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 1/2 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)
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- Ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons Manzanilla or Spanish pimento-stuffed olives
- 1/2 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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Steve
Saturday 20th of August 2022
I made this recipe today. My wife and I really enjoyed the flavors and the potatoes. we will definitely make this again. I am 100% Polish. I speak Polish and my wife and I speak Spanish. We lived in a Cuban and Puerto Rican neighborhood in Chicago for a number of years and loved being part of both cultures. We all can appreciate and enjoy our similarities and our differences with love for our neighbors. We love the parties and the dancing and the food with our Cuban and Puerto Rican friends. Viva Puerto Rico! Viva Cuba! Viva Poland!
Rebekah
Saturday 20th of August 2022
I love this! That's one of the great things about living in the Chicago area that I miss. I wish I spoke Polish too, but I never learned from my grandfather.
David
Saturday 13th of August 2022
If im doubling the recipe do I just double the ingredients?
Rebekah
Monday 15th of August 2022
Yes sir!
Darleen
Monday 8th of August 2022
I've been using this recipe very time I make it, & I follow the recipe to the T, this time I decided to put two packs each of the seasonings packets, and omg the flavor is 100 times better, don't get wrong it was always good with original recipe. This is soooo delicious I could eat this every day.!! Thank you for sharing.very good with potatoes
Kathryn Gómez
Sunday 24th of July 2022
I don't think so. My mother-in-law was Puerto Rican and I have visited Puerto Rico and had red beans more times than I can count. No one I know there has ever used potatoes or olives. They use pumpkin (calabaza) and they start the dish by frying up either chorizo or hard salami if you can't find chorizo, with the sofrito and garlic, then adding the chopped calabaza, the tomato sauce, a little tomato paste,salt pepper and a leaf or two of fresh culantro. That is also the way we make it in Trinidad. I have never heard of potatoes in red beans? Think I'll stick with what I know and how I have been making red beans for forty years.
Yvette
Friday 12th of August 2022
@Kathryn Gómez, my good friends from Yabacoa PR make it like this! Maybe it’s the area! Not all Puerto Rican food is the same but has the same basics like Sazon and Adobo. Im Hispanic from Texas so our food is different than from cali or Arizona but same just different flavors but same base. I’m excited about her recipe cause it’s just like my friends from PR!
Rebekah
Friday 5th of August 2022
Hi Kathryn! Calabaza is definitely traditional, but all the Chicago area Puerto Ricans I know mostly use potatoes since they're more accessible. Cultures adapt. I love hearing how others make theirs - the chorizo sounds delicious.
Jehanii
Friday 8th of April 2022
Thank you love I enjoyed making this dish I am Bahamian and my husband is Puerto Rican came home the other day wishing he could have some of his grandmothers Rice I listened to everything he said was in the dish and decided to google this was the most in depth recipe and it came out THE BOMB! I'll be making this dish again