Hot & Smoky Red Rice and Beans

Smoky, spicy, and deeply satisfying. This dish layers bold, fiery flavors with rich textures — crispy roasted sweet potato, charred corn, chipotle-spiced rice, and hearty beans. All of this is topped off with fresh veggies and a cooling dollop of sour cream. It’s part meal prep, part build-your-own bowl, and a whole lot of comfort with a kick.

Ingredients

• 150g red rice

• 150g brown rice

• 1 large sweet potato

• 1 tsp smoked paprika

• 1/2 tsp chilli powder

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

• 420g red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

• 180g frozen corn, thawed and drained

• 1/2 can chipotle in adobo can, pureed in a blender

• 1 punnet cherry tomatoes, halved

• 1/4 red cabbage, thinly sliced

• 1 spring onion, thinly sliced

OPTIONAL TOPPINGS

• Mix 150g of sour cream with juice and zest of one lime. Serve dolloped on top of finished salad

Method

1. Preheat oven to 225 Celsius.

2. While oven is heating, cook rice as per packet instructions. Some rices cook at different times so take care reading the instructions.

3. Cut sweet potato into bite sized cubes. In a bowl, toss smoked paprika and chilli powder, oil and sweet potatoes until coated.

4. Lay out potatoes on a lined baking tray and put in oven. The potatoes should be done after 15 minutes. Because of the high temperature of the oven, check to make sure they do not burn. They are ready when they crisp brown and fork tender.

5. Heat a large pan on high. Add corn once hot. You want it to char a little, it should start to smell sweet and might pop too. It should take no longer than 10 minutes to nicely char kernels.

6. In a large bowl, place cooked rice, red beans, charred corn and pureed chipotle. Mix to thoroughly combine.

7. To serve, place a handful of sliced cabbage in your bowls, top with a few spoonfuls of rice & bean mixture, a few cherry tomatoes and spring onions, plus a dollop of sour cream if using.

NOTE

If you can’t find red rice, substitute with another rice of your choice!

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