Wednesday, September 20, 2023
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Southwest Lentils And Rice Skillet


I don’t find out about you all, however I like one pot skillet meals! This easy Southwest Lentils and Rice Skillet was impressed by a protein meal bag that I used to purchase within the grocery freezer part. I beloved the flavors and mixture of substances, however I spotted that I might make 3 instances as a lot and save more cash by making it at residence. However one of the best half about this dish is that it’s a “pantry cleansing” recipe. Which means a lot of the substances are pantry staples like canned beans and tomatoes, lentils, rice, corn, herbs and spices. It’s really budget-friendly, tremendous filling, straightforward to make, and doubtless your new favourite meal prep recipe! 🙂

Overhead shot of southwest lentils and rice skillet garnished with green onions and a wooden spoon placed inside the skillet.

What’s in Southwest Lentils and Rice Skillet?

The excellent news is you most likely have already got most of those substances for this tasty skillet meal in your pantry proper now! So right here’s a quick rundown of what you’ll want:

  • Lentils & Rice – Lentils and rice are the bottom elements of this recipe and an important mixture for a filling meal. There are a number of several types of lentils, however we used brown lentils and long-grain white rice for this recipe. I’ll present extra particulars about lentils within the part beneath.
  • Greens – I used a easy mixture of black beans, fire-roasted tomatoes, and frozen corn for this recipe. Be happy to make use of canned corn (drained) or common diced tomatoes if that’s what you may have available. Simply know you’ll be lacking out on the smoky taste you’d get from utilizing fire-roasted tomatoes.
  • Pink Onion and Garlic – Each of those aromatics add depth and nice taste to the dish. You possibly can actually substitute yellow onion as a substitute of pink onion if you happen to choose.
  • Vegetable Broth – Vegetable broth to prepare dinner the lentils and rice and to maintain this recipe vegetarian. Be happy to make use of rooster broth if that’s what you may have available.
  • Spices – Spices like cumin, chili powder, adobo seasoning, and oregano create a daring Southwest-inspired taste base for this skillet meal.
  • Cheddar Cheese & Inexperienced Onions – We topped issues off with some recent shredded cheddar cheese and sliced inexperienced onions for further taste and colour.

What Sort of Lentils To Use?

There’s normally all kinds of lentils offered in grocery shops nowadays together with brown, pink, yellow, black and french-style lentils. For this recipe you’ll wish to use brown or brownish-green lentils which prepare dinner with about 20 minutes of simmering and don’t require soaking. I don’t counsel utilizing pink or yellow lentils for this recipe as a result of they break down shortly when cooked and so they don’t maintain their form in addition to brown lentils.

Can I take advantage of Brown Rice?

This recipe can be a bit difficult to substitute brown rice in as a result of brown rice takes for much longer to prepare dinner than white rice, and it requires extra liquid. The longer prepare dinner time would additionally trigger the lentils to turn out to be mushy. So I like to recommend simply sticking with the white rice for this recipe.

Probably the greatest components about this Southwest Lentils & Rice skillet is with the ability to customise it with all of your favourite taco-style toppings! You possibly can prime it with some cilantro, your favourite cheese, and even a number of diced tomatoes.

Or get actually fancy with some diced avocado, pickled jalapeños, or a drizzle of lime crema. My private favourite is to only serve it with shredded cheese, inexperienced onions, a facet of salsa, and a few tortilla chips. Sooo good!! 🙂

Storing & Reheating

This lentils and rice meal holds up nice within the fridge. Retailer any leftovers in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 4 days. And it’s excellent for meal prep! I’ve meal-prepped this recipe fairly a number of instances in separate storage containers, reheated within the microwave till heat, and growth…a fast and simple lunch or dinner any day of the week!

Overhead view of a white bowl full of southwest lentils and rice with tortilla chips, a napkin, and black fork on the side.


Southwest Lentils and Rice Skillet

This Southwest Lentils and Rice Skillet is full of veggies and daring flavors for a brilliant filling, budget-friendly, and simple to make one pot skillet meal!

Overhead shot of southwest lentils and rice skillet garnished with green onions and a wooden spoon placed inside the skillet.

