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February 25, 2016 By Jana 37 Comments

Black Beans and Cauliflower Rice (Gluten-Free, Vegan / Plant-Based)

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Black Beans and Cauliflower Rice

Black Beans and Cauliflower Rice — a zippy, flavorful dish that’s lower in carbs and higher in nutrients than traditional beans and white rice, but equally as tasty and versatile!

Black Beans and Cauliflower Rice - Ingredients

Black Beans and Cauliflower Rice – Ingredients

The Versatility of Cauliflower

If you have read any of my other posts where cauliflower is featured as a main ingredient you will have heard me talk about its nutritional generosity. If you haven’t, and you are interested in all that cauliflower has to offer nutritionally, then hop on over to my Cauliflower “Egg” Salad post.  Its benefits don’t stop there.  As it turns out, cauliflower is quite diverse and can be a key ingredient in making a variety of plant-based dishes.

In addition to making a delicious substitute for eggs in egg salad, I have used it to make an Italian favorite Creamy Vegan Alfredo (GF and no nutritional yeast) and a traditional Cajun/Creole dish Eggplant Cauliflower Dirty “Rice” (GF, V).

Now, I am adding one of my favorite Mexican recipes to the list with Black Beans and Cauliflower Rice. The black beans offer plant-based protein, high fiber and are an excellent source of iron and antioxidants. What a winning combination these two are!

Black Beans and Cauliflower Rice - Sauteeing Vegetables

Black Beans and Cauliflower Rice – Sauteing Vegetables

Kid-friendly Cauliflower

As a recipe developer, one of the things I value most is the reaction I get when I prepare a new dish and present it to someone to taste. That unrehearsed, spontaneous response provides so much unbiased insight into the dish.

I am fortunate enough to have a built-in team of testers in my house and I never have to worry that I’m getting less than truthful feedback. They are all very honest with their opinions, and I am very grateful for that.

My daughter is my savory girl and she loves to try new dishes. Mexican cuisine is one of her favorites, so as I was developing this dish the aroma drew her into the kitchen. She didn’t know what I was making, only that it contained cauliflower. She used to think she didn’t like cauliflower but thanks to my other cauliflower recipes all of that has changed.

I was at the point in the prep process where I needed to assess the overall flavor and decide if it needed more or less of any of the ingredients. Since she was eager to taste, I cooled a bite and gave it to her. Her face said it all, “Mom, this tastes just like black beans and rice! Is that really cauliflower?” Yeesss! As I affirmed with a shake of my head I could hardly contain my excitement when she said, “Wow, that cauliflower tastes just like rice!” That is a slam dunk in my book.

Black Beans and Cauliflower Rice - Ready to plate

Black Beans and Cauliflower Rice – Ready to plate

Black Beans and Cauliflower Rice

This dish makes a great main course, side dish, or even a great filling for a wrap or burrito. If you are not digging the spicy jazz and would prefer a milder version, then I would try omitting the cayenne pepper, substituting cilantro for the parsley, and adding 2 teaspoons of fresh lime juice.

 

Black Beans and Cauliflower Rice

Black Beans and Cauliflower Rice

Enjoy!!

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Black Beans and Cauliflower Rice (Gluten-Free, Vegan/Plant-Based)

Category: Main Dishes, Recipes, Side Dishes

Author: Nutritionicity

Black Beans and Cauliflower Rice

Black Beans and Cauliflower Rice -- a zippy, flavorful dish that's lower in carbs and higher in nutrients than traditional beans and white rice but equally as tasty and versatile. This dish makes a great main course, side dish or even delicious filling for a wrap or burrito.

