Arroz y Habichuelas Guisadas/Rice and Puerto Rican Stewed Beans

Rice and beans are one of the pillars of Puerto Rican cuisine. It’s one of those things that a regular Puerto Rican household eats several times a week with white rice. And it’s perfect for vegans. Beans are chock full of protein and are very filling. Pair it with rice and avocado, and you have a quick, hearty meal. You can also pair it with fried green or sweet plantains, mofongo, potatoes, or anything you want, really. That is why I decided to start off this blog with this recipe. It’s such a simple and easy to make staple, that you can make it during the week and make enough for lunch the next day. As a side note, it does reheat well.

To make the beans

To make the beans, heat olive oil in a medium saucepan at medium/high heat. After the oil is hot, turn down the heat to medium/low and add the “sofrito” (see my recipe here), “sazón” (see my post on sazón here), and veggie bullion. Stir-fry for about one minute. Add tomato sauce and stir the mix every now and then, for about two more minutes. Add the pumpkin chunks and water. Bring it to a low simmer for five minutes. Add the beans, salt and sugar. Let it simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Taste the sauce and adjust salt and/or sugar to taste. If it’s a bit acid, add sugar in increments of 1/8 tsp until it reaches desired taste. For runny sauce, serve them right after. Or you can let them simmer uncovered for a few more minutes until they thicken. Make sure to stir every now and then, so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the saucepan. Serve them over the rice.

To make the rice

First of all, I have to say that I use white rice for this recipe. You can certainly make it with brown rice or any other rice. However, I wanted to use the original recipe for this. Also, making rice is not my forté, haha. I own a rice cooker (this is the one I use) and I proudly use it instead of a regular “caldero” (pot). If you are like me, and are using a rice cooker, use 1 1/4 cup of water per every cup of rice. For two (and a little something for next day’s lunch), use 2 cups of medium grain white rice, 2 1/2 cups of water, about 1 tbsp oil (any oil will do), and salt to taste (you can start with 1 tsbp if you are not sure). And then follow your rice cooker’s instructions. Simple, right? If you are going to use a “caldero” (pot), use 2 cups of medium grain white rice, 3 cups of water, 1 tbsp oil, and salt to taste. Combine the water, salt, and oil in a pot on medium/high heat. When it starts to boil, pour in the rice and stir the rice so it’s even covered by the water. Leave it uncovered at medium heat until it absorbs the water. After the water is absorbed, cover the rice and cook on medium/low heat for about 20 minutes, or until the rice grains are soft.

My favorite way to serve rice and beans is with a side of avocado and tostones (fried green plantains). The recipe for tostones will be up soon! Buen provecho 🙂

Print Recipe

Arroz y Habichuelas Guisadas/Rice and Puerto Rican Stewed Beans

Ingredients

Beans

• 1 can pink beans
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 heaping tbsp sofrito
• 1/2 tsp vegetable bullion
• 2 tsp sazón/seasoning
• 3 tbsp tomato sauce Goya is my favorite
• 1 cup pumpkin in chunks
• 1 1/2 cup water Less for thicker sauce
• 1/4 tsp or to taste salt Remember the "sazón" already has some salt
• 1/2 tsp organic cane sugar

Rice in Rice Maker

• 2 cups medium grain white rice
• 1 tbsp oil Any type of oil will be okay
• 1 tsp salt or to taste
• 2 1/2 cups water

Rice in Regular Pot

• 2 cups medium grain white rice
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp salt or to taste
• 3 cups water

Instructions

Beans

• Heat the oil in a medium saucepan at medium/high heat
• Turn down the heat to medium/low and add the sofrito, sazón, and bullion. Stir fry for about one minute.
• Add tomato sauce and stir the mix every now and then, for about two more minutes
• Add pumpkin chunks and water. Bring it to a simmer for five minutes
• Add the beans, salt and sugar. Let it simmer, covered, for 15 minutes
• Taste the sauce and adjust salt and/or sugar to taste. If it’s a bit acid, add sugar in increments of 1/8 tsp until it reaches desired taste. Or add some salt if it's too bland for your taste.
• For runny sauce, serve them right after. For thicker sauce, let them simmer uncovered for a few more minutes until they reach desired level of thickness. Make sure to stir every now and then, so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the saucepan.
• Serve over rice

Rice in Rice Maker

• Add all ingredients to the rice maker pot, and follow the rice makers instructions. It's usually just turning it on, or clicking on the "white rice" button, if your rice maker is multi-tasking.

Rice in Regular Pot

• Combine the water, salt, and oil in a pot on medium/high heat. When it starts to boil, pour in the rice and stir the rice so it's even covered by the water.
• Leave it uncovered at medium heat until it absorbs the water. After the water is absorbed, cover the rice and cook on medium/low heat for about 20 minutes, or until the rice grains are soft.