Beef mince and black beans over brown rice with salsa, cheddar and lettuce. Fifteen minutes.
Ground beef is done at 71 C (160 F), the USDA safe minimum. The library measures it cooked; start with about a quarter more raw. Rice is measured cooked; 180 g cooked is about 60 g dry.
- Ready in14 minutes
- Prep4 min
- Cook10 min
- Serves1
Ingredients
- 120 g lean beef mince, 5% fat (cooked weight)
- 100 g black beans (cooked, or canned and drained)
- 150 g brown rice (cooked weight)
- 50 g salsa
- 20 g cheddar cheese
- 50 g lettuce (romaine / mixed leaves)
Method
- Brown the mince in a hot pan for five to six minutes, breaking it up, until no pink remains. Pour off any fat.
- Add the drained beans and a teaspoon each of cumin and paprika, and cook for three minutes.
- Put the rice in a bowl, top with the beef and beans, the salsa, the grated cheddar and the shredded lettuce.
What this plate gives you
The lean mince gives about 31 g of the 51 g of protein and the black beans 9 g, close to the 56 g a day the RDA gives a 70 kg adult between them; the beans and brown rice give 13 g of fibre, nearly half a 2,000-calorie day’s 28 g. At 630 calories it is a little under a third of that day, with 17 g of fat. The mince is measured cooked; start with about 150 g raw and season it with cumin and paprika as it browns.
Swaps
- Turkey mince: about the same numbers.
- Leave out the cheddar: 80 calories fewer.
- Avocado on top: about 80 more calories.
Keeping it
The beef, beans and rice keep three to four days in the fridge and reheat together. Add the lettuce and salsa cold.

