I was looking for something cheap and filling, and I always hear people talking about rice and beans, which lead me to this. It’s a bit more interesting than just some rice and beans with a few herbs, and is indeed filling, and faaairly cheap (meat in Greece is pretty expensive).

How the meat comes. Vaguely folded up…

Ingredients:

• 1 cups uncooked white rice, and the water recommended on the package (usually 2 cups)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 lb ground beef
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 14 ounce can kidney beans

The only way to get ground beef at the butcher’s shop here is in patties that have some herbs in them. The butcher at the shop on my street either doesn’t wear gloves at all, or keeps the gloves on after handling the raw meat, while he gives you your change. Gross.

To start off, get your rice cooking. Mince your garlic. My mom’s coming to visit next week, so I’ll finally have someone capable of chopping things around for a few days! Combine the garlic and beef in a pan over medium-high heat. Cook until there’s no pink left, sprinkling the chili powder over the beef as it cooks.

Stir the parsley, salt, sugar, and canned tomatoes into the beef mixture, including the liquid from the tomatoes. Rinse the canned beans well. There’s probably some purple sludge in the can.

OH COME ONNN

Ew.

Drain this out, fill with water and shake, and repeat several times. Drain out the water so just beans remain, and add to the meat mixture. Stir in well. At this point, if you push the meat and beans around, there will be a bunch of liquid that will fill in the gap.

Continue to cook until the mixture is thickened enough that this no longer happens. For me, this has worked out both times to right about the same time as the rice is finished cooking.

Serve the beef mixture over the rice, and enjoy! This is either 2 enormous meals, or 3 small ones. You can easily double the recipe, if your pan can hold a doubled amount of the beef mixture.

Chili Beans and Rice

Adapted from SimplyRecipes.

• 1 cups uncooked white rice, and the water recommended on the package (usually 2 cups)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 lb ground beef
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 14 ounce can kidney beans

Start the rice cooking according to package directions.

Mince garlic and combine with beef in a pan over medium-high heat. Cook until there’s no pink left, sprinkling the chili powder over the beef as it cooks.

Stir the parsley, salt, sugar, and canned tomatoes into the beef mixture, including the liquid from the tomatoes. Rinse the canned beans well and stir into the meat mixture. Cook until thickened, then serve over the rice.