Smoky Pinto Bean Chilli with Rice

Ingredients

• 🍚White Long-Grain Rice, rinsed until the water runs mostly clear1 cup
• 💧Water, for the rice2 cup
• 🧂Sea Salt (fine), for the rice1 tsp
• 🧅Yellow Onion, use Yellow Onionas needed
• 🧅Yellow Onion, if using Yellow Onion instead of Brown Onion1 onion
• 🫑Bell Pepper (red), seeded and diced1 pepper
• 🧄Garlic, minced3 clove
• 🥔Russet Potato, peeled and cut into small cubes1 potato
• 🫒Extra Virgin Olive Oil2 tbsp
• 🥫Tomato Paste2 tbsp
• 🌶️Smoked Paprika2 tsp
• 🧂Cumin (ground)2 tsp
• 🌶️Chili Powder1 tsp
• 🥫Diced Tomatoes (canned)1 can
• 🫘Pinto Beans (dry), use Canned Pinto Beansas needed
• 🥫Canned Pinto Beans, drained and rinsed2 can
• 🍲Vegetable Stock, make it as a gluten-free vegetable stock1 cup
• 🍋Lime, cut into wedges1 lime
• 🌿Cilantro, chopped, for servingas needed

Contains Celery, Garlic, Gluten, Onion. AI-generated, checked against common allergens; always check labels.

Method

1. 1

   Rinse the rice

   Tip the White Long-Grain Rice into a fine sieve and rinse it under cold Water, swirling it with your fingers for about 60 seconds until the water runs mostly clear. If it still looks cloudy, keep rinsing; that starch is what makes rice claggy instead of fluffy.

   1 min
2. 2

   Start the rice

   Combine the rinsed White Long-Grain Rice, Water, and Sea Salt (fine) in a medium saucepan and bring it to a lively boil over high heat, then immediately cover and drop to low heat for about 15 minutes. You want the surface to quiet down to a gentle steam and the liquid to disappear; if the pan starts rattling hard, turn the heat down a touch so the bottom does not scorch.

   15 min
3. 3

   Chop the vegetables

   Peel the Yellow Onion, seed the Bell Pepper (red), peel the Russet Potato, and cut everything into small, even pieces with a sharp knife on a chopping board. Aim for tidy dice so the potato softens at the same pace as the pepper; if a piece is much larger, set it aside and cut it down now so it will not stay hard in the chilli.

   6 min
4. 4

   Mince the garlic

   Smash the Garlic Cloves with the flat of the knife, peel off the skins, and mince them finely on the chopping board until the pieces are tiny and damp-looking. Stop before they turn into a paste; paste can catch and go bitter much faster than a fine mince, especially in a hot skillet.

   2 min
5. 5

   Soften the vegetables

   Heat the Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a large heavy-based skillet over medium heat until it shimmers, then add the Yellow Onion, Bell Pepper (red), and Russet Potato with the Wooden Spoon. Cook for about 8 minutes, stirring and scraping from the base so nothing sticks, until the onion turns translucent, the pepper softens, and the potato edges look slightly glossy rather than raw; if the skillet starts drying out, lower the heat before anything browns too fast.

   8 min
6. 6

   Bloom the spices

   Stir the Garlic Cloves into the skillet and cook for about 45 seconds over medium heat, just until the garlic smells sweet and loses its raw bite. Sprinkle in the Tomato Paste, Smoked Paprika, Cumin (ground), and Chili Powder, then press and stir them through the hot vegetables for about 1 minute until the paste darkens and the spices smell smoky and warm; if the garlic starts to colour too quickly, pull the skillet off the heat for a moment.

   2 min
7. 7

   Build the chilli

   Pour the Diced Tomatoes (canned), Canned Pinto Beans, and Vegetable Stock into the skillet, then stir hard with the Wooden Spoon to lift up the browned paste from the base. Bring it to a steady simmer over medium-high heat, then lower to medium and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until the sauce looks thicker, the potato is tender at the centre, and the beans are glossy and stained brick red; if it thickens too fast, add a splash more Vegetable Stock or Water so the bottom does not catch.

   10 min
8. 8

   Finish and bowl up

   Cut the Lime into wedges, then spoon the fluffy White Long-Grain Rice into bowls and ladle the chilli over the top so some rice stays visible at the edges. Scatter over the Cilantro and squeeze over a little Lime juice right before eating; if the bowl tastes flat, add another squeeze rather than more salt so the brightness stays clean and fresh.

   2 min

Nutrition per serving