Carne Asada with Rice and Beans

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This tender carne asada with rice and beans is packed with bright, citrusy flavors for a twist on a classic date night dinner for two.

sliced carne asada with Mexican rice and black beans

We’re not generally big steak eaters. However when we do, it’s almost always carne asada in one form or another. We love making carne asada for tacos, nachos, and even burritos! But sometimes we just want it in its simplest form: carne asada with rice and beans. 

Thanks to the citrusy marinade and spicy dry rub, our carne asada is packed with flavor and super tender. Pair that with some garlicky beans and Mexican style rice and we’re enjoying a lovely date night dinner at home

What This Recipe Entails

The hardest part of this recipe is remembering to marinade the steak ahead of time! Otherwise grilling carne asada, making Mexican rice, and heating up some black beans is a super simple and straight-forward process.

  • Marinate time: 4 to 6 hours
  • Prep time: 15 minutes
  • Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • Steak – Skirt steak or flank steak are the best cuts for carne asada. Skirt steak is preferred but flank steak is easy to find!
  • Marinade – Our marinade is made up of orange juice, lime juice, lemon juice, soy sauce, vegetable oil, onion, and minced garlic.
  • Dry Rub – This is where a lot of the flavor and heat comes from in our carne asada. Giving the meat a good dry rub before grilling adds a ton of flavors. For this we use garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, cumin, cayenne, salt, and pepper.
  • Avocado lime crema – We love making our own crema from scratch, but you can also use a store-bought version.
  • Rice – Any Mexican style rice will go well with this recipe. However our favorite is our easy Mexican rice with our cilantro lime rice being a close second. 
  • Beans –  We recommend making a side of black beans and heating them up with a little lime juice, minced garlic, and salt. Pinto beans also work.
carne asada with rice and beans served with avocado lime crema

How To Make Carne Asada with Rice and Beans

  1. Marinate the steak – About 4 to 6 hours before making dinner, combine all the marinade ingredients along with the steak into a resealable bag. Allow the steak to marinate in the fridge until you’re ready to cook.
  2. Prep ingredients – Make the dry rub, cilantro lime crema, and get the Mexican rice started. 
  3. Grill the steak – Rub each side of the steak with the dry rub. Grill over medium high heat for about 5 minutes per side or until the desired temperature. Once the steak has finished cooking, let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing. 
  4. Cook the beans – While the steak is resting add the beans to a frying pan with garlic, lime juice, and salt and cook until warmed through.
  5. Plate and serve – Serve the sliced steak with some avocado lime crema, Mexican rice, and black beans. 

Serving Suggestions

This recipe covers everything you’ll need for a complete dinner. However if you are looking to switch things up a bit, here are some of our favorite ways to keep carne asada fresh and interesting for every occasion!

  • Rice and beans – These classic sides for carne asada are what we always choose to serve with this recipe. You can always mix this recipe up with cilantro lime rice or pinto beans if you are looking for something a little different. 
  • Vegetables – Grilled corn or a combination of cooked peppers, onions, and tomatoes, can both make for delicious, healthy sides for carne asada. 
  • Chips and dips – You can’t go wrong with serving any Mexican dinner with a side of chips and dips. Some of our favorite dips are guac, pico de gallo, and black bean corn salsa.
  • Tacos – If you are making carne asada for a large crowd, having tortillas along with some diced onion and cilantro allow for people to make easy carne asada tacos. This is a great option if you have guests who don’t like to eat a large chunk of steak.
  • Leftovers – If you find yourself with any leftover steak, we highly recommend making yourself some carne asada nachos for lunch or dinner the next day!

Give this recipe a try next time you’re looking for a fun date night dinner and want to fire up the grill. Let us know what you think by rating, commenting, and sharing below!

carne asada with rice and beans

FAQs

What to serve with carne asada?

We think that Mexican rice and black beans are the best sides for carne asada. However if you’re looking to have some vegetables, here are some of our favorite options: grilled corn, sauteed onion, tomato, and peppers, or simply some guacamole and pico de gallo!

