Puerto Rican Rice and Beans
Puerto Rican Rice and Beans WITH VIDEO - otherwise known as Habichuelas Guisadas (Stewed Beans) - are the most flavorful beans simmered in a tomato and sofrito based broth with potatoes and olives. Served over rice they are a meal unto themselves, or a classic staple with every Puerto Rican dinner!
Puerto Rican Rice and Beans (Habichuelas Guisadas)
Update: new photos added July 2017. VIDEO added August 2017 (scroll down). Original recipe published December 2013.
I've mentioned before that I'm half Polish, half Mexican and I've shared recipes various from my cultural influences.
But this recipe says who I am and what I claim: I'm Puerto Rican!
I used to repeat that phrase proudly as a little girl when asked about my background.
(It was all the more humorous since I couldn't pronounce my R's when I was young.)
Fast forward a few years and I realized I wasn't actually Puerto Rican at all!
What can I say? Little kids are a product of their environment and the many Puerto Rican friends and family I was surrounded by made a big impression on me...and so will this Puerto Rican Rice and Beans recipe!
This is my favorite Puerto Rican meal and so quick and easy to make.
I prefer pink or red beans, but you can also use kidney beans if you like.
The beans are simmered in a tomato and sofrito based broth.
The potatoes soak up all the vibrant flavors and the olives add a briny pop.
Instead of potatoes you can also use calabaza which is Caribbean pumpkin.
Served over rice to soak up all the sauce, this recipe can't be beat. I could eat this everyday!
For some, it might be difficult to find sofrito, which is a vegetable purée that forms the base for most Puerto Rican recipes.
I've included some options below for finding or making your own sofrito, and I've included the brands I use for the other ingredients that may not be familiar.
Many grocery stores carry Goya brand these days so they shouldn't be hard to find.
Check out my Puerto Rican Resources page for more information!
This is the pot (caldero) that I use for cooking.
P.S. These beans are amazing with tostones - crispy fried plantains!
UPDATE: here you can find a more detailed recipe on how to make sofrito.
Pin this to your Puerto Rican Recipes board!
Puerto Rican Rice and Beans (Habichuelas Guisadas)
Puerto Rican Beans simmered in a flavorful broth of sofrito and tomato.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 heaping tablespoons sofrito
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 2 cans (15-16 ounces) kidney, red or pink beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 ½ cups (12 ounces) water
- 1 packet Sazón with Coriander and Annatto (Culantro and Achiote)
- 1 packet ham flavor (I use Goya Jamón) (optional)
- 1 teaspoon adobo (I use Goya)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- Ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons Manzanilla or Spanish pimento-stuffed olives
- ½ pound potatoes, peeled and diced into large chunks
- Cooked white rice, for serving
Instructions
- In a medium caldero, sauté sofrito in oil 2-3 minutes over medium heat.
- Add tomato sauce, beans, water, sazón and ham packet. Season with pepper, adobo, garlic powder, oregano and stir. Taste and adjust spices according to your liking. Broth should be slightly salty since the potatoes will absorb much of the flavor.
- Add potatoes and olives and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until potatoes are cooked through, about 30 minutes or so, depending on their size. Serve over hot rice.
Notes
If sofrito is not something you are familiar with, there are a few options. Sofrito is the base for many Puerto Rican dishes.
- See if a local Hispanic store sells it.
- Goya brand makes a prepared version that your regular grocery store may carry, but choose the green jar that says "Recaito" instead of “Sofrito.” If they only have the “Sofrito,” decrease the amount of tomato sauce in the recipe by about half.
- Make your own. If you cannot find all of the ingredients, use what you can and it will still turn out tasty!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 177Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 490mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 3gSugar: 2gProtein: 10g
Nutritional information provided is an estimate only. Please consult the labels of ingredients you use for more accurate results.
*see Puerto Rican Resources page for more information on products and ingredients.
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Made this today. Tweaked it to make more (4 cans of beans) and added carrots (cuz I like carrots). This recipe is fantastic! I highly recommend it. I'm already looking forward to lunch tomorrow so I can eat it again! Thank you!
I could probably eat any veggie if it was cooked in this broth - totally going to try it now. =) Thanks so much!
I've made this several times now and it's become a favorite dish. I went to college in New York City and ate a lot of Puerto Rican food while there, and this tastes like what I used to eat.
That is so awesome! I've been to NYC one time and LOVED it, but it was only for a weekend. I definitely have to go back.
I love this recipe my fiance is Hispanic and this is his favorite. I'm going to try it Tuesday night! ! Thank you
It's our favorite too! Hope he likes it! 😀
Been making this since 1980 with a recipe given by my friend's mom. The main thing I do differently is add sliced Goya Chorizo; I've never used the ham concentrate. Sometimes I add potatoes, sometimes not, and I prefer olives with the pits left in...and have to warn everyone not to break their teeth...hahaha.
My mom used to make it with un-pitted olives too! I like them better than the pimiento stuffed olives, but they can be a real doozy to bite into! I will have to try it with the Goya chorizo 🙂
I love the sound of this dish, and I don't know nearly enough about Puerto Rican cooking, thanks!
Thank you so much, Sue! I love your blog!
Can I make these in the crockpot with dried beans? If so can you explain the steps I would have to follow? I imagine I would possibly have to increase the measurements?
Hi Anthony, it's usually not recommended to cook dried beans and tomato together since it can make them tough. Instead, soak dried beans overnight, cook them using any method you prefer, then use the cooked beans in place of canned in this recipe. That's how it was done in the old days, or they used fresh beans if available. If you decide to experiment with the crockpot, please let us know the results!
Hi Rebekah, thanks for sharing this! I think I've heard of sofrito before but haven't tried it. Once I get back to the states - in one month - I will!
BTW, this has ham concentrate - would it fatally alter the product to find a vegetarian alternative?
Best,
DH
Thanks for stopping by, Derek! If you eliminate the Jamón you will still have an amazing dish. I should have added that's it's purely optional and I only use it when I have it on hand. The mains flavor comes from the Sazón and sofrito, so that's the part you can't alter without drastically changing the dish. Let me know how it turns out once you're stateside!
I have vegan and vegetarians in my family and don't put any ham or ham flavor in mine. It's still delicious!
Enjoy.😊
Goya sells ham flavored seasoning packets.
I had some, full of flavor. Of course if you made it everyday I would eat it everyday too. But I still like, "Pollo Guisado" (Chicken in red sauce) better.