Ingredients

  • 1 can (about 15.5 ounces) black beans (rinsed and drained)
  • 1 large head cauliflower (3 rounded cups riced)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 cloves fresh garlic (minced)
  • 1/2 cup fresh sweet onion (finely chopped)
  • 1/2 cup fresh red bell pepper (diced)
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)
  • 3 tablespoons pickled jalapeno slices (finely chopped)
  • sea salt and black pepper (to taste)
  • 1/2 cup fresh parsley diced (or cilantro)

Instructions

  • 1) Rinse and drain black beans. After removing excess water, place on paper towels or flat surface for remaining water to evaporate while preparing the vegetables.
  • 2) Cut cauliflower into florets and remove the thick core. Pulse in small batches in food processor to make "rice". See picture in post for proper consistency. Empty into large bowl and repeat. If there are uncut pieces of the core, remove them and discard. A box grater can be used as an alternative to a food processor. You will need about 3 full rounded cups of cauliflower "rice". Set aside.
  • 3) Begin warming olive oil in medium/large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic to olive oil and saute until golden. Add onion, bell pepper, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper to garlic, stirring occasionally, and continue sautéing until onion begins to turn translucent. Add pickled jalapeno and stir. Pour cauliflower on top of vegetables, sprinkle well with salt and black pepper, then mix. Continue cooking approx. 5-7 minutes (until cauliflower is soft but not mushy) flipping and stirring about half way through. Add black beans and cook additional 2 minutes (enough to warm and gently soften beans). Add parsley, mix well and serve.

Notes

For a milder preparation alternative I would suggest omitting the cayenne pepper, substituting cilantro for the parsley, and adding 2 teaspoons of fresh lime juice.

6.3.1
https://nutritionicity.com/recipes/black-beans-and-cauliflower-rice/
Copyright 2019 Nutritionicity

Black Beans and Cauliflower Rice

 

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Filed Under: Main Dishes, Recipes, Side Dishes Tagged With: antioxidants, black beans, cauliflower, cooking, dairy free, dinner, Gluten Free, healthy fats, high fiber, iron, lactose free, low carb, magnesium, main dish, nut-free, nutrient dense, nutrition, olive oil, plant based, plant protein, potassium, side dish, soy free, vegan, vitamin B-6

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Comments

  1. Mandy says

    January 1, 2020 at 7:27 pm

    If time is short and you don’t mind spending extra, there are a lot of frozen diced cauliflower products available now. I keep some in the freezer for emergencies. (Well, okay, for when I’m feeling lazy).

    Reply
    • Jana says

      January 4, 2020 at 3:35 pm

      Hi Mandy! Thanks for sharing that idea. It’s so awesome how accessible riced cauliflower is now frozen or fresh!! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Mike G says

    March 1, 2019 at 7:25 pm

    Jana,

    I decided to go a bit off the rails with your help, of course. I made your recipe as shown in the video with all but the cayenne pepper.. I added a can of tuna for some protein, sriracha for some fire. and fire roasted tomatoes with diced chilli and frozen corn for a little sweetness. Then, some avocado to give it that rich taste just before serving.

    OMG it was almost as delish as you in the video! Thanks for the treat

    Reply
    • Jana says

      April 20, 2019 at 3:05 pm

      I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe Mike. 🙂

      Reply
  3. PJ says

    October 14, 2018 at 7:35 am

    Thanks for this recipe. I used it for a Cuba night potluck as a vegetable-option dish. One large head of cabbbage made 6 cups of “rice,” so I doubled msot of the other ingredients, but only 1/8 tsp cayenne. It was almost too much for my 12-inch cast iron pan. I used an extra Tbl of olive oil and a tsp butter, and started the onions first, then the garlic so the garlicl would not overcook. At the end I layered in over 2 cups of chopped cilantro and the juice of 1 small lime. By the time we ate it, the flavors had melded together and the cauliflower had cooked more, though not to the point of mushy. It came out so well, it’s now on my short list of potluck dishes to make and take.

    Reply
    • Jana says

      October 21, 2018 at 10:28 am

      Two cups of cilantro! I like the way you think!! I love cilantro. I am so happy you enjoyed the recipe. Reading your description made me hungry. Thanks for sharing 🙂

      Reply
  4. Kevin says

    July 8, 2018 at 5:04 pm

    Recipe looks excellent. wondering if you ever use the other colors of Califlower for your recipes? I know they have more nutrients than the plain white version.

