One-dish dinners are great for any time of the year, but fall (at least in the northern hemisphere) is a particularly great time to make them. Not only are they quick and easy to make, but you can make them extra tasty (and healthy!) by incorporating some of your favorite harvest veggies! I found a recipe for Zucchini Bean and Rice Skillet online that sounded perfect for this time of year, so I doctored it up a bit to incorporate more of the fresh veggies we’ve been enjoying. To my delight, it turned out delicious! We all thought it tasted like a Mexican jambalaya. 🙂
Enjoy, and be sure to read past the recipe for links to more recipes for one-dish meals that are perfect for the fall season!
One-Pot Zucchini, Black Beans, and Rice
adapted from Ready Set Eat
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 an onion, diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, diced
- 1 medium zucchini, quartered and sliced
- 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 4-5 medium tomatoes, diced
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1-1/4 cups vegetable broth or stock
- 1 cup instant brown rice
- shredded colby jack cheese (optional)
Start by heating the oil in a large pan or skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook them for a minute or so, just until they start to get really delicious smelling. Then add the zucchini and bell peppers, salt and pepper everything, and cook the veggies together for about 5 minutes.
Next, add the beans, tomatoes, vegetable stock, and the spices to the pot. Stir to incorporate the spices. Increase the heat and bring the pot to a boil.
Now, this next part largely depends on what kind of rice you use. I used Minute brown rice, so here’s what I did. I stirred the rice into the boiling pot, then turned the heat down to low and put the cover on the pot, and let it simmer that way for about 5 minutes. Then I turned the heat off (but left the lid on the pot,) and waited for the rice to finish and all the liquid to absorb. It ended up taking about 10 minutes.
Finally, sprinkle a bit of colby jack cheese over the top of the dish, serve warm, and enjoy only having to wash one pot after dinner’s over! 🙂
Other Great One-Dish Recipes for Fall
And here are a few other recipes to get the one-dish dinner inspiration flowing! Click on the title of each recipe for ingredients and directions.
Chicken and Potatoes Skillet
from One Good Thing by Jillee
One Skillet Chicken Pot Pie
from CommunityTable.com
Summer Vegetables with Sausage
from SkinnyTaste.com
Apple Squash Pork Casserole
from The Healthy Foodie
One Pot Paprika Chicken Thighs
from The Reluctant Entertainer
One-Pan Unstuffed Bell Peppers
from One Good Thing by Jillee
from Budget Bytes
One-Pot Herb Roasted Chicken and Wild Rice
from Half Baked Harvest
One-Pot Zucchini, Black Beans, and Rice
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 an onion diced
- 2 cloves of garlic diced
- 1 medium zucchini quartered and sliced
- 1/2 green bell pepper diced
- 1 can black beans drained and rinsed
- 4-5 medium tomatoes diced
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1-1/4 cups vegetable stock
- 1 cup instant brown rice
- shredded colby jack cheese optional
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pan or skillet over medium heat.
- Add onions and garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the zucchini and bell peppers, add salt and pepper, cook veggies together for 5 minutes.
- Add beans, tomatoes, vegetable stock, and spices to the pot, and bring the pot to a boil.
- Stir rice into the boiling pot, decrease heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and allow all liquid to absorb (about 10-15 minutes).
- Top with shredded colby jack cheese.
- Serve warm.
