How to Make Moros Y Cristianos Recipe

What is Moros y Cristianos?

This Moros y Cristianos recipe is a hearty black bean and rice dish that originated in Cuba. It’s a beautifully flavored comfort food made with fragrant seasonings, long-grain white rice, and black beans. You can find it in almost every Cuban restaurant but it’s also enjoyed all over the United States (especially in the South), Mexico, the Caribbean, and Latin America.

Why You’ll LOVE this Moros y Cristianos recipe

Not only is this black beans and rice recipe layered with amazing flavor but it has the following qualities too:

• Easy to make
• Can be a side dish or a meal on its own
• It’s a healthy dish that’s low in fat and high in fiber.
• It pairs well with tons of other dishes!

Black Beans and Rice Recipe

This recipe shows how to make Moros y Cristianos in the oven. It can also be made on the stovetop, as outlined in the notes. I like to make it in the oven because I think it’s easier and keeps the kitchen cooler on hot days.

Ingredients

• 1 cup rice, washed and rinsed
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 can of black beans
• 1/2 onion minced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/8 cup sherry
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

Rice

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Pour the chicken stock into a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high for 3 minutes, or until it boils. Or bring it to a boil in a small pot on the stove. Set aside.
3. In the saucepan over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 cup of well-rinsed rice.  
4. Cook the rice until it is slightly translucent but not toasted, about 3 minutes.
5. Transfer the rice to the oven-safe casserole dish and cover it with the hot chicken stock.  Stir well and cover with a lid or foil.
6. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

Make sofrito and beans

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, sweat the onion with the celery and red bell pepper in 1 tablespoon olive oil.  
2. Stir in the garlic.
3. Add the can of beans (do not drain or rinse), cumin, oregano, sherry, and salt.  
4. Stir to combine, reduce the heat, and cook for 15 minutes.  
5. If it looks dry add some chicken broth.

Putting it all together

1. After the rice is cooked, take it out of the oven, and push the rice to the sides of the serving dish to create a well in the center.
2. Pour the beans into the center.
3. Sprinkle with fresh chopped cilantro and serve.

Notes:

RICE: Use any long-grain rice for this recipe, but Basmati rice works exceptionally well.

DRIED BEANS: Substitute 1 cup of dried beans for the can of black beans by soaking the beans overnight in water. Then drain the beans and cover them with fresh water in a pot on the stove.

Add aromatics (bay leaf, chopped onion, chopped celery, and 2 teaspoons salt) to the beans and simmer for 1 hour. Then drain the beans, discard the aromatics, and use these beans in place of the canned beans.

Why use the oven and not the stovetop?  This is a foolproof method. Simply put the dish in the oven, walk away, and in 20 minutes the rice is fluffy without burning the bottom.

Where did the dish Moros y Cristianos get its name?

The name translates from Spanish to English literally as Moors and Christians. The black beans symbolize the Moors and the white rice is symbolic of the Christians and references the time of the Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) from the 8th century to the 15th century.

Are Congee and Congri the same thing?

No these are two very different rice dishes. Congee or conjee is an Asian rice porridge.

Congri is a Haitian name for black beans and rice. Both black and red beans in Haiti are known as CONGO in Haiti and rice is RIZ, from the French. Congri is a blended Haitian creole word meaning “congos with rice.”

What goes with Moros y Cristianos?

Here are a few of our family’s favorite meals we like to pair with black beans and rice!

Pecan Crusted Salmon with mustard sauce

Roasted Chicken

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Savory Cherry Marinade

Why I love this recipe

It reminds me of cooking with my mom.

I have the best memories from when I was little.  She’d come straight in the house from work and go right to the kitchen to start on dinner.  We’d have the best talks while she’d cook and I’d sit on the counter, dangling my legs, watching.  

She’d have all sorts of good advice on how to navigate 2nd-grade playground politics.  Now we cook together, still chatting, still solving the world’s problems.

My parents ate a lot of beans and rice with cornbread when they were first married.  Money was tight and this dish was a delicious and easy meal for them to make.

In my family, we refer to this dish as Mexican black beans and rice because it brings back so many wonderful memories of Mexico for us!

We’ve enjoyed this dish from Mexico City to Guadalajara to Morelia over the decades. Plus a good friend of the family (who happens to be Mexican) taught my mother how to make it and she passed it to me.

Happy Mother’s Day.  I love you, Mom!