    Reply
    • Jana says

      July 10, 2018 at 8:44 pm

      Thanks so much!! I have not tried the other colors yet. They are not readily available in my grocery store or market. I would love to try them though! 🙂

      Reply
  5. Shari says

    May 25, 2018 at 6:35 pm

    Loved it!! I will definitely be making this again. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Jana says

      May 26, 2018 at 10:02 am

      Hi Shari! That’s awesome! I’m so glad you liked the Black Beans and Cauliflower Rice. Thanks for letting me know 🙂

      Reply
  6. Tracy says

    April 12, 2018 at 4:48 pm

    This was delicious! I used frozen Roasted Garlic Riced Cauliflower and made the recipe even easier!

    Reply
    • Jana says

      April 14, 2018 at 10:00 am

      Hi Tracy! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!! Great idea on the frozen riced Cauliflower. I bet that did make it easy to make in a pinch! 🙂

      Reply
    • Jana says

      April 14, 2018 at 10:00 am

      Hi Tracy! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!! Great idea on the frozen riced Cauliflower. I bet that did make it easy to make in a pinch! 🙂

      Reply
  7. Linda says

    March 21, 2018 at 3:56 pm

    This came out sooooo yummy and filling. Thank you so much for this recipe as I do not eat meat but I love beans! And I love cauliflower as a substitute for potatoes or rice.. I did put my own spin on it and made some changes though. When I served it for myself I added a tablespoon of Trader Joe’s eggplant garlic spread and a tablespoon of Trader Joe’s red pepper spread and it’ spiced it up. Also instead of olive oil I used vegetable broth.. I Iam not a cilantro lover so I used the parsley and I did not use the pickled jalapeños either. I will be making this dish quite often and for me it is very filling and nutritious as a main dish.

    Reply
    • Jana says

      March 21, 2018 at 7:16 pm

      Hi Linda! I’m so glad you and your family enjoyed the recipe! I totally agree, the recipe is really flexible for a personal customization. Coincidentally, I was working on a video recipe for my youtube channel today and mentioned that very same thing! 🙂

      Reply
  8. Jessica says

    March 18, 2018 at 4:34 pm

    Thank you for the recipe! I made this dish but substituted carrots for the red bell peppers and put some fresh avocado slices on top. It was so yummy and just as good when reheated the next two nights! At Whole Foods, they had the Cauliflower already in rice form which made this dish super easy!

    Reply
    • Jana says

      March 18, 2018 at 7:16 pm

      Hi Jessica! Thanks so much for the great feedback! You hit it spot on — this dish does awesome on the reheat. One of my faves 🙂 I’m so glad you are liking it 🙂

      Reply
  9. Lisa says

    August 20, 2017 at 7:55 pm

    This recipe is amazing!! I doubled the recipe, added a little extra jalapenos and cayenne for more heat. Used cilantro instead of parsley, and added fresh lime juice as well. This was Amazing!!!

    Thanks for the recipe!!

    Reply
    • Jana says

      August 20, 2017 at 8:10 pm

      I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe Lisa!! 🙂 I am a huge fan of extra heat and cilantro myself so double yuum!!

      Reply
      • Amai says

        August 31, 2017 at 4:45 pm

        I think my mom is trying out this recipe tonight and I’m super excited!!

        Reply
        • Jana says

          August 31, 2017 at 5:00 pm

          That’s great to hear!! It is an all time fave in our house. Actually, I just made it last night 🙂 I hope she enjoys it!!

          Reply
  10. Akaila Powell says

    August 7, 2017 at 8:40 pm

    Soooo good added spinach as well ty

    Reply
    • Jana says

      August 8, 2017 at 5:06 pm

      I’m so glad you liked the recipe! Spinach sounds like a yummy addition. I’ll give it a try 🙂

      Reply
  11. Amy says

    April 9, 2017 at 5:09 pm

    Does this reheat well? Looks incredible and i am interested in making this for lunches. How is it cold? All ingredients suggest it could be after cooking first time.

