Puerto Rican Rice and Beans (Habichuelas Guisadas)

Tired of plain beans? Get ready for a flavorful mouth explosion introducing Pureto Ricos Habichuelas Guisadas, your new favorite way to eat beans and rice. Being completely crafted over generations and generations this iconic carribean dish represents the diverse history and culture from the origins of African all the way to Taino. Did you know the earliest mention of sofrito comes all the way back to the 1400's? read here for more information.

What Are Puerto Rican Rice and Beans (Habichuelas Guisadas)?

The literal translation means "Stewed Beans", but its more than this. Puerto Rican food usually use a salsa base called sofrito; use a blend of spices called sazon; and usually but not always use tomato sauce in their recipes.

Growing up my mom would make this dish at least once and week and i never got tired of it. There are many variations of this dish and today our protein of choice is going to be spam! If you don't happen to have spam you can try cooking my air fryer chicken breast

For Puerto Rico Recipe Habichuelas Guisadas you are going to need a few pantry items:

• 1 can of beans (i prefer using white/northern beans) - rinsed and washed
• 1 cup of long grain white rice don't have rice? check out my crispy air fryer potato cubes
• 1/2 cup of green olives
• 1/2 can of spam - there is a lot of versatility here. You can go with bacon, ham or vienna sausages here.
• 1 bunch of cilantro
• 1 medium sized potato
• 1tbsp of sazón
• 3 tbsp of sofrito
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• olive oil
• 1/2 cup of tomato sauce

Choosing the Right Beans

You really can't go wrong with any beans that you end up using but my prefernce for this dish is white beans, I think it brings out the flavor more in the gusio. Experiment and find out pairing you like to use. Many people like using either red beans or kidney beans, its up to you to play around and see which beans you like most.

The Sofrito Base

You can go to the latin market and usually find some sofrito. If you can't by chance here is the recipe to make sofito at home.

Culanto

Cilantro

1 onion

1 red bell pepper

1 green bell pepper

1 orange bell pepper

1 blub of garlic

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp salt

1 tbsp pepper

1 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp oregano

How to cook Habichuelas Guisadas

1. Cook white rice according to package.
2.  Dice and fry spam over medium heat in a sauce pan. For extra crispy spam add olive oil  until spam starts to color and is seared on both sides.

3. Take out the spam and place on a plate and add olive oil, sazón, cumin, and oregano. Cook on low-medium heat for 2-3 minutes until fragrant.

4. Add the beans to the sauce pan and stir and cook for 1-2 minutes.
5. Add the tomato sauce and 1 cup of water, stir and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
7. Add the potato and green olives, stir and bring to a boil. (optional - you can soak the potatoes in water while you are prepping everything in this dish to remove some of the starches)
8. 
9. Taste and make sure the seasonings are on point - adjust if need. Reduce heat to low cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes until potatoes are soft.
10. Once finished add cilantro and serve over white rice. Enjoy!

FAQs

What is habichuelas guisadas made of?

It's usually made up of pink, red, or kidney beans. I prefer to use white beans as I think it compliments the dish.

Why do Puerto Ricans call beans habichuelas?

The word "habichuela" is a nod to Puerto Rico's rich cultural heritage. It reflects the island’s Taíno roots and the unique blend of Spanish and African culinary traditions that have shaped its flavors. Instead of using the word frijoles like Latina America, Puerto Ricans use the word habichueleas.

Are Puerto Rican rice and beans healthy?

The simple answer is yes, they are healthy. Beans contain lots of protein (around 15 grams per cup) and around 15 grams fiber per cup. They also help digestion and support muscle growth and repair. So yes, beans are consider to be a healthy food.

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