The Classic beans and rice bowl. So simple, yet so delicious! This Chili Beans and Rice Bowl with Chipotle Cashew Cream is hearty, easy to make, and cheap! Make this on Sunday and have lunches for the week or use leftovers to make quesadillas, burritos, nachos, or even stir into some scrambled tofu! Hope you love this one as much as we do!
How To Make This Chili Beans and Rice Bowl
This recipe can sound intimidating when you look at the cook time, but most of that is just simmering time. It really just requires a few minutes of prep work and that’s it! Here’s where to start:
Dice the onion, red pepper, jalapeño, and mince the garlic. Then, sauté the veggies in a little olive oil over medium-high heat for a couple minutes to soften. Add in the spices and stir to combine, about 30 seconds. Now, pour in the rest of ingredients like the vegetable stock, orange juice, chili beans, and molasses or syrup. Bring it to a light boil. Lastly, reduce heat to low and let the soup simmer for about 45-50 minutes as it will thicken and allow the flavors to develop.
While this is simmering, make the chipotle cashew cream, cook your rice or quinoa according to package, and prepare any other toppings you’d like to add.
Chipotle Cashew Cream
Whatever you do, don’t skip the sauce! I’m a total believer that almost everything is better with SAUCE! And I think this blog is an indication of that belief since a lot of my recipes are ‘drizzled’ with something creamy and delicious. Anyway, this chipotle cashew cream is thick, smoky, and adds so much flavor to this bowl and I really think you’ll love it. While your beans are simmering, just blend together the following ingredients until creamy:
- Cashews – Soak cashews in hot water to soften if you’re not using a high-powered blender.
- Water
- Chipotle Pepper in Adobe Sauce – If you only use 1 or 2 peppers from the can, freeze the rest for future recipes! They should be good in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Lime Juice
- Garlic Clove
- Sea Salt
Pile on the Toppings
Keep it simple or get as fancy pants as you’d like! My husband mentioned that some crushed up Fritos would give it a nice crunch and I would agree. We even had some but he was too lazy to walk up the stairs to get them (and so was I, to be honest)! So next time we make this, I’ll be sure to have some toppings out so everyone can personalize theirs to make these little bowls even better! Here’s just a few ideas:
- Avocado
- Jalapeños
- Cilantro
- Corn Chips
- Tortilla Strips
- Pico
- Vegan Cheese
- Guacamole
- Corn
- Tomatoes
- Diced Red Onion
- Green Onions
- Pickled Onions – Love this blog!
Other Recipes you Might Like:
Vegan Southwest Egg Rolls with Pineapple Cream Dipping Sauce
Quinoa Taco Salad with Spicy Mango Dressing
Creamy Fajita Soup with Roasted Peppers and Onions
Chili Beans and Rice Bowl with Chipotle Cashew Cream
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Onion Diced
- 1 Red Pepper Diced
- 1-2 Jalapeños Diced
- 3-4 Garlic Cloves Minced
- 2 16 oz Cans of Chili Beans with Sauce I used Kidney Beans in Spicy Chili Sauce
- 2 Cups Vegetable Stock Or Vegan Chick'n Stock
- 2 teaspoon Molasses or Maple Syrup
- 2 tablespoon Orange Juice
- 2 Cups Cooked grains Like Rice or Quinoa
Spices
- 1 tablespoon Cumin
- 1 tablespoon Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Mexican Oregano Or Regular Oregano
- ½ teaspoon Sea Salt
Chipotle Cashew Cream
- ½ Cup Cashews
- ½ Cup Water
- 1-2 Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce (Freeze the rest for later use)
- 1 Garlic Clove
- 1 teaspoon Lime Juice
- ¼ teaspoon Sea Salt
Instructions
- Sauté the diced onion, red pepper, jalapeño and minced garlic in olive oil over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes.
- Add the spices and stir to coat, about 30 seconds.
- Add remaining ingredients (except rice or quinoa) and bring to a light boil.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer for 45-50 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- While that is simmering, make the chipotle cashew cream by blending all ingredients together until creamy in a small blender. If you're not using a high-speed blender, soak cashews in hot water before blending to soften. Note: I don't use my full size blender for this as there's not enough volume to blend properly
- Serve with beans and rice or quinoa in the same bowl and top with chipotle cashew cream. Add whatever other toppings you'd like!
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