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.11)
  • 1 small pink onion ($0.42)
  • 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
  • 1.5 tsp cumin ($0.15)
  • 1 tsp chili powder ($0.10)
  • 1 tsp adobo seasoning ($0.10)
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano ($0.05)
  • 1/2 tsp salt ($0.04)
  • 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)
  • 1/2 cup brown lentils, rinsed ($0.38)
  • 1 15oz. can black beans, drained & rinsed ($0.79)
  • 1 14.5oz. can fireplace roasted tomatoes ($1.25)
  • 1 cup frozen corn ($0.60)
  • 2 cups vegetable broth ($0.34)
  • 3/4 cup lengthy grain white rice, rinsed ($0.32)
  • 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese ($0.58)
  • 2 inexperienced onions, sliced ($0.24)
  • Cube the pink onion and mince the garlic. Add olive oil and onion to a big deep skillet over medium warmth and sautĂ© till onions are translucent, roughly 2-3 minutes. Add minced garlic and sautĂ© an extra 30 seconds or till garlic is aromatic.

  • Add the cumin, chili powder, adobo, oregano, salt, and pepper to the skillet, stir and toast spices for about 30 seconds.

  • Subsequent add within the lentils, black beans, fireplace roasted tomatoes (with juices), corn, and vegetable broth. Stir all the things to mix. Place a lid on the skillet, flip the warmth as much as medium-high, and permit the combination to return to a full boil. As soon as boiling, instantly scale back the warmth to medium-low and simmer for five minutes. It will enable the lentils to start out cooking first earlier than including the rice.

  • After 5 minutes, take away the lid and add the rice. Stir briefly simply to evenly distribute the rice, cowl with a lid, convey the skillet again to a boil, then scale back the warmth once more and simmer for 20 minutes.

  • Whereas the combination is cooking, grate the cheddar cheese and slice the inexperienced onions.

  • After 20 minutes, take away the skillet from the warmth and let it relaxation, with the lid on, for five minutes. After it has rested, take away the lid, fluff the rice and gently stir to redistribute the veggies.

  • High the lentils and rice combination with shredded cheese and sliced inexperienced onions. Serve with extra of your favourite toppings and revel in!

See how we calculate recipe prices right here.



deep stainless steel skillet

Serving: 1.5cupsEnergy: 369kcalCarbohydrates: 59gProtein: 14gFats: 9gSodium: 872mgFiber: 10g

Learn our full vitamin disclaimer right here.

Side front view of southwest lentils and rice skillet with a wooden spoon scooping some out.

Find out how to Make Southwest Lentils And Rice Skillet – Step by Step Pictures

Diced red onion, garlic, and spices in a skillet.

In a big deep skillet, add 1 Tbsp olive oil and 1 small pink onion, diced. Sauté over medium warmth till onions are translucent, roughly 2-3 minutes. Add 2 minced garlic cloves and sauté an extra 30 seconds. Now add 1 1/2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp adobo seasoning, 1/2 tsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper. Stir and toast the spices for about 30 seconds.

Lentils, fire-roasted tomatoes, black beans, corn, and vegetable broth added to the skillet.

Add 1/2 cup brown lentils, one 15oz. can black beans (drained & rinsed), one 14.5oz. can fireplace roasted tomatoes (with juices), 1 cup frozen corn, and a couple of cups of vegetable broth to the skillet. Stir all the things to mix. Place a lid on the skillet, flip the warmth as much as medium-high, and permit the combination to return to a full boil. As soon as boiling, instantly scale back the warmth to medium-low and simmer for five minutes. It will enable the lentils to start out cooking first earlier than including the rice.

Long grain white rice being added to the skillet.

After 5 minutes, take away the lid and add 3/4 cups lengthy grain white rice (rinsed). Stir briefly simply to evenly distribute the rice, cowl with a lid, convey the skillet again to a full boil, then scale back the warmth once more and simmer for 20 minutes. Whereas the combination is cooking, grate 1/2 cup cheddar cheese and slice two inexperienced onions.

Cooked southwest lentils and rice skillet with rice being fluffed with a fork.

After 20 minutes, take away the skillet from the warmth and let it relaxation, with the lid on, for five minutes. After it has rested, take away the lid, fluff the rice and gently stir to redistribute the veggies.

Finished Southwest Lentils and Rice Skillet with shredded cheddar cheese and sliced green onions on top.

High the lentils and rice combination with the shredded cheese and sliced inexperienced onions.

Overhead view of a white bowl full of southwest lentils and rice with tortilla chips, a napkin, and black fork on the side.

Serve with extra of your favourite toppings and revel in!

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