    Reply
    • Jana says

      April 9, 2017 at 5:24 pm

      Hi Amy, Yes it does reheat well. The flavors really have time to blend so it is even more delicious! I usually make a big batch for leftovers as well. I will sometimes just grab a bowl straight out of the refrigerator and eat it cold. It is friendly for eating cold as I didn’t include a lot of oil in the recipe. But it does taste delicious reheated too! 🙂

      Reply
  12. Dianne says

    February 27, 2017 at 11:37 pm

    Delicious! Since I didn’t have jalapenos, I used an Ancho Chili powder and Cumin, then subbed a few handfuls of baby spinach for the parsley. It was more mild than your recipe intended, but we loved it! Thanks for sharing. Now that we can buy prepared ‘riced’ cauliflower, this quick to fix recipe will definitely be in our regular rotation!

    Reply
    • Jana says

      February 28, 2017 at 10:24 am

      Hi Dianne! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe. Your modifications sound delicious! I agree, it is so awesome that the ‘riced’ cauliflower is available in a many stores now. Anything that makes healthy eating more accessible is a good thing! 🙂

      Reply
  13. Sue says

    February 13, 2017 at 8:02 pm

    Is the nutritional info listed somewhere? I would be interested to know the calories per serving.
    I have recently started logging my intake of calories, fat, etc. I am looking forward to trying this! It sounds delicious!
    Thank you,
    Sue

    Reply
    • Jana says

      February 15, 2017 at 8:25 pm

      Hi Sue, We are currently working on a solution to provide nutrition information for all of my recipes. We hope to have that available very soon!! I hope you enjoy the Black Beans and Cauliflower Rice 🙂

      Reply
  14. Tria says

    January 17, 2017 at 8:37 pm

    I made this dish for dinner tonight and it’s delicious!

    Thank you for the recipe.

    Reply
    • Jana says

      January 18, 2017 at 9:51 am

      You’re welcome! I’m so glad that you enjoyed it!! 🙂

      Reply
  15. Jillian Nelson says

    July 25, 2016 at 10:00 pm

    I made this for dinner and added a little avocado. It was soooo good. I anticipate working the recipe into my regular rotation. Thank you much.

    Reply
    • Jana says

      July 26, 2016 at 8:17 am

      Hi Jillian, You’re welcome! I’m so glad you liked it. Adding the avocado was a great touch. I bet it was delicious!!

      Reply
      • ANN says

        October 12, 2016 at 7:14 pm

        I added a can of Rotella diced tomatoes with green chilies, since I can’t handle the heat of jalapeños.
        Do you know how many servings the recipe is for?
        I’m trying to calculate it in a nutritional food log.

        Reply
        • Jana says

          October 12, 2016 at 9:34 pm

          Hi Ann, I love the idea of the diced tomatoes and green chilies with the Black Beans and Cauliflower Rice. That sounds delicious! I would approximate, based on the addition of the tomatoes and chilies, that the recipe makes between 5 to 6 one cup servings. Part of the variance is a result of how long everything is cooked as the size will shrink with a longer cooking time. I hope this helps! 🙂

          Reply
  16. Michelle says

    April 14, 2016 at 7:35 pm

    I love this recipe! I didn’t use the pickled jalapeños for the kids sake, but this will be my go to recipe for Cauliflower from now on. I added Cilantro and Parsley. It’s so delicious…I had to put the bowl away so I wouldn’t eat the whole thing. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Jana says

      April 20, 2016 at 10:52 am

      Thanks Michelle!! I am so glad you liked it. Well, the great thing is you don’t have to feel guilty if you do eat more than usual. I bet it was tasty with both parsley and cilantro — I’ll try that next time I have both on hand. 🙂

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Jana! Recipe developer, food photographer/stylist, wine enthusiast and healthy foodie. I create recipes that are 100% plant-based/vegan, gluten-free and refined sugar-free, bursting with nutrients and, of course, delicious! Check out my About page to see where my recipes have been featured! Cookbook hitting shelves October 2020!

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