Cuban Black Beans with Cilantro and Lime Recipe

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A quick and easy version of the Cuban black beans! I’msautéing upjalapeños, onions, and garlic and then simmering the beans until they are tender and topping them with cilantro and lime! So, so delicious!

And so returns the Little Spice Jar black bean obsession of 2014.

Only this time we’re making cuban black beans that are the cheater version to the low and slow cooked traditional cuban beans. And then i’m spicing them up with a little cilantro and lime because that’s how we do. ????

But first, HELLO! ???? It’s been a while, hasn’t it? I mean, I’ve been gone a week but it totally feels like it was kinda sorta forever. The truth is that sometimes there are just too many recipe fails in the kitchen in a week and i’m left with a flour explosion, dirty dishes, camera equipment every.where. and nothing to show at the end of it. Times like these really call for some recalibration, inner peace, and donuts. And after eating (and feeling) all the feels, one must get back on that bike, motivate oneself, and surround themselves with positive energy. Thank you for sticking around through the havoc and thank you for being the reason I get back in that kitchen. I’m back and i’ve got some delicious things to show.

Shredded Cuban beef (coming soon!) and black beans are an ALL DAY EVERY DAY kinda meal around here. Includingdinners and some components may or may not have been consumed for breakfast as well. Cuban black beans that are simmered with aromatics like onions and garlic but spiced up with a little cilantro, cumin, and a hint of chipotle chili powder. Of course not all of these ingredients are used in traditional cuban black beans, but hey, we’re all about that fusion and stuff that tastes good, trust me, you will not be mad at ’em.

So here’s the realdoozy here, i’ve only ever had truly authentic cuban style black beans once. ? And that too was years and years ago in college (let’s not really count how many years that was) when this little old blog wasn’t even an idea nor was I even that serious about food. UM. WHAT? Yes. There was such a time, a horrible, terrible, time. I was visiting a friend in up in Austin who suggested a cute little cuban joint for dinner and there they were on the menu. Black beans that were slow simmered with spices and served with white rice and spicy shrimp. Now obviously traditional style cuban black beans don’t have cilantro and lime so they’re a little more neutral in terms of flavor but man were they comforting.

Instead of going the more traditional route where you soak the beans overnight and then slow simmer them with peppers, bay leaves, and whole spices, i’m doing my 30 minute version that’s just as delicious, albeit not very traditional.

A tablespoon of oil and lots of chopped onion, jalapeños, and garlic is where this begins. I let the onions sweat until they get nice and translucent before adding in the garlic, followed by drained and rinsed black beans. The recipe provided uses 2 cans which makes a whole lot of beans. When i’m cooking for just the two of us I typically halve the recipe as this recipe will serve 8-10 people. I’ve tried mashing up some of the black beans to give it a thicker texture and adding extra lime juice. You really can’t go wrong!

We’re kinda obsessed with this recipe at the moment and for a quick and easy vegetarian dinner all you really need is a little white rice with thesecuban style black beans.

MAKE THEM. You’ll love ’em!

Yield: 8-10 servings

Cuban Black Beans with Cilantro and Lime

Prep Time5 minutes

Cook Time25 minutes

Total Time30 minutes

A quick and easy version of the Cuban Black beans! I'm sautéing up jalapeños, onions, and garlic and then simmering the beans until they are tender and topping them with cilantro and lime! So, so delicious!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon oil
1 medium red onion, diced
1-2 jalapeños, seeded + ribs removed then diced
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
2 (15 ounce cans) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup warm water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½-1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder (optional)
2-3 tablespoons cilantro
3 tablespoons lime juice (or more!)

Instructions

Heat the oil in a stockpot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sauté the onions and jalapeños for 4-5 minutes or until they turn translucent. Add the garlic and continue to cook for 30 seconds.
Add the black beans, warm water, salt, cumin, and chili powder and bring to a boil. When boiling, reduce the heat so that it simmers. Allow to cook for 10-15 minutes or until most of the water evaporates leaving a thick sort of broth. At this point, if you'd like to thicken the beans a bit more you can remove about ½ - 1 cup of beans and mash them (using a potato masher or a wooden spoon) to make a thick sort of paste but this is optional. Add the beans back into the pot and stir. Top with fresh cilantro and lime juice stir to combine.

Notes

This recipe can easily be halved to make enough for 4-5 servings.

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*Please note: the nutritional factscalculated are an estimate based on the ingredientsi’ve used.If you’d like a more accurate count, please calculate them using the ingredients/brands you’ve used to prepare the recipe. The nutritional factsprovided is for1/10th of the recipe.

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30 Minute Meals By Diet Comfort Foods Dinner Under 500 calories30 minute meals ancho chili powder baked beans black beans chipotle chili powder chopped cilantro comfort food cuban cuban beans cuban black beans frijoles negros garlic jalapenos lime juice onions slow simmered beans vegan vegetarian

originally published on Jun 27, 2016 (last updated May 17, 2020)

Cuban Black Beans with Cilantro and Lime Recipe | Little Spice Jar (2024)