Want to level up your rice bowls? These chimichurri rice bowls with seasoned black beans are going to make your meal prep dreams come true.
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Dinners are never easy to figure out every single day. At some point we are all like how is it dinner again? What the heck do I make. Insert: Chimichurri rice bowls with seasoned black beans.
One of your new favorite life hacks is going to be swapping sauces that you add into your rice to match the toppings you add to your rice bowls.
But first, let’s start with this chimichurri sauce. It’s easy, made before the rice even finishes, and tastes even better the next day!
What is Chimichurri?
Chimichurri is an Argentinian sauce that is uncooked and primarily used as a sauce on grilled meat. Today, it is widely used around all of Latin and South America, as well as other parts of the world.
It is a herb based sauce featuring parsley as the made ingredients. Traditionally, with chili peppers, garlic, olive oil, oregano, and vinegar. There are many different cultural variations now though.
Jump to:
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Perfect for Meal Prep – This is one of those recipes that the longer the ingredients marry together, the better it tastes, making it perfect for meal prepping
- Easy to find ingredients – There are no obscure ingredients in this recipe. You can go to most grocery stores and find everything that you need easily.
- Freezable– this recipe freezes great which means that you can freeze in individual portions and pull out when needed
Ingredients:
Gather your ingredients! See my recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
- Parsley and Cilantro – these fresh herbs are going to be the base of our chimichurri sauce. The freshness packs so much flavor and brings boldness to the recipe
- Shallots – have a subtle onion flavor while not overpowering our sauce
- Red Wine Vinegar and lime – gives an acid to the dish that balances the flavors out in different ways
- Garlic – fresh garlic in both parts of the recipe gives us a full bodied flavor that you can taste throughout the dish
- Black beans – you can use canned beans or cooked your own from dried, but black beans make a delicious topping for this rice
- Vegetable Stock – we prefer to use a no to low sodium vegetable stock so we can control the salt and other spices ourselves later in the dish
- Spices – we use a variety of pantry staples in this recipe that balance each other out so well
- Rice – not in the photo above, but we are using cooked brown basmati rice for this recipe
Tip: Switch out the sauce based on what you have on had in your fridge and pantry. Maybe instead of chimichurri, you do BBQ sauce, vegan cheese sauce, or even a red enchilada sauce.
Substitutions and Variations:
- Parsley and Cilantro -you can just use all parsley if you want. Also – you can use fresh oregano instead of dried also
- Shallots – you can just use sweet or yellow onions if needed
- Red Wine Vinegar and lime – lemon would also work as well as sherry vinegar
- Garlic – you can reduce by a few cloves if you don’t like such a strong garlic flavor
- Black beans – try pinto beans or cannelinni for best results, as well as lentils, but you could also try with chickpeas for a different taste.
- Rice – you could do this with any type of rice, but also quinoa, farro, orzo, and more
Besides these subs we don’t recommend making other substitutions.
Step by Step Instructions:
Step 1: Start your rice by adding water, salt, and vegan butter to a pot over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Once the butter is melted, add the brown basmati rice, reduce heat to simmer, and cook according to the package instructions.
Step 2: Into a food processor, add all the ingredients for the chimichurri sauce. Blend together well and set aside in the fridge.
Step 3: In a large skillet over medium heat, add oil. Once heated, add the onions and sauté for 3-5 minutes until softened. Add garlic and stir together, cooking for 30 seconds. Add seasonings and stir together.
Step 4: Add in black beans and stir together with the onions and garlic.
Step 5: Add vegetable stock and stir together well. Let cook for 10 minutes.
Step 6: While waiting, in a small bowl add together the cornstarch and water and then add to the black beans once time is up. Allow to thicken but still be saucy. Remove from heat and carefully remove the bay leaf.
Step 7: Carefully watch rice to make sure it cooks just until the water is absorbed. Once finished, turn off heat and all to sit, covered, for 10 minutes.
