Cuban Style Black Bean and Cilantro Lime Rice Bowls with Baked Plantains
4.75 from 4 votes

These cuban style black bean and cilantro lime rice bowls have it all: color, flavor, and comfort! They feature a fluffy bed of rice that’s seasoned with lime juice and fresh, chopped cilantro, savory Cuban style black beans that can be made easily in the slow cooker, and crisp-tender baked plantain slices. A little heap of quick pickled onions and creamy sliced avocado are perfect finishing touches for this crowd-pleasing dish.

Saucy black beans and cilantro lime rice bowls are accompanied by pickled onions and avocado slices. The bowl itself rests on a white surface.

There’s nothing I find more comforting than a good bowl of rice and beans.

This vegan bowl is one of my favorite ways to approach that classic, much beloved combination of ingredients.

The recipe begins with a batch of my easy, Cuban-style slow cooker black beans. These can be prepared directly before making the rest of the bowls, or—since they’re freezer-friendly—well in advance.

Next comes a tender, green-flecked pot of cooked white rice that’s seasoned with lime juice and chopped cilantro leaves.

And if you aren’t used to cooking with plantain, this recipe will give you an excuse to make the simplest, most addictive baked plantain slices.

For a finishing touch, you’ve got the choice of quick pickled onions or pickled cucumber slices, sliced avocado, extra fresh herbs, or all of the above!

Keep reading to learn more about how this hearty meal comes together.

Better together: rice and beans

The nice thing about this recipe is that two of the components–the beans and the rice–are the sort of simple recipes you can batch cook again and again, serving them as sides or using them as versatile weekly staples. The rice in particular is a favorite of mine, and it’s the rice recipe that I turn to whenever I’m making rice and beans, a spicy tofu scramble, my quick and easy chickpea scramble, or any other recipe that calls for a dash of cumin, cilantro, and chili. The recipe was inspired by Janae‘s recipe in her lovely e-book Simple, a collection of 15 easy plant-based meal ideas (which I highly recommend), and over time, I’ve made it my own, something I cook up without even having to think about the formula or steps.

I recommend using white basmati rice in this recipe for the best flavor and texture, though I give a brown basmati option, too. For the most part, I use brown rice varieties at home, but I also keep basmati and jasmine rice handy, either to use as an accompaniment for Indian or curry dishes, or to whip up when I need rice to cook super quickly (I usually find that basmati cooks up in only 15 minutes). The tender, sweet texture is a nice departure from nutty and chewy brown rice, too.

Cuban Black Bean and Cilantro Lime Rice Bowls with Baked Plantains | The Full Helping

These bowls mark my first experience with making baked/roasted plantains at home. I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to work with this wonderful ingredient! I’ve always liked plantains when I tried them out and about, but for whatever reason, I don’t usually think to buy them or use them. I absolutely love the sweet, starchy flavor and texture of the simple baked plantains in this recipe, and I’ll definitely be making them again. (I’m keen on trying mashed plantains now, too.)

Saucy black beans and cilantro lime rice bowls are accompanied by pickled onions and avocado slices. The bowl itself rests on a white surface.
4.75 from 4 votes

Cuban-Style Black Bean and Cilantro Lime Rice Bowls with Baked Plantains

Author – Gena Hamshaw
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients

For the baked plantains:

  • 2 large, very ripe plantains (blackening is good!), peeled and sliced into rounds
  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil
  • Salt

For the bowls:

For the cilantro lime rice:

  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil
  • 1 cup white basmati rice rinsed under running water for about a minute
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 1/4 cups water
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves and stems (10g)

Bowl toppings:

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 375°F. Toss the plantains with the avocado oil and transfer them to a parchment or foil-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle them with salt. Bake for 15-20 minutes, flipping the rounds once halfway through cooking, or until they're golden brown on both sides.
  • While the plantains bake, prepare the rice. Heat two teaspoons of the oil in a medium sized pot over medium low heat. Add the rice and toast, stirring constantly, for a few minutes, or until the rice is smelling nutty and fragrant. Add the salt and water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the rice has absorbed all of the liquid. (If you use brown rice, this will take more like 40-45 minutes, and you may want to start the rice before you bake the plantains.) Fluff the rice gently with a fork, cover, and allow it to steam for another 5-10 minutes, then stir in the remaining teaspoon oil, lime juice, and cilantro.
  • To assemble the bowls, place a quarter of the rice, a half cup of the black beans, and a quarter of the plantain rounds into each of four serving bowls. Top with chopped red onions, avocado slices, additional cilantro, and/or whatever other toppings you like. Serve.

