Amazing Garden Rice and Red Beans

For me, rice and beans are the ultimate comfort food. I eat about three times a week and create new variations so they taste different each time. This Garden rice and Red Beans is a perfect example of that. Also, I like to sneak extra veggies in wherever I can so this garden rice does the trick!  With red beans as a side, it has got so much flavor and the best texture, and even highlights the beautiful colors of autumn making it a perfect addition to a holiday potluck, dinner, or other seasonal gatherings.

If you’ve made pulao before and like it, you’re going to love this garden rice.

Before you read on let me say one thing – I want this blog post to be more of a guide in making garden rice and red beans.

Ingredients for Garden Rice and Red Beans

Rice – I took a non-traditional approach to this recipe as I used half wild rice blend and half white basmati,  and my cooking technique is slightly different, too. I chose to use the Wild rice blend for its color and the characteristic nutty flavor and chewy texture. This blend of rice has a mix of Wild rice, Brown rice, red rice, and Quinoa.  Since there are different brands of wild rice blends, be sure to check the package instructions on the rice you are using. You might also like my aromatic spiced pilaf using wild rice blend.

Broth – I prefer using broth over water to cook the garden rice, which infuses it with more flavor. You can use homemade or store-bought vegetable or chicken broth.

Vegetables – This rice needs to be colorful. As long as you keep the colors vibrant, feel free to substitute.  I used shredded zucchini, shredded carrot, corn kernels, and thinly cut orange bell pepper. Sauté them in little oil before adding them to the rice.

Spices – Cloves, Cinnamon, and Black cardamom. The trio creates an earthy and warm blend for all sorts of rice dishes. For a little kick, I love to add one or two green chilies.

Dried Fruit or Nuts –  For a pop of sweetness and chewy texture, I love adding dried cranberries but if dried cranberries aren’t your thing you can leave them out. But I do recommend some sort of dried fruit ( like chopped apricots, dried cherries, or raisins) to add the needed sweetness.  In addition to dried cranberries, I topped off the garden rice with toasted coconut for another depth of texture. You can skip or use any nut or seed of your choice.

Beans – The kind of beans you use for this recipe really doesn’t matter, they’re all good. You can use black beans, red kidney beans, small red beans, pinto beans, or whatever you have on hand. A mixture of beans works too! Feel free to soak and cook dry beans as well. My preference usually is canned small red beans or black beans for this kind of recipe. I could have added the beans to the rice but they look way better piled on garden rice, topped with cilantro.

What I love about this garden rice and red beans recipe, besides how it tastes, is that you can easily make this entire meal ahead of time ( a day or two) and reheat it when ready to serve.  Just sprinkle a bit of broth or water evenly over the top of the rice before reheating, which ensures that the rice stays moist.

This is a fantastic recipe to make for holiday entertaining or your everyday dinners during the week or on the weekends! Bookmark this post to save it for later, or share it on Social Media, so that I can continue to bring you more wonderful recipes!

You can find me on

Facebook|Pinterest|Twitter|Instagram