Step 8: Fluff the rice and add half the Chimichurri sauce to the rice.
Frequently Asked Questions:
This recipe is written to be Top 9 Allergen Free already.
Yes! Let cool completely and then leave in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Yes! This recipe freezes great! Just make sure to store in an air tight, freezer safe container or bag. Good for 3 months.
Other amazing vegan one bowl recipes to make:
Did you make and love this recipe?
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🥳 Get the Full Recipe
Chimichurri Rice Bowls with Seasoned Black Beans
Ingredients
For the Rice
- 2 cups water (480g)
- ⅛ teaspoon salt, more or less to taste
- 1 tbsp vegan butter
- 1 cup uncooked brown basmati rice (195g)
For the Chimichurri Sauce
- 1 cup parsley (60g)
- ½ cup cilantro (30g)
- 1 shallot, roughly chopped
- 5-6 cloves garlic
- ⅓ cup olive oil (75g)
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar (60g)
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
For the Seasoned Black Beans
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 sweet onion, diced
- 5-6 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 cups black beans cooked, drained, and rinsed (515g or 2-15oz cans)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 ½ cups vegetable stock (360g)
- 2 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Instructions
For the rice
- Add water, salt, and vegan butter to a pot over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Once the butter is melted, add the brown basmati rice, reduce heat to simmer, and cook according to the package instructions.
For the Chimichurri sauce
- Into a food processor*, add all the ingredients for the chimichurri sauce. Blend together well and set aside in the fridge.
For the Seasoned Black Beans
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add oil. Once heated, add the onions and sauté for 3-5 minutes until softened. Add garlic and stir together, cooking for 30 seconds.
- Add seasonings and stir together. Add in black beans and vegetable stock and stir together well. Let cook for 10 minutes.
- While waiting, in a small bowl add together the cornstarch and water and then add to the black beans once time is up. Allow to thicken but still be saucy. Remove from heat and carefully remove the bay leaf.
Assembly
- Fluff the rice and add half the Chimichurri sauce to the rice. Add the seasoned black beans on top with any other desired bowl ingredients*. Serve with more chimichurri on the side/top or save the remaining for another recipe.
When I came across this meal on your YouTube channel, I knew I had to make it pronto!! I can eat that Chimichurri sauce by itself; the flavors are incredibly fantastic! Thank you for all that you do in creating healthy meals to share with others. Much appreciated….
You’re so welcome!
I made the dish from the picture with sweet potato fries, roasted red peppers and chickpeas. The whole deal, took a lot longer than I expected, but that’s from my inexperience with cooking something like this. I’ve never been able to develop flavors like this before.
Even the kids loved it! Delicious. Absolutely bursting with flavors. I will be trying it again. I substituted the slurry with coconut milk. 🤌🏽
Don’t be upset about the time, just keep working on honing those skills. You got this and you’ll be a pro in no time!
This is a great meal, or base for a meal! I love the flavors and how they mix, and keep me full
so glad you liked it Jim!
Amazing flavors!
This recipe will be on frequent rotation going forward!
Thank you!
Love that!
Wow! I have yet to try any of your recipes that weren’t absolutely delicious. This one, though, explodes with flavor in every single bite. Definitely a favorite of mine that will be shared! Thank you both!
That’s so kind of you, thank you. Glad you’re enjoying
Loved it! I added fresh corn off the cob to the beans. I did not add the Chimichurri sauce to the rice. Instead I used it as a dressing on top. It was delicious. I will use the sauce on other bowl dishes.
I have been making many recipes from this site. I am not a vegetarian, but we like to eat healthy. This is a great source for tasty, satisfying and healthy recipes. I made the egg roll in a bowl last night. It was good cold out of the fridge this morning, even better than take-out!
Love that you are enjoying the recipes, thank you so much!
Another WINNER!!!
Exceeded my expectations!!!!!
So glad to hear that!