Moro Rice (Moros y Cristianos)

This Moro Rice (Moros y Cristianos) is made with rice, onion, bell pepper, garlic, adobo, black beans, orange juice and simmered to perfection.

This dish is probably one of my favorite side dishes to make and to eat. It is so simple, hearty and you can whip it up in less than 30 minutes. You can actually use canned beans or just soak dry black beans overnight and they will cook in with the rice. I like using any long grain rice for this recipe, like basmati or jasmine rice.

If you love this recipe, feel free to try my Dominican Chicken and my Tostones.

Why you will love this recipe

Full of flavor: The adobo and orange juice gives this rice so much flavor. The rice cooks with all the ingredients together, packing so much flavor.

Hearty: Rice and beans will always be comfort food to me. This dish is so hearty and easy to make.

Kid Friendly: I grew up eating rice and beans my entire life and I absolutely loved it.

Great for any weather: I would always eat rice and beans growing up in Mexico. I love eating this in the summer or winter months.

Serves a crowd: It is so easy to double this recipe and make a lot of it. Make this for your next dinner party.

Ingredients

You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:

• Olive oil
• Yellow onion
• Bell pepper
• Garlic
• Adobo
• Oregano
• Black beans
• Orange juice
• Bay leaves
• Long grain rice
• Limes

See recipe card for Moro Rice (Moros y Cristianos) quantities.

Instructions

Open the can of beans and pour the liquid into a big cup. Add the orange juice into the same cup and whatever amount of water to measure a total of 2 cups of liquid.

Bring a large saucepan on medium high heat and heat up the oil. When the oil shimmers, add the onion and peppers and cook until they’re soft, about 5-10 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. 

Sprinkle the adobo and oregano, tossing until it stick to the veggies, and then pour in the 2 cups of cooking liquid, juice of a quarter lime, and the bay leaf into the saucepan. Sprinkle salt, as desired. Bring the liquid to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium low and stir in the rice, beans, and cover. Cook still covered for about 15-25 minutes. You should reference your rice packet for cooking time.

When the rice is done, fluff, and stir in the rest of the lime juice.

Substitutions

Onion: I used a yellow onion for this, but feel free to use white or red onion.

Bell pepper: You can use any color bell pepper you want.

Adobo: Adobo is a mix of onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, and black pepper. I love buying the Goya brand and using it in most of my recipes.

Black beans: You will need to have the black beans. You can pressure cook them yourself or just easy peasy buy them in a can. I prefer the latter, but the former will definitely taste the best. 

Orange juice: This can be store bought orange juice, but for best tase, buy the orange and squeeze it yourself. 

Variations

Cooking is a chance to be creative! Have fun with it and feel free to make your own variation.

• Spicy - add chili pepper flakes while cooking to imbue heat into the dish, or top with hot sauce at the end.
• Deluxe - serve with tostones.

Check out this Shrimp Poblano recipe.

Equipment

Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Stone bakeware takes longer to heat up than metal pans, and also retain heat for longer, which could make the recipe more watery, or burnt on the outsides.

I love using my Caraway pots, pans and baking sheets for best quality.

Storage

This will be good in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

This Moro Rice (Moros y Cristianos) can be frozen for up to three months.

Top tip

Make sure to keep the temperature low when you cover and cook these rice and beans.

Moro Rice (Moros y Cristianos)

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• Author: Maxine Dubois
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x

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Description

This Moro Rice (Moros y Cristianos) is made with rice, onion, bell pepper, garlic, adobo, black beans, orange juice and is simmered to perfection. 

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• ½ red bell pepper, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons adobo
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 (15 oz) can black beans, with the juices
• ½ cup orange juice
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup long grain rice
• Juice of ½ lime

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Instructions

1. Open the can of beans and pour the liquid into a big cup. Add the orange juice into the same cup and whatever amount of water to measure a total of 2 cups of liquid.
2. Bring a large saucepan on medium high heat and heat up the oil. When the oil shimmers, add the onion and peppers and cook until they’re soft, about 5-10 minutes.
3. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Sprinkle the adobo and oregano, tossing until it stick to the veggies, and then pour in the 2 cups of cooking liquid, juice of a quarter lime, and the bay leaf into the saucepan. Sprinkle salt, as desired.
4. Bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and stir in the rice, beans, and cover. Cook still covered for about 15-25 minutes. You should reference your rice packet for cooking time.
5. When the rice is done, fluff, and stir in the rest of the lime juice.

• Prep Time: 5-10 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Category: Sides
• Method: Cooking
• Cuisine: Cuban

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1
• Calories: 250
• Sugar: 2g
• Sodium: 430 mg
• Fat: 1.5 g
• Carbohydrates: 51 g
• Fiber: 8 g
• Protein: 11 g
• Cholesterol: 0 mg

Food safety

• Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
• Wash hands after touching raw meat
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.