Habichuelas Guisadas (Puerto Rican Stewed Beans)
These beans are a Puerto Rican staple, and an essential side dish for rice.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup diced country ham or bacon omit if vegetarian
- 1/4 cup Puerto Rican sofrito
- 1/4 cup tomato sauce
- 1½ tsp sazón con achiote y culantro
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 2 cans pink beans (habichuelas rosadas), undrained 15 oz. cans
- 1/3 cup diced potato, pumpkin and/or baby carrots
- 8 pimento stuffed olives
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped for garnish
- Adobo seasoning or salt, to taste
Instructions
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In a medium sized sauce pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped ham and saute for 2-3 minutes, until it starts to caramelize.
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Add the sofrito and Sazon seasoning. Saute for 2 minutes, until fragrant.
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Add the tomato sauce, oregano, bay leaves, and cumin. Saute for 1 minute.
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Add the chicken stock, beans (with their liquid), chopped potato, pumpkin or carrot, olives, and chopped cilantro. Cover and bring the mixture to a boil.
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Once the mixture comes to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Allow the flavors to meld, the beans to become really tender, and the pumpkin/carrots to cook. The mixture should be very creamy and not soupy.
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Check for seasoning, and add Adobo or salt if needed.
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Serve over white or yellow rice, with an extra sprinkle of cilantro, if desired.
Recipe Notes
You can replace the adobo seasoning with salt and pepper. Adobo has a fair amount of salt, so it's often used as a salt replacement, and flavor enhancer.
Freeze leftover beans in freezer storage bags and keep frozen for up to 3 months.