Crispy roasted potatoes and tender zucchini are so delicious paired with smoky black beans in these nourishing, comforting bowls!
Table of Contents
Not only are these black bean bowls easy and delicious, they're super budget-friendly and versatile! You can serve these up as a bowl, stuff them into a pita or wrap, or spoon everything over salad greens.
These bowls are delicious on their own, but you can also add toppings of choice, like sliced avocado, pickled chilies, pickled shallots, pico de gallo, or your favorite burrito bowl toppings.
While the potatoes and zucchini roast on a couple of sheet pans, you simmer the black beans on the stovetop. Everything is ready in about half an hour.
💖 Why You'll Love this Recipe
- smoky, flavorful beans with umami-packed potatoes and tender roasted zucchini
- simple to make with affordable ingredients
- versatile! Serve as bowls, a salad, pita, or wrap
- naturally gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free meal
✓ Ingredients and Substitutions
- potatoes - Choose thin-skinned potatoes, like red potatoes or Yukon gold.
- oil - To help things brown.
- cornstarch - Helps the potatoes crisp in the oven.
- zucchini - Choose a large zucchini that covers the whole sheet pan when you slice it up. If the zucchini at the store are looking small, maybe grab two.
- onion and garlic - Adds so much umami and flavor to the beans!
- black beans - You can use canned or homemade in this recipe.
- ground spices - These black beans are packed with flavor from garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, chipotle chili powder, cumin, coriander, and oregano.
- vegetable broth - To simmer the beans. You can use water, if you prefer.
🔪 How to Make Smoky Black Bean Bowls
Preheat the oven to 425° F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Add the potatoes to the baking sheet. Drizzle with the oil, and toss well with your hands to coat. Sprinkle on the cornstarch, salt, and pepper, and toss again to coat the potatoes really well. Spread them into a single layer on the baking sheet.
On the other baking sheet, toss together the zucchini and oil, and spread the zucchini out into a single layer. Bake both sheet pans for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring the potatoes after 20 minutes. No need to stir the zucchini.
The potatoes are ready when they are tender inside and golden and crispy outside. The zucchini is ready when it's looking soft and a little brown on the bottoms.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a small saucepan on medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion, garlic, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion starts to brown on some of the edges.
Add the black beans, ground spices, and broth. Bring to a boil on high heat, then reduce the heat, cover the pan, and simmer on low until the potatoes and zucchini are ready. Taste and adjust salt and flavor, if needed.
Serve the black beans with a slotted spoon, because there will be a lot of liquid in the pan.
Serve these as black bean bowls, on top of salad greens, or stuffed into a pita or wrap with your favorite toppings!
💡 Helpful Tips
- Don't skip lining the pan, especially for the potatoes! Otherwise, that crispy cornstarch coating will stick to the pan instead of to the potatoes.
- Salting the onions as you cook them helps them release more water, so they cook faster and brown better.
🫙 Storage Directions
Leftover black bean bowls will keep in a closed container in the refrigerator for three to five days. You can store the components together or separately.
📖 Recipe
Smoky Black Bean Bowls with Crispy Potatoes and Roasted Zucchini
Ingredients
For the Crispy Potatoes
- 1 ½ pounds potatoes cut into 1" pieces. Choose thin-skinned potatoes, like Yukon gold or red potatoes.
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon black pepper
For the Roasted Zucchini
- 1 large zucchini sliced into ¼" thick half moons or quarters. Use 2 zucchini, if they're smaller.
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
For the Smoky Black Beans
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup sliced red onion
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 30 ounces black beans drained and rinsed. That's 2 15-ounce cans or 3 cups of cooked black beans
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 cups vegetable broth or water
Instructions
Make the crispy potatoes and roasted zucchini.
- Preheat the oven to 425° F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Add the potatoes to the lined baking sheet. Drizzle with the oil, and toss well with your hands to coat. Sprinkle on the cornstarch, salt, and pepper, and toss again to coat the potatoes really well. Spread them into a single layer on the baking sheet.
- On the other baking sheet, toss together the zucchini and oil, and spread the zucchini out into a single layer.
- Bake both sheet pans for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring the potatoes after 20 minutes. No need to stir the zucchini. The potatoes are ready when they are tender inside and golden and crispy outside. The zucchini is ready when it's looking soft and a little brown on the bottoms.
Meanwhile, make the smoky black beans.
- Heat the oil in a small saucepan on medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion, garlic, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion starts to brown on some of the edges.
- Add the black beans, ground spices, and broth. Bring to a boil on high heat, then reduce the heat, cover the pan, and simmer on low until the potatoes and zucchini are ready. Taste and adjust salt and flavor, if needed. Serve the black beans with a slotted spoon, because there will be a lot of liquid in the pan.
Serving Suggestions
- For black bean bowls, lay down a bed of potatoes, and top them with the black beans, zucchini, and toppings of choice like pickled jalapeños or onions, pico de gallo, sliced avocado, corn, cilantro, etc.
- For a pita or wrap, stuff all of the components into your tortilla or pita, then add toppings of choice, listed above.
- For a salad, chop up a bed of salad greens, and spoon the beans on. Top with potatoes, zucchini, and toppings of choice.
Got a question? Tried this recipe? Leave a reply!