt, pepper, and cinnamon. Cook the potatoes for about 8 minutes. Add 4 tbsp of water to the skillet and cover it with a lid. Cook until they’re fork tender, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the diced tomatoes, green chiles, black beans, the remaining spices, lime juice, salsa, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Toss in the brown rice. Stir everything together until combined.
4. Add the shredded cheese on the top and cover the skillet with a lid. Let it cook until the cheese is melted, about 3-4 minutes or until everything is warm. Serve and garnish with additional cilantro. Add some toppings such as avocado, guacamole, sour cream, or greek yogurt if desired.

Notes

Storage: Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Variations:

• Omit the cheese for a vegan dish.
• Use a cheese blend in place of the monterey jack.
• Add a cooked protein such as chicken, chopped steak, or ground sausage or sliced.
• Use cauliflower rice, white rice, or quinoa in place of the brown rice.
• Use pinto beans instead of black beans.
• Instead of sweet potatoes, you can add diced zucchini, spinach, or corn.

What kind of salsa works with this dish? I recommend using salsa verde, mild or hot depending on your preference. You can also use regular red salsa. I advise against using thick and chunky salsa. You’ll want the liquid in a regular salsa to help create a sauce. 

Nutrition Facts

Calories

290.27

Fat (grams)

5.19 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

0.73 g

Carbs (grams)

55.62 g

Fiber (grams)

7.18 g

Net carbs

48.42 g

Sugar (grams)

9.19 g

Protein (grams)

5.43 g

Sodium (milligrams)

609.12 mg

Cholesterol (grams)

0 mg

The nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and the brands of ingredients used.

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https://missravenskitchen.com/2023/03/27/southwestern-black-bean-sweet-potato-rice-skillet

sweet potato, black beans, rice, southwest, skillet, one pan

Main Dishes, One Pot, 30 Minute Meals, Rice, Vegetarian, Vegan

American

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