Notes

Leftover beans will keep for up to 6 days in an airtight container in the fridge. Leftover rice will keep for up to 3 days. Plantains will keep for 2 days.

As you know, I love a good bowl, and this recipe has everything a good bowl should: lots of texture, a smattering of all the macronutrients, a hint of spice, and it’s plenty filling. Serve it with some sauteed kale or collard greens for dinner or lunch, or with a big green salad (a mixture of romaine, cucumber and my smoky avocado cumin dressing is especially refreshing with these flavors!).

Cuban Black Bean and Cilantro Lime Rice Bowls with Baked Plantains | The Full Helping

Hope you’ll enjoy the bowls, friends. I’m off to finish studying for my next Advanced Nutrition exam, which I’ll be tackling later this after. At that point, it’ll be 3 down, and 2 more to go. Phew! This semester feels long, even if I’m enjoying my classes a lot. I look forward to catching up with you for weekend reading.

xo

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Categories: Recipes, Main Dishes, Vegan Bowls
Ingredients: Rice
Dietary Preferences: Gluten Free, Soy Free, Tree Nut Free

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4.75 from 4 votes

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Recipe Rating




    14 Comments
  1. 4 stars
    This is the first recipe I’ve ever tried of yours and the first time I’ve tried plantains and oh my gosh!! This was divine and I’ll surely be eating plantains again in the very near future. Thank you!

  2. 5 stars
    I spy Anthropologie towels!! Haha looks dazzling Gena. ๐Ÿ™‚ Love the prepared plantains combined with cilantro lime rice. So yummy!!

  3. Instead of doing it with ripe plantains, do it with green plantains, it will taste better with salty plantains than sweet, specially if its a latin dish! with a little salt and maybe homemade ajรญ! yeyeees.

  4. 5 stars
    Great recipe, I adjusted it slightly though, instead of the Cuban black beans I used garbanzo beans and chickpeas. Delicious!:)

    • Glad you liked it, Adam! I’d definitely been thinking it would be great with other legumes, too.

  5. Man am I craving this bowl like something fierce! As I was reading through your description my mouth started watering. What a delicious pairing of flavors. I’ve never had plantains, but think I should change that when I make this recipe ;). You never disappoint with your creative bowls Gena! I hope you have a wonderful Easter weekend friend, happy spring too (yay!).

    • Plantains are awesome! I think you’ll fall in love with them once you start cooking with them, Jessie ๐Ÿ™‚

  6. Great additions to the rice! A good grain bowl is worth its weight in gold, I say, and this one is just perfect (though I would probably be tempted to add a scoop of salsa or at least a drizzle of hot sauce).

  7. Hi Gena, I was wondering if you had a special flavoring in this rice–sounds really yummy. I like to cook my white rice with fresh orange rind and garlic, and this version also sounds quite tasty and a perfect companion to the beans. I’ve never cooked my own plantains, and may have to try that sometime. Thanks for another beautiful bowl! Can’t think of a better way to bring Cuban and American “interests” together! ๐Ÿ™‚ xo

    • For this recipe, I keep it super simple — and the lime juice and coconut oil actually go quite a long way, flavor-wise. I’m sure that ginger would be a really great addition, though!

  8. 5 stars
    I spy Anthropologie towels!! Haha looks lovely Gena. ๐Ÿ™‚ Love the baked plantains paired with cilantro lime rice. So yummy!!

  9. I absolutely love pairing black beans and plantains! All of the flavors here are perfect. Bowl meals are so awesome!!