What cut of meat is best for carne asada?

Either skirt steak or flank steak are best for carne asada. Skirt steak is preferred thanks to its ability to take on a marinade and lovely marbling, but flank steak is often easier to find. Both are good options.

How do you cook carne asada on the stove?

Since we don’t have a grill, we always cook our carne asada on the stove. The best way we’ve found to cook carne asada indoors is on our cast iron grill pan. This pan allows us to get the classic grill marks without having to actually grill. Simply preheat your grill pan (or other cast iron pan) over medium-high heat and then cook the carne asada for about 5 minutes per side. Always use a meat thermometer to help get the perfect cook on your steak.


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sliced carne asada with Mexican rice and black beans

Carne Asada with Rice and Beans

Nicole and Alex
This tender carne asada with rice and beans is packed with bright, citrusy flavors for a twist on a classic date night dinner for two.
5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Marinate Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 45 minutes
Course Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 2 servings
Calories 1434 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
 
 

  • 1 pound skirt or flank steak

Marinade

  • cup orange juice
  • ½ cup lime juice
  • ¼ cup lemon juice
  • ¼ cup soy sauce low-sodium
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • ¼ medium onion chopped
  • ½ tablespoon minced garlic

Dry Rub

  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • ½ teaspoon cumin
  • ½ teaspoon ground red cayenne pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Sides

  • 1 cup Mexican rice
  • 1 batch avocado lime crema
  • 15 ounces canned black beans drained and rinsed
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 medium lime juiced
  • 1 pinch sea salt
  • Queso fresco optional garnish

Instructions
 

  • Slice steak into 2 pieces, if necessary, and place in a large resealable bag. Add marinade ingredients, seal the bag, and shake gently to mix. Marinate the steak for 4 to 6 hours in the fridge.
  • Remove steak from the marinade and allow to rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
  • Combine dry rub seasonings in a small bowl and set aside.
  • Prepare the avocado lime crema and Mexican rice.
  • About 5 to 10 minutes before you're ready to start grilling the steak, preheat a cast iron grill pan over medium-high heat and season both sides of the steak with the dry rub.
  • Transfer steak to pan (or grill) and grill for about 5 minutes per side or until cooked to your preferred temperature.
  • Transfer grilled steaks to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
  • Add black beans to a frying pan with garlic, lime juice, and salt and cook over medium low for 5 minutes or until warm.
  • Serve steak with avocado lime crema and a side of rice and beans.

Notes

Cilantro-Lime Crema: A single batch of this crema will be more than enough for this dish, but we recommend making the whole batch and using it throughout the week! Refrigerate whatever’s leftover and use it on tacos, as a dip for quesadillas or tortilla chips, or in a burrito bowl.
Rice: We have two delicious and easy recipes for rice that go great with carne asada – our Mexican-Style Rice and our Cilantro-Lime Rice. You can easily make either one in the time it takes for the steak to rest and cook, and both recipes taste equally good made with brown or white rice. (But we’re also fans of Ben’s Original Spanish-Style Rice for an easy store-bought minute rice!)
Marinating the steak: We use a resealable bag to marinate the steak so we can lay it flat on one side, completely submerged in the marinade, and we usually flip the bag over halfway through.
Grilling the steak: We like to grill on our Lodge cast iron grill pan, so the instructions are based on this method – but our carne asada can also be cooked on a regular grill.
Queso fresco: A garnish of queso fresco really completes this dish. Crumble a little bit and sprinkle it over the steak, or your rice and beans!

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 1434kcalCarbohydrates: 123gProtein: 75gFat: 79gSaturated Fat: 15gPolyunsaturated Fat: 21gMonounsaturated Fat: 34gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 151mgSodium: 4339mgPotassium: 3054mgFiber: 31gSugar: 16gVitamin A: 1577IUVitamin C: 132mgCalcium: 222mgIron: 15mg
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Keyword black beans, cinco de mayo, garlic, grilling, lemon juice, lime juice, orange juice, queso fresco, rice, skirt steak, soy sauce, summer

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5